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Things to do in Kyoto in a day?
cj iwakura
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
I'm going (back) to Tokyo in April, but I'm also going with a friend, so we were thinking of taking a day trip to the old capital via bullet train.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html
It looks really daunting. Is it as navigable as Tokyo? I never left there when I went last time, so I was wanting to see more of the country this time.
If Kyoto's too much, is there a better alternative? We'll be there for a week, and we weren't planning on getting separate hotels anywhere(we're just staying in Shinjuku).
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html
It looks really daunting. Is it as navigable as Tokyo? I never left there when I went last time, so I was wanting to see more of the country this time.
If Kyoto's too much, is there a better alternative? We'll be there for a week, and we weren't planning on getting separate hotels anywhere(we're just staying in Shinjuku).
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Busses can be an option, but your Tokyo IC cards won't work, you'll need to have cash.
Frankly speaking, I'm skeptical that it's worth spending 30,000 yen and 6 hours on a train to spend half a day in Kyoto. If you're looking to get out of Tokyo (and you should), I'd take a look at Kamakura, Matsumoto, Nikko, or Kawagoe.
There may be private bus lines where they don't work, but you can use Suica/Pasmo on municipal buses.
My only concern, gorgeous as those areas look, is the train rides seem just as long as one to Kyoto would be.
That's not really the case; Kamakura is an hour away from Tokyo and costs less than a thousand yen to get to.
The farthest, Matsumoto, is two and a half hours away, so the train ride is admittedly not that much shorter than the one to Kyoto. But unlike Kyoto, Matsumoto is an easily walkable city that you can do in a day. And you'd save over $100 in train fare.
Incidentally the Philosopher's Walk between Ginkaku-Ji and Nanzen-ji is pretty much a perfect slice of old Kyoto
If you did that as early in the morning as reasonably possible once things open up, and have time/energy for more, then I'd hit up Arashiyama in the afternoon and get soba noodles by the river at Arashiyama Yoshimura, then explore around that area of the city before it gets dark
Nikko looks utterly gorgeous, but yeah, somewhere closer does seem to appeal more, especially since we only have ~5 days in Japan. I guess the shinkansen itself isn't too special? (Do you feel how fast it is, or is it nausea-inducing at all?)
It's astonishingly smooth, incredibly little tangible motion or vertigo relative to most passenger rail I've ever been on - it has an insanely robust suspension system and rides on much wider rails than most conventional trains
If you just wanted to experience it, you could easily work it into most any daytrip itinerary, such as taking it to Utsunomiya (for Nikko) or Yokohama (for Kamakura). That's what I did when my mom visited me in Osaka; we took the Shinkansen to Kyoto (which was only like a 15 minute trip) just so that she could say she'd been on it.
A cool thing to do for an extra ~$5 at the Kiyomizudera is the tainai meguri (journey to the womb?) which is this dark tunnel you go through that has absolutely no light and is meant to symbolize birth. I would not recommend it if you are claustrophobic.
The Fushimi-Inari shrine was also really cool. If you've ever watched an anime/read a manga where the characters run through a temple that consists of gates over and over, that's basically what the shrine is. The walk/hike is really nice, but you'll want to wear real shoes and clothes that you'd feel ok breaking a sweat in.
First and foremost, I found the Kyoto International Manga Museum really cool when I was there. It's a converted high school (IIRC) with a bunch of museum exhibits, but it's also kind of in the style of a library. So when you get tired of looking at exhibits, you can pick something off of the many shelves that are in almost every room and hall and just sit down to read. I really liked the room with plaster casts of the hands of famous Mangaka.
Kinkakuji temple is visually striking, but you can't get all that close to it. The 3d crystal engraving of the temple I bought from the gift shop was one of the neater things I picked up though. My mom spoke more highly of Ginkakuji.
For eateries, I've got two. First would be Honke Owariya, which is a soba noodle shop and confectionery that's been in more or less continuous operation since 1465. It's supposed to be one of, or perhaps the oldest restaurant in the world still operating. The building is nifty looking and the food was good, though not exceptional IMO. My mom liked it more than I did. Mostly I recommend it for the novelty.
The second place is New Delhi Indian Restaurant. Obviously the novelty of an Indian restaurant in Japan is low for a westerner, but the food was great. My mum and I went there because by the time we got to Kyoto we were tired, footsore, and craving some familiarity in our cuisine. Fortunately, this place was about a hundred feet away from our hostel. We actually got cocky about proportions and ordered more food than could probably have fit on our table if it all came out at once, but it was all delicious. Even the stuff we had to finish off 6 hours later haha. The waiter informed us excitedly that they had won an award for the largest naan in Kyoto and I absolutely believe him.
Lastly, check out Nijo Castle if you're around after dark. I only saw the exterior, but they did a lighting display that was worth seeing.
I'm also open to other stuff in Tokyo on the other three days. Is it feasible to cross the Rainbow Bridge on foot, or is it better to take a bus/other route?
I was also considering Roppongi Hills since I have a friend this time, or is it really not a good idea to visit there?
So yeah, Kyoto was MUCH bigger than I expected... but the JR West seemed just as good as the JR East, we had no issues getting around via train.
Sadly we only had time for Mt. Inari and Arashiyama, but I think we chose wisely.
That said, the best beef bowl I ever had, from Fushimi Inari:
Neighborhoods:
(Actual real) Kobe beef!
Arashiyama:
Fushimi Inari:
(ALL YO YENS YIP YIP YIP)
All in all, a beautiful area, and well worth the daytrip.
We went to Fushimi Inari at nighttime and it's awesome, the world beyond the gates just melts into the darkness.