5 Must See Spots for a Day Trip to Kyoto
Kyoto! Famously known for its temples and shrines it is one of the most visited and beautiful cities in Japan. Its proximity to other big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka makes it ideal for a day trip.
There is good reason for this, having been the capital of Japan for eleven centuries there are around 2,000 temples and shrines dispersed around the city and its neighborhoods.
It was also a hub for commerce and business throughout that time. It remains a center for commerce still today.
Many visitors to Japan spend several days and up to a week enjoying as much of Kyoto as possible. But if you only have a few days in Japan you can make Kyoto a one-day trip from Osaka or Tokyo by riding the Shinkansen.
The following recommendations will ensure you have a full and enjoyable day. This guide covers three major temples, and the main castle and allows time for shopping in the arcades that form Kyoto Station.
This post is about getting a taste of the city on a day trip to Kyoto.
Arriving and Moving around in Kyoto
There are no airports in Kyoto, the nearest is Itami, which is 50 minutes away by limousine bus. Therefore, the best way to arrive in Kyoto is by train. All trains arrive at Kyoto Station!
When you step off the train and take in the massive building that is Kyoto station find your way towards Kyoto Tower. This will put you right at the bus terminal from where all buses leave and arrive.
Temples, shrines, markets, and districts are spread out throughout the city. The best way to move around and take advantage of your day trip in Kyoto is to take the bus.
You can pay for the bus with an IC card (Suica, Pasmo), cash, or purchase a day pass at the Kyoto Bus Information Center.
Taking the bus from Kyoto Central Station offers the advantage of having employees on hand to guide you. Many of them speak and understand some English, which is very helpful.
1. Kinkakuji – The Golden Pavilion
Kinkakuji, known as the Golden Pavilion, is one of the most unique and spectacular temples you can see in Kyoto. It is opulent yet serene.
If you arrive in Kyoto early, we suggest starting your visit with this temple. It tends to get very crowded, but arriving at its opening time will allow you to experience the temple with fewer people around.
Early in the morning, the pond in front of the golden pavilion is typically calmer which makes the reflection of the temple on the still water even more breathtaking. This provides for some truly beautiful photography opportunities.
Kinkakuji was originally built as the retirement villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and became a Zen temple upon his death.
Beyond the pond and temple, explore the traditional Japanese gardens and the rest of the complex. The visit at a relaxed pace should take no more than a couple of hours.
2. Ryoan-ji Hojo Teien (Rock Garden)
After leaving Kinkaku-ji you can take the bus to Ryoan-ji; the temple of the Dragon at Peace. Another alternative is to walk for about twenty-five minutes.
Ryoan-ji is another Zen Temple with beautiful gardens and a small lake.
As you walk towards the main temple you can feel the peace of the gardens and the chirping of many birds.
When you arrive at the main temple you will take off your shoes and put on a pair of slippers.
As you move through the outer corridor you start to feel the peace of the place and see Japanese traditional screen art.
At the of the corridor, you will arrive at the crowning jewel of Ryoan-ji which is the rock garden.
This rectangle garden with fifteen stones of different sizes carefully composed in five groups and surrounded by white gravel, is carefully raked each day by the monks.
Both temples, Kinkakuji and Ryoanji, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They provide a beautiful example of ancient Japanese architecture and garden design.
3. Nijo Castle
Japan has many famous castles scattered throughout the country. Most of the castles that survive today are Yamajiro, castles built on mountains.
But in Kyoto, you can see a Hirajiro or flatland castle. Unlike its more famous neighbor, Himeji Castle, Nijo Castle was built on the valley that housed the capital of Japan, Kyoto.
Although it is a castle, it is NOT where the Emperor lived. Nijo Castle was the emperor’s assigned location for the Shogun to oversee the protection of the area.
Apart from being a very beautiful building with unique architecture, when it comes to castles it has a very unique feature, the Nightingale floor.
These floors were laid as an added guard against intrusion into the Castle by suspicious and dangerous persons, like ninjas. The floor was designed to sing like a nightingale whenever a step is taken on it.
It’s your turn to try walking as quietly as a ninja. See if you can advance without making the floor sing!
4. Nanzenji Temple
On the northwest side of Kyoto is a less visited area full of dozens of temples and a beautiful walking path beside a small river.
The path is known as the Philosophers Path and it is best traveled starting at its farthest point in Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion. The path is surrounded by trees, with many shops, cafes, and temples along the way.
Depending on your time and how templ-ed out you are you can visit one or many. If you only have the time or energy to visit one temple in this area, we recommend you visit Nanzen-ji.
This temple is at the opposite end of Ginkaku-ji. At the beginning, or end of the path, depending on where you start.
The entrance gate to Nanzen-ji is one of the biggest and most imposing gates we have seen in my travels through Japan. An entrance worthy of the emperor’s summer villa.
You can visit more gardens and the temple, where a short film explains the history of the complex.
The biggest surprise here is the aqueduct. A modern affair that runs from the nearby Lake Biwa Canal and brings irrigation water to the city of Kyoto to this day.
5. Kyoto Station
Way back in the 1990’s Kyoto Station was a small brick building. Less than thirty years later Kyoto Station is a multi-story mega complex worthy of a visit for itself.
The vast network of regional and rapid trains, subways, and buses all arrive and leave from Kyoto Station. This makes Kyoto a viable day-trip destination from nearby cities.
Things are marked in Japanese and English making it relatively easy to find your way around this huge station.
You will find eight (8) distinct areas for dining in Kyoto Station. Everything from ramen to pizza, Chinese to Italian. There are expensive restaurants and sushi stalls. Whatever price point you are looking for there is a spot for you.
But be mentally prepared, so many options can be overwhelming. And where the train signs are in Japanese and English the menus are typically not. So bring out your trusty phone and use Google Translate to help you navigate the options.
One of the most visited dining areas is Ramen Street, on the 10th floor of the station building. At Kyoto Ramen Koji, you can find eight shops selling regional varieties of ramen, from as far north as Hokkaido to Kyushu in the south.
Additionally, the Japanese department store Isetan occupies thirteen floors of the station. This is a wonderful place to purchase anything, including paper products from Itoya and Japanese souvenirs.
Finally, don’t forget to explore the underground for dining options, smaller shops, and plenty of confectionery stores.
Alternatives
There are other wonderful places to see in Kyoto and if you have more time you should definitely make the most of it. But for a day trip to Kyoto, you must be selective.
For example, the Gion District, known for the possible viewing of working Geishas, comes alive closer to five or six o’clock in the evening.
Kiomizu-dera, another impressive temple with views of Kyoto City, can get very crowded making it difficult and time-consuming to reach.
Nishiki Market is a traditional Japanese market. We did not include it in this visit because this is very similar to what you can find in other Japanese cities like Osaka. And although this is also true of the underground markets in other train stations the size of Kyoto Station makes it unique.
With so many shrines and temples and so many food places, it is impossible to see everything on a day trip to Kyoto. It is well worth staying in this imperial city for at least three days to really appreciate it.
But if your time is short and you can only spare a day trip to Kyoto, we hope this post guides you well.
