Originally Posted by
OliverB
I can't believe that I didn't consider making an appointment sooner; I hadn't realized that it was not readily open to the public or that it might potentially get fully booked so far in advance. I just checked the website and it shows that ALL available days and time slots for November are 100% booked. I could kick myself for this, I am beyond disappointed. I can't imagine leaving Kyoto without a visit. Is there any possible way to get an appointment if the website calendar shows that they are already booked through November? I've written to my hotel in Kyoto but I wanted to seek advice here as well. I'm truly heartsick over not planning this sooner. Who would have guessed it would book 4 months in advance though... is there still a way that we could visit somehow?
As I understand it, not all spaces are available for the advance internet booking. Visit the Imperial Household agency when in Kyoto in person to see if there are any spaces. You'll need your foreign passport (which you should be carrying with you anyway) to book and I think this is non-Japanese only. It's also worth to keep looking at the website for later November as places are only supposed to be release 3 months' in advance.