Transportation in Kyoto and Osaka
 

Hello!

Please help me!
In the middle of November I go to Japan for the first time. I checked the transportation system, but it seems quite complicated.

I'll stay 5 days in Kyoto, and visit the main attractions within the city. Also, I wanna go to Arashiyama and Kibune/Kurama.
As I understand, the best way to get around Kyoto is by bus (I want to buy a day pass for all 5 days). Is it really true? I know some Japanese, but I'm not sure to be able to read all that well the kanji. Will I be ok with the bus?
As for Arashiyama, I think to take the Hankyu Railways to get there.
How do I best get to Kurama/Kibune?
And is it worth the money to buy some kind of pass for Kyoto?

I'll stay in Osaka for 7 days. I want to visit the main city attractions and make day trips to Wakayama(mount Koya) and Minoh City.
I plan to buy a Osaka Kaiyu Ticket for one day, and maybe KANSAI THRU PASS for 3 days.
Please advice for the best way to get around Osaka, and maybe one additional day trip?

Also, please tell me how best to get from Itami airport to Kyoto Station (I planned by bus), and from Osaka to Itami airport.

Thanks a lot!!!!!

It's been a while since I took the buses in Kyoto, but the Tourist Information Center has a bus map in English that should show you which buses go where.

The bus is the least confusing way to get to Itami Airport from anywhere, if that's where you are flying into and out of. Go to the Itami Airport website and look under "Access."

The simplest way to get to Arashiyama from Kyoto Station is to take the JR Line San'In local train. It also stops near Nijo Castle, so you can combine them on one trip.

From Osaka, the easiest way to reach Mount Koya is to take the Nankai Koya Line from Nankai-Namba Station. I'm not sure why you want to go to Minoh, unless you want to visit the university campus, but the best bet is to ask someone, perhaps at your hotel.

The train systems in Japan only LOOK confusing at first. In fact they make it easy to go just about anywhere without worrying about traffic or parking.

Don't worry about getting lost. Japanese people get lost when they go to an unfamiliar area, and they are very helpful to confused foreign tourists. This is especially true in Kyoto, which has a lot of foreign tourists and therefore a lot of information available.

They are not. Traveling in Japan is a doddle. Don't worry about lack of Japanese skills.

Yes, but the buses tend to be rather crowded. Remember you get on board at the back and exit at the front (at which point you either show your bus pass or pay the fare). Most of us know it the other way around: You pay when you enter the bus.

Limousine bus. Picks you up from a bus stop next/close to your hotel.

I plan to go to Kyoto next year and found this online

https://www.thepinaysolobackpacker.c...-to-get-there/

Looks very helpful as a starting point for Kyoto