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We are planning a short 6 day trip to Tokyo for the first time. We had initially thought that we would spend all six days there. We have pre-paid our hotel room and thus can't change our plans. However, a friends thinks that we should take the train to Kyoto for a day. He thinks its well worth it, even with the train communte. Just wanted eveyones thought because we will need to buy the train pass soon if we decide to go.
Thanks

gt_croz

It will be a pricey round trip train ticket, but on the bullet train and it will take 3-4 hours. Kyoto is an absolute must on a trip to Japan, but I'd almost say that the price of the trip and the short visitation almost make it not worth it. Kyoto is a place to be savoured, not a place that you can appreciate in a fraction of a day.

With the hundreds of historical landmarks, amazing restaurants, shops, back alleys, and other gems it's a disservice not to spend at least 3-4 days in Kyoto.

I'd say that you should hold off on Kyoto until you can spend some serious time there. If that's not an option, try increasing the amout of time you can spend there, and if not you could potentially do it in a day trip hitting the key sights: kinkakuji, ginkakuji, the Imperial Palace, etc...

Honestly I wouldn't want to do it in a day or less, but if it was my only choice I'd do it.

obscure2k

IMHO, a one day trip to Kyoto is only worth it if you can stay in a great Ryokan.

Pickles

A day trip to Kyoto is a real shlep, but doable. I would advise against it in general, but if you've never been to Japan, and the only way you can see Kyoto that way is on a day trip, then go for it. It will give you the incentive to plan your trip better next time.

abmj-jr

I would have suggested a "reverse" trip. One day in Tokyo and the rest in Kyoto. For my money, there is nothing in Tokyo that is worth 6 days. However, if your plans are already set, then that is not an option. If you might return to Japan some time, I'd suggest waiting to give Kyoto the time it deserves - several days at least. If this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, then you should try to at least touch the surface with a whirlwind trip.

The shinkansen to Kyoto will take less than 3 hours one way, but you need to factor in time getting to the station in Tokyo, which can be substantial depending on where you are staying. I'm not sure if a part of a day in Kyoto is really worth it, but if you leave early - before 8:00 am - and return late, you could see some of the more prominent sites. This will not be pleasant at Tokyo Station as it is the commuter rush time.

For half day or so, I'd skip the Imperial Palace tour. The English language tours are at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, take about an hour and you must sign up at the Imperial Household Agency office in person and in advance on the day of the tour. Your limited time could be better spent elsewhere. Try Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, Heian Shrine, the "pottery slope" area near Kiyomizu Temple and definitely find a nice Kyoto cuisine meal. If time allows, I also like Sanjusangendo Hall and the Nazenji Temple complex, the Shosei-en garden near Kyoto Station and an after-dark walk along Pontocho Alley. There is simply no way to see everything, even the few sites I have listed, so planning is crucial. Although I usually recommend the tourist buses and subway (I know, I know, guys - but it does get you north and south quickly ), for one day I'd splurge on cabs to move quickly and see more.

The shinkansens back to Tokyo run rather late, giving you most of the day and early evening before your return.

JR

Daringdoo

I agree with the others. It's a mighty long way to go for one day and Kyoto deserves more time than that. Personally I think I'd say don't even bother. Find somewhere closer to Tokyo to enjoy on this trip (maybe a festival of some sort?) and save Kyoto for another time when you can do it justice. Just my opinion, though.

DD

jib71

This is your first trip to Japan? And you're staying 6 nights in Tokyo? Well don't worry about Kyoto - You will find plenty of things to fill your time in Tokyo. Save Kyoto for another visit.

From Tokyo, there are some wonderful day-trips that make so much more sense. For example: Kamakura, Hakone, Nikko. Any of these places will offer a contrast to the big-city experience that you will have in Tokyo.

Next time you visit Japan, make a point of spending a couple of days in Kyoto - preferably more.

LapLap

Are you sure you need to buy that train pass?
A return trip to Kyoto will probably be less expensive than a JR pass - and if you buy a return trip once you're in Japan, you'll have access to the faster (and more frequent) Nozomi express. With the pas you are limited to the slower Hikari.
I'm also of the opinion that you should hold off Kyoto for another time, but by not getting a pass, you can at least decide on whether to go once you're over there.
When exactly are you going? The reason I'm saying this is that there might be a one off festival (Matsuri) going on when you're there. That's when the pass might be more worthwhile - you could still go to Kyoto if you wanted to (the bullet train is a destination in itself) but you could also visit the matsuri on another day and get your 'money's worth' out of the pass.

MegatopLover

Thanks to the OP for posting his question, as I'm in the same boat. And many thanks to the experienced Japan hands who responded. I'll elaborate a bit on my timing and my thinking, then see if anyone has additional comments.

