tt7 - It's funny, I added Daitokuji Temple & Garden to my list at the last minute but now your recommendation moved it up. I love the idea of 20 gardens, some open, some not. Very cool. And, again, thank you for the detailed directions.

Guenmai - The Hanaa-fu handbags are great - such fun shapes, patterns & colors. I'm only in Tokyo on Sundays (at the beginning and end of my trip) - do you know if Hanaa-fu bags are sold in Kyoto (maybe in department stores?) I googled their site but couldn't find mentions of Kyoto.

This trip is really starting to excite me now!!

.... though I guess if you blow it up a bit it's a bit easier....

Vickeybypass: I know you don't have a lot of time in Tokyo, but there's a Hanna-fu boutique inside of the Main Marui 0101 store in Shinjuku. The address is:
3,Chrome-30-1 3 Shinjuku City Tokyo 160-0022 . They're open, 7 days a week, from 11AM-9PM.

There's also a Marui Building across the street from Tokyo Station as I've walked past it. So, maybe that location carries Hanna-fu.

I figure that if Tokyo Marui 0101 store carries Hanna-fu, then maybe the same store in Kyoto also carries it. I've walked past the Marui 0101 store in Kyoto as it's in the middle of downtown at Shijo-dori Kawaramachi 68.

Also, while in Kyoto, another interesting shopping building to check out is Bal on the main street, about a 5-minute walk around the corner from the Royal Park Hotel-Sanjo. Last summer I booked a room there in order to do laundry, as there' s a laundry room, and also to go out and shop and take packages back to the hotel, rest up, rest the bad/painful knee, take a nap, and then go out again. Then, in the evening, I would just take a taxi back across town to either the Four Seasons or the Hyatt where I was staying. I got a room for really cheap at the Royal Park-Sanjo and it was worth having it for 2 days.

Kyoto BAL | The Kyoto Project

https://sharing-kyoto.com/shop_Kyoto_BAL

https://matcha-jp.com/en/1098

Bal is a great, upscale department store and nice place to get a meal at Muji after shopping at Muji and all of the other boutiques inside and all under one roof. It's a very relaxing place. And I was shocked to see the gorgeous Ron Herman store there. Ron Herman and Fred Segal are long-time icon names here in L.A. and have been California life-style specialists since the early 70s. So, there's all kinds of great stuff in Bal, from Japanese items to Western items to food to a great bookstore and stationery store.

At Bal, from the Dressterior boutique, I bought a gorgeous, long, black, flowing linen summer coat trimmed in gorgeous lace from neck to bottom. I got it for at least 50% off as I'm in Japan during summer when the sales are off the hook. At that time, I can stock up on clothing that I can wear here at home in L.A. I tried to post the Instagram link to the coat, but it wouldn't post here although I posted the link below. I have it bookmarked, on my Macbook Air, although I'm not on Instagram and it pops up fine. Go figure.


Also, Bal is only about a 10-15 minute walk from the Chicago boutique as I walk back and forth to both.

Oh, speaking of food, if you end up at the basement level of the major department stores, the take-out food there is great. Both in Tokyo and Kyoto, I basically eat from the basement of the department stores and my favorite take-out deli, by far, is R1-F Sozai. It's a chain so I can find it in the department store, basement, food marts in a lot of places in Japan. The small, fried shrimp are amazing as well as the huge salad selection. I would go there and have them pack my items and then taxi back to the Four Seasons and eat in my room with all my food items spread out on my desk while watching my huge, flat screen TV. Priceless and my definition of a vacation and true R&R.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/20.../#.XKcDc6eZOT8

https://www.citysuper.com.hk/en/city.../June-2015/RF1 I got food from RF-1 Sozai so much until they remembered me from one year to the next. LOL!

Have fun eating and shopping.

Happy Travels!

Below are some Hanna-fu bags on Pinterest. My white one, with the black polks dots, is in the left picture.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/300263500149918917

Happy Travels!

Looks like there is a large WAZU shop in New York; they sell the folding bags. Cute gifts.....what is the price range, in general terms?

I realize that they're sold in NYC. They're probably also sold somewhere here in L.A. I bought my Hanna-fu, in Jan 2019, for 7,100 Thai Baht at Isetan department store at Central World Mall in Bangkok. It's the same style as the one in the youtube video. www.xe.com. Plus, there was a very wide range of choices of Hanaa-fu bags in Bangkok. Siam Paragon

Happy Travels!

