mhen

Arrive KIX early next Sunday morning and leave 9pm that evening.

Seems to me the options are:
1) be bored out of my brain at KIX.
2) exit airport and spend some hours in local area
3) train to Osaka
4) train to Kyoto

I have never been to Japan and would like to see something, perhaps one or two temples, some blossoms, nice scenery, historical area, etc.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

abmj-jr

Well, for that stay, either Osaka or Kyoto would work. I'd recommend Kyoto for a one-and-only visit. Osaka has its charms but is more of a modern, big city. Kyoto has more of the temples and such.

The airport express train "Haruka" takes less than an hour to Shin-Osaka Station. You would take a subway or cab from there to get into the city. The same train goes on to Kyoto, taking 75 to 90 minutes depending on departure. The Kyoto arrival comes in to the main Kyoto Station.

From Kyoto Station, it is a short walk north on the main road from the north exit (Karasuma Exit) to Higashi-Honganji temple, one of the larger ones in the area. Just across the street from the temple is a nice Japanese garden. If you really want to get away from the station, take a cab to one of the closer sites like Sanjusangendo Hall, Nishi-Honganji temple or Yasaka Jinja (shrine) in the old Gion neighborhood. Just be sure to watch the time. For a more adventurous option, get on one of the tourist buses - #100 or #101 - and ride around the tourist loop.

At Kyoto Station, there are numerous places to eat, find a souvenir, take a picture (the roof - up the escalator) and arrange your ticket back to KIX. Under the Kyoto Station is a huge shopping mall in the basement with restaurants and shops. There is also an impressive, multi-story department store located in the station building. Outside the station there are lots of places to eat.

All this assumes you have a passport from one of the countries that don't need a visa, such as the US. You'll need to get some yen from an ATM or at the cash exchange. The transit hub is on the second floor of the KIX arrivals hall, across the pedestrian walkway over the road. The rail office is on the left in a glass-walled office with green trim, known as the "green window," midori-no-madoguchi. The train leaves right across the hall from the rail office and returns in the basement right under the departure hall.

Except for train tickets, expect to pay cash for things like cabs, subway, quick meals and such.

jib71

Check out:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan...d-threads.html

and

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan...kix-worth.html

ksandness

What abmj-jr said.

If this is your first and only trip to Japan, take the train to Kyoto and check out the area north of the station. You'll even get to see a bit of Osaka out of the train window on the way.

mhen

Thanks for the very helpful suggestions.

Train to Kyoto and the tourist bus looks the best way of seeing something relatively easily. Having flown SYD-BKK-KIX I will want to walk around a bit but might not be at my sharpest due to lack of sleep.

I have found a bus map for Kyoto
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/ac...igo-rosenn.pdf
Any suggestions as to which 2 or 3 sights I should aim for?
Any chance of blossoms or is it a bit early?

Thanks

abmj-jr

If you want to cherry pick and spend money on cabs, I'd suggest Nijo Castle, Nishi-Honganji and Sanjusangendo Hall. They are not all on the same bus line and that itinerary would cost several thousand yen for cabs, which are plentiful everywhere. For a much less expensive bus view of the city and some pretty good sites for a quick visit, use bus #100 (dark pink on the map.) If you stop in at the transit office and pick up a 1-day bus pass, you can hop on and off the bus along the way. The bus transit office is right outside the Karasuma exit of Kyoto Station, just to the right of where all the buses are lined up. The 1-day pass is around 500 yen. They also have a 1,000 yen subway/bus pass but that probably won't be cost effective for such a short visit.

Sights along route #100 include Sanjusangendo, Kiyumizu-dera temple, Yasaka-jinja shrine and Gion and the silver pavillion Ginkakuji among others. For your limited time, any of those should more than fill your day. Route #101 has some nice sights too but it is an out-and back route. You have to change buses at the remote terminal. #100 is a loop that will eventually bring you back to the station. I think the whole route takes less than an hour if you don't get off.

Be aware that virtually all tourist sights in Kyoto have entry fees of a few hundred yen each.

Next weekend will be far too early for cherry blossoms but you may see some late plum blossoms.

mhen

Thanks abmj-jr
very helpful

peersteve

......and I will echo the thanks for wonderful detail for our visit to Kyoto via KIX in 2 weeks.....thanks!

mhen

Update on our transit in KIX

Couldn't check our luggage through due to length of transit and/or change of carrier. Quick collection of luggage and through customs/immigration, checked luggage into storage for the day. NOTE: later saw a much cheaper option - lockers upstairs in the foyer to bus station and hotel.

Bought day pass for train to Kyoto, arrived soon after 9, quick breakfast and then visited tourist office in station for city map. Asked if we wanted to see cherry blossoms, they showed us where they were blooming (north of imperial palace) and mapped out a route to there, Kinkakuji Temple, Gion area and back to station. Once we knew the bus numbers we had no problems getting around and all buses had signs inside showing the next stop.







Traffic in the afternoon got very busy and bus crawled back to station and we missed intended train. The next train to KIX was cancelled so arrived back at KIX 1 hour later than planned. However had built in plenty of slack so all was well. The train was very crowded and only one carriage was unreserved seats. We got a seat but some didn't.

It was all much easier than expected and definitely makes me want to go back.

abmj-jr

Glad you had a good visit and thanks for the report back.

From your photos it seems you made very good use of your limited time. Early-blooming sakura blossoms, the Golden Pavilion and (not sure if you were aware of this) a traditional wedding procession. The bride is in the elaborate white headdress under the umbrella. Nice, serendipitous catch.

mhen

Thanks abmj-jr
We had just arrived and they stopped people walking just ahead of us. Very lucky, 5 minutes later and we would have missed it. I guessed/hoped it was a wedding procession.

When I travel I love to see great scenery and sights but most of all I want to see people going about their ordinary and extra-ordinary activities so it was a fantastic day joining hundreds of locals looking at the blossoms, visiting temples and shrines etc.

The groups of young girls in traditional dress (and a few young men) plus the baseball team on bicycles were just some more of the highlights.







Is this a heron?

jib71

Probably. People from Kyoto often say: "Egrets, we've had a few, but then again, too few to mention."