1 day itinerary for Kyoto
Let me start by saying that I totally regret my decision to stay in Kyoto for only 1 day. If I could go back in time, I would have given myself 3 days. Some people I met had stayed for 5 days and found plenty of things to do. But if you are short on time like I was, let me give you a rundown on how to make the most of your 1 day in Kyoto.
Bamboo Forest:
You can either arrive at Saga-Arashiyama station or Randen-Saga. The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove/Sagano Forest is an easy 10 minute walk from the station. Start your day early!! I arrived from Osaka that morning and made it to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove around 8:15am. Try arriving before 730am to avoid the crowds. I thought the Bamboo Grove would be massive but it only runs the size of 2 city blocks. The Bamboo Grove wasn’t that crowded when I arrived but within 10 minutes, people started swarming the area making it hard to take the perfect photo. I had to do some creative photo editing to get my solo shots. You may also see couple doing wedding shots or Geisha’s taking their photo in the area. The Bamboo Grove is best enjoyed on a slightly windy day when you can hear the bamboo rustling back and forth. Take it all and enjoy the experience!
Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple:
This is a less popular temple to visit but that was part of the reason that I loved it! It is about a 25 minute walk from the Bamboo Forest so I think that is a large reason that more people don’t visit it. It opens at 8am so perfect timing for finishing up the Bamboo Forest and it costs 300 yen to enter (~$2.64 USD).
The highlight of the temple is that it consists of 1200 stoned carved Rakan statues. All of the statues were unique with various facial expression and poses. Supposedly it is a popular game for visitors to try and find the statue that most resembles you. I pick the angel rakan below. Do you see yourself in any of the statues?? The original temple was in central Kyoto but was flooded and moved to this location. It was at that time when the rakan statues were built added in the 1980’s and 90’s.
Tenryuji Temple:
Head back the way you came crossing back through the Bamboo Forest and you can see the swarms of tourists have now arrived. Pat yourself on the back for arriving early and not having to battle the crowds. Towards the entrance of the Bamboo Forest is one of the entrances to Tenryuji Temple. It is 500 yen (~$4.40 USD) to enter Sougenchi Pond and Hyakkaen Garden. For an additional 300 yen (~$2.64 USD) you can enter Ohojo, Shoin, and Tahodo Halls. I chose to just take a quick stroll through the Gardens.
Kimono Forest:
This is just a few minutes walk from Tenryuji Temple and on the way to your next destination. I thought they were cute and not crowded at all. So a good place to take a quick photo and keep moving.
Lunch Time:
On your walk from Kimono Forest to Iwatayama Monkey Park, you will see a street filled with restaurants and tourist shops. I would recommend grabbing something quick as you have a jam packed day.
Iwatayama Monkey Park:
It is about a 10 minute walk from Kimono Forest to the base of Iwatayama Monkey Park. It is another 10 to 15 minute hike from the entrance to the top of the hill. The entrance fee is 550 Yen (~4.84 USD). Once you reach the top, you are rewarded with an amazing view of the city. Take a seat on the bench after your walk and just take it all in. From this spot, you can also the monkeys running around below.
The park contains over 170 Japanese macaque monkeys. The craziest part of the experience is that it is the humans are the ones put in the cages to feed the monkeys. Usually it is the other way around!! You can pay 100 yen ( ~.89 USD) to feed the monkeys bananas or peanuts. You are supposed to set the food on the ledge so the monkeys can grab it but I saw everyone just feeding the monkeys by placing the food directly in their hands. It is easy to spend an hour up there just watching people feed the monkeys. The monkeys will sometimes fight over the food. I think I even saw a mother monkey steal food directly out of her baby’s mouth. This may be the reason that they built the cage for feeding.
Fushimi Inari Shrine:
To head to the shrine, you will want to walk back to Saga-Arashiyama station. It will take you about 45 minutes by public transportation to get to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. There are multiple routes but I took the train back to Kyoto and changed lines there. Fushimi Inari is free to enter and it is open 24 hours a day.
I thought they were only a couple of hundred torii gates but there are estimated to be over 10,000 gates. The best way to get a good picture is to keep walking. Most people don’t walk the entire thing so the further you walk, the less people there are. I wouldn’t even bother trying to take a picture near the entrance.
If you choose to do the entire hike, it will take you 2-3 hours depending on how many breaks you take. I would highly suggest at least hiking the 30 minutes up to the view point of the city. When I arrived, it was just time for sunset which made for a gorgeous view. I did choose to walk the entire circuit so it was pitch black by the time that I finished. The torii gates are well lit so it wasn’t a problem to complete it. The top didn’t have anything new or different that you hadn’t already seen along the way so you may want to head down after the view point.
Gion District:
I had planned on spending a few hours wandering the Gion district but I was exhausted by the end of the day and just grabbed a quick dinner. The Gion district is where you can view the real geishas of Kyoto. You have probably already seen several people that had rented geisha costumes throughout the day but the real geishas are spotted on the Tatsumi Bridge or Hanamikoji Street. This area has a wide assortment of restaurants and bars to choose from so you can spend your time here to unwind from your long day.
Congrats on making it through the day! I hope you enjoyed Kyoto as much as I did!
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