I can't disagree with the sentiment .... the problem is, Kyoto has so many sites worth seeing, it's hard to pick and choose.

In a very early visit to Japan (maybe 15 - 20 years ago), we were staying at KIX (because I was en route on a business trip to Busan) and did a day trip to Kyoto. Not having a clue about anything or where anywhere was, we went on a bus tour (in Japanese), one stop on which was Kinkaku-ji. Despite quite a few visits since to Kyoto, we've never been back. Similarly, until our next-to-last-visit to Kyoto a year or so ago, we'd never been to Fushimi-Inari.

There are so many places to go.... how to choose? Despite having been to Kyoto probably half a dozen times in the last few years, I still feel we've barely scratched the surface. The fact that Kinkaku-ji and Fushimi-Inari are perhaps on every tourist's must-do list and are usually in the top few "most visited" sites in Kyoto make some of us want to go in the opposite direction .... but that's just me...

The usual advice is go to Fushimi-Inari 'early' to try and avoid the crowds. In this case, if vickiebypass decides she would like to go there, perhaps the best time would be on the morning she leaves for Tokyo. Take the JR Nara local line two stops from Kyoto Station to Inari Station (not Fushimi-Inari). Afterwards, take the local line train one stop back to Tofuku-ji and then back to Kyoto Station for the AEON Mall. Make sure to get the JR Nara Line Local train and not the Rapid Service (and beware the 8.09 local line train which apparently doesn't stop at Inari).

Kinkaku-ji is to the west of Daitoku-ji and perhaps therefore could be combined with that visit (just take the bus further west).

I know it's bad when you start replying to your own posts but .... In a different forum (on Japan-guide.com), someone asked a question about their proposed Kyoto itinerary, which covered a lot of sites, most of which I must admit I haven't heard of. Amongst others, it elicited this response:-

To me, the great thing about Kyoto is that there is such richness in the so-called secondary sites (those not on the "top ten" lists). I have had such exquisite moments at many of these "lesser-known" places. It is kind of a kick to see an ambitious five-day Kyoto itinerary that doesn't include Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari Jinja, and the "bamboo forest" in Arashiyama! At the same time, I am incredibly grateful for the tourist magnet sites and the fact that essentially all of the foreign tourists feel strongly compelled to visit them. It leaves countless other magical places for the rest of us to enjoy in peace and quiet. So much profound beauty in Kyoto...

I'd have to say I couldn't agree more....

OTOH, Fushimi Inari is open 24/7, and so can be visited after everything else is closed, at least during times of the year when sunset is later than temple closings.

KJA, thank you for getting this thread back on track!

I would also like to have more sightseeing information, as I have booked a GoodWill guide for one day, during the week.

Thank you all.

I couldn't agree more with tt7 regarding those top ten sites on most visitors lists. Not that they aren't worth visiting, just if you go around mid day be aware you will be joined with immense crowds, all seeking that tranquil experience depicted in those beautiful tourist book photos. Arashiyama, Nanzenji, places like that have individuals and tour groups by the busloads. If you do visit these places, try and go first thing in the morning or later in the day as has been suggested. Those secondary sites are just as magnificent and worthwhile as tt7 has mentioned, just my 2 cents.

When vickiebypass is in Kyoto in 10 days time, sunrise is around 5.30 am, sunset around 6.30 pm.

Right. I believe that's a bit later than many temples close, and since it isn't fully dark at sunset, IMO, Fushimi Inari would be an option if the OP wants to visit it.

Perhaps you would like to start a separate thread? What is it you would like sightseeing information about?

There is so much to see in Kyoto. We had 6 full days there, and used every moment. One of the ways we maximized our time was by using taxis. Public transportation was packed - it was the height of the koyo - and we wouldn't have seen half as much if we insisted on public transport. So think about any things you can do to maximize what time you do have in Kyoto.

TT7: Yes, I will probably begin a new thread. I have about 9 days in Kyoto and had engaged a guide for one day and he asked me where I wanted him to take us......that was the reason for my posting that here. Hope I did not barge in...

There are good places to visit all over Kyoto.
By "train" I take it you would also include the subway. Ultimately it's all up to where you plan to go, but unlike many other Japanese cities, rail is only of limited value. You can of course take the bus, or rent a bicycle if you're not carrying a lot, or even a taxi if you have the money to burn.

There are often several other good places around someplace you choose to go, so it makes more sense to get there however you want and then walk around the rest of the way. Avoid zig-zagging all over the city to use your time better.