Japan - Kyoto- 4 temples in 1 day possible?

I am planning to go Kyoto next week and would like to know if its possible to visit the following temples in 1 day if I start at 8:30 or 9 AM.

Imperial Palace Tour-booked for 2 PM
Nijo Castle
Kinkakuji Temple
Kiyomizu-Dera Temple

On the second day,

I plan to visit Sanjusangendo Temple and then visit Nara.

would like to know if its possible to visit the following temples in 1 day
The four sites you've listed (2 temples) are spread across Kyoto. While it's feasible to fit it all in, you'll spend a big chunk of the day in transit from one point to the next. You might enjoy your day more if you group together your visits to sites that are located in the same part of Kyoto. I'd suggest the following tweaks:

Day 1 - Start at Kinkaku-ji, stop by Ryoan-ji (next door to Kinkaku-ji), then the Imperial palace (although most people find it an underwhelming experience), and then Nijo castle.

Day 2 - Start very early. Make a sunrise visit to Kiyomizu-dera, then Sanjusangendo (check opening times), then to the station for your train to Nara.

By rushing around less, you get to explore little side streets and linger in places that you find. Kyoto is what happens to you while you're not busy pursuing check-list plans. (apologies to John Lennon)

I took the Imperial Palace tour in 2000.

It's run by the Imperial Household Agency, a government agency that is hidebound and fuss-budgety even by the generous standards of Japan. All they do is walk you around the grounds (the landscaping of which is not particularly distinguished) and show you the outsides of a few buildings. No interiors. No answers about why one can't go inside. I actually found the souvenir book (which does show the interiors) more interesting than the tour. It's available at the gatehouse.

(Walking through the Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyo--no guide required-- is rather enjoyable, however, even though the actual residences are blocked off from public view. There's a small museum that rotates paintings from the imperial collection in and out, and a pleasant, park-like atmosphere with plantings of vegetation and trees from all over Japan.)

Otherwise, I agree with the advice to group your sightseeing so that you see things in the same part of Kyoto on the same day. A city map will help you do this. And much of the enjoyment lies not in the major sites so much as serendipitous encounters with street life, shops, market stalls, etc.

The four sites you've listed (2 temples) are spread across Kyoto. While it's feasible to fit it all in, you'll spend a big chunk of the day in transit from one point to the next. You might enjoy your day more if you group together your visits to sites that are located in the same part of Kyoto. I'd suggest the following tweaks:

Day 1 - Start at Kinkaku-ji, stop by Ryoan-ji (next door to Kinkaku-ji), then the Imperial palace (although most people find it an underwhelming experience), and then Nijo castle.

Day 2 - Start very early. Make a sunrise visit to Kiyomizu-dera, then Sanjusangendo (check opening times), then to the station for your train to Nara.

By rushing around less, you get to explore little side streets and linger in places that you find. Kyoto is what happens to you while you're not busy pursuing check-list plans. (apologies to John Lennon)

Great advice, but if you are pressed for time, just skip the Imperial Palace altogether. We've done all the sites you mentioned in one day, but it was quite fast-paced. Not impossible though.

If you really have to fit it all into one day for any reason, a taxi from Nijo castle to Kiyomizu-dera should not take more than 25-30 min (probably even less).

Have you considered an organized day tour? The JTB Sunrise tours are pretty good with excellent guides. I've done the Kyoto and Nara tours twice and they are very efficient. In some cases, if there is a line, they are able to get tickets and get you inside without waiting. The main downside is that you have to go at their pace so you leave when they leave.