Early Morning

Start Your Journey to Kyoto from Shinagawa Station

Hooray! You’ve decided to visit the culturally rich city of Kyoto, which served as the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years (from 794 to 1868). As one of Japan’s oldest cities, Kyoto is famous for its many Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden teahouses. To make the most of your 1 day in Kyoto, you should aim to arrive at Tokyo’s Shinagawa station by 8:00 AM so you can catch a Shinkansen bullet train that departs at around 8:30 AM. You could also depart from Tokyo station, but this station is incredibly busy and Shinagawa is quieter.

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Early Morning

Soak Up Mount Fuji Views from the Shinkansen Bullet Train

The journey from to Kyoto takes around 2 hours and 15 minutes, and travels at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) on a Shinkansen bullet train. The journey is not short of spectacular sights as you whizz past famous landmarks such as Lake Biwa, traditional towns and futuristic cities such as Nagoya. You won’t even need to book a Mount Fuji tour when you can enjoy jaw-dropping views of Japan’s most famous volcano during your Tokyo-to-Kyoto train journey. Top Tip: For the best, unrestricted views of Mount Fuji, sit on the right-hand side of the train.

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Mid-Morning

Begin Your Kyoto Adventure at Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

You should arrive into Kyoto station at approximately 11:00 AM, and you can look forward to spending the rest of your morning in otherworldly surroundings at Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (or Sagano Bamboo Forest as it’s also known). To get there, either jump in a taxi for a 25-minute journey, take a 20-minute ride on a JR Sagano Line train from Kyoto station to Saga-Arashiyama station (plus a 10-minute walk), or you can book a guided tour by tapping the big green button below! The forest can get a little crowded with tourists, but it doesn’t detract from the magical feeling of powerful bamboo stems towering 30-40 metres above you.

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Midday / Lunch

Souvenir Shopping and Lunch in Arashiyama Town

On your way out of the Bamboo Forest, you will pass by the Tenryu-ji Temple and the Nonomiya Shrine, then eventually end up on the main street in Arashiyama town. This lively street is lined with rickshaws, shops and restaurants. Visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to dining here, with restaurants specialising in noodles, tofu, okonomiyaki and more. After lunch, we’d recommend picking up a souvenir or two from one of the many craft shops - maybe buy some matcha tea powder and a bamboo whisk (like we did!). Following this long street will take you to the picturesque Togetsu-kyō bridge, with Iwatayama Monkey Park on the right-hand side after you’ve crossed the bridge.

Early Afternoon

Make Some New Furry Friends at Iwatayama Monkey Park

Home to approximately 120 snow monkeys (or Japanese macaque), Iwatayama Monkey Park is Situated at the top of a hill. Upon reaching the main entrance to the park, be prepared to hike through a forest for at least 20 minutes, which will make you break a sweat if it’s a hot day! We’ve hiked up to the monkey park in 34°C heat (93°F) whilst carrying a nearly-3-year-old, which wasn’t easy, but meeting and feeding these snow monkeys as they roamed in the wild makes it worth the hike! Top Tip: Before entering the forest, stock up on bottles of cold water from the vending machine at the park’s main entrance.

Mid-Afternoon

Experience Ancient Japanese Traditions at a Festival

If you’re lucky enough to arrive in Kyoto while a festival is taking place, then you shouldn’t miss it! During our day in Kyoto, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves walking amongst a huge procession transporting Mikoshi (portable shrines), witnessing “Shishimai” lion dancers and admiring skilled men balancing “Kenboko” decorated spears in the air! The Saga Matsuri Festival takes place every year on the 3rd and 4th Sundays in May. Other notable annual festivals in Kyoto are the Gion Matsuri Festival (1st to 31st July), the Arashiyama Momji Festival (2nd Sunday in November) and the Toka Ebisu Festival (8th to 12th January).

Late Afternoon

Marvel at the Colourful Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

Situated in Southern Kyoto at the base of Mount Inari is the most important Shinto shrine in Kyoto. Founded in the year 711, Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari Ōkami, the God of rice, tea, sake, foxes (messengers of the Gods), prosperity, success and agriculture. As it’s the most popular shrine in Kyoto, we recommend visiting in the late afternoon or early evening to avoid the mass crowds. Thousands of visitors gather at this shrine to pray for their harvests to flourish, their businesses to be successful and for all of their dreams to come true.

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Late Afternoon

Wander Through Japan’s Most Famous Torii Gates

To conclude your action-packed day in Kyoto, prepare to be mesmerised as you stroll through the most famous tunnels of Torii gates in Japan, at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. With thousands of bold red gates creating a network of trails up the mountain (Mount Inari), each of these gates has been donated by an individual or a company, with the donor’s name and date of donation inscribed in black paint on each gate. As Kyoto’s most visited attraction, it gets very busy with tourists and locals alike - but as you can see from our photo, visiting in the late afternoon or early evening (5:30pm) will guarantee you a less-crowded experience.

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