Mr. Megatop and I arrive at NRT on Thursday morning, Dec. 22nd. We're staying in Ginza. We had originally planned to leave on Tuesday evening, Dec. 27th for HKG, but we wound up booking on SQ's new BKK-NRT service so we need to fly back to BKK on a 9:00 am departure from Narita. That killed my original plan of staying in Tokyo through Dec. 26th, taking a mid-morning train to Kyoto for an overnight (at a ryokan) and coming back the next day just before heading to the airport. Sounds like you all would have thought more of that itinerary.

But thanks to the early-morning departure, we need to stay in Tokyo the night before we leave, the night of Dec. 26th. I'd rather not lose a weekend day in Tokyo, especially since I understand that Christmas eve is a big party night, as it is in Bangkok and elsewhere. That means that if we're going to see Kyoto at all, it has to be an early morning Shinkansen on Dec. 26th and a late-night return the same day, with the afternoon for walking around Kyoto. I realize we'll just scratch the surface and will view it as a temptation for our next visit. A real motivator for us is that we want to get out of Tokyo for at least a little while and we're both train buffs, so a Shinkansen ride is essential. As LapLap said, it's a destination itself. The route southwest from Tokyo past Mt. Fuji seems to be the best, which would take us right to Kyoto. I know we won't be doing Kyoto justice, but wouldn't it be better to see at least something? We will almost certainly visit again, but it may be a while.

With all of the above considerations, would anyone recommend bypassing Kyoto because eight or so hours just isn't enough to do anything in favor of doing a turnaround someplace else? Some things in the region I'd like to see that might not require much time would include KIX (I started as a train buff and became an aviation buff too) and the Akashi-Kaiko (sp?) Bridge. Is there much to see in Osaka itself? Would lunch in Kobe be worth it? How accessible are KIX and the bridge from the Shinkansen lines?

mosburger

For a day visit, I would head to the Imperial Palace ( and my former jogging ) grounds from the station first, followed by lunch at one of the pontocho alley Izakayas by the Kamo river and then decide on whether to spend the rest of the day in Gion or maybe see western Kyoto sights. Dinner can be skipped by purchasing bento boxes at Kyoto station and eating on the train.

Just take a good guide and comfortable footwear with you and don't feel like you should see everything in one day. Kyoto is all about the athmosphere and aesthetics, not some particular temple or shrine. I remember how bored with temple fatigue I got on my first visit there doing the Japanese whirwind group tour thing.

JGR01

Kyoto is a beautiful city and YES should be savoured for several days. Unfortunately I only had one day to tour there and found it wonderful. I will try and return again.

First, I used a tour company called Sunrise Tours http://www.jtbgmt.com/sunrisetour/ and would highly recommend them. They pick up at a hotel near the Shinkansen station in Kyoto and drop you back off at the same place.

The other poster I think is incorrect in the timing plan .. 3-4 hours (perhaps round trip but certainly not one way). I boarded a train in Nagoya and in 37 minutes was in Kyoto. Looking at the schedules (return) the Shinkansen was about even time Kyoto to Nagoya with a 4 minute stop continuing on to Tokyo. So the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto would be a little over an hour. VERY VERY do-able to meet the tours in the morning and there are many trains at night.

The tour itself (I took the full day tour) contained several temples and a lunch stop at a 'handcraft store' that was very decent (got several things there tho was not price shopping). The main temple in the afternoon (on pilings high on a hill) is a long walk and there are many shops on the roadway leading to it .. not enough time to shop and tour tho. People were given the option of taking a taxi back to town but I had return train ticket scheduled so could not do that .. I would certainly go back there.

NOTE that the Shinkansen has two classes of service on the fast service .. unreserved and Green Class. Green is First Class with reserved seats and better accomodations. The unreserved (coach version) is cheaper and may be accessed with a pass .. but for a specific one-day journey pay the extra (not cheap) for Green car accomodations.

MegaTop - I cannot give you any KIX information until late November. I am taking American Airline's new DFW-KIX service and staying at the Niko hotel AT the airport and will learn more about transportation then (planes and trains!!!).

Pickles

It is only in the imaginary world that my cat, Smidgen, lives in that the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto takes an hour. Sometimes it takes even less, but it all depends on whether Smidgen has had his catnip or his catnap. For the rest of us, the shortest Shinkansen is the Nozomi, which can take as little as 2:16 to get you from Tokyo to Kyoto.

A lot of people make holiday greeting cards with a picture of the family in some non-threatening pose. Last holiday season we made holiday greeting cards with a picture of Smidgen wearing a "Happy New Year" holiday hat. The caption was "As if I could tell one day from another".

Calcifer

Tokyo to Kyoto is roughly 2 hrs 20 minutes one way if you use the Nozomi shinkansen. If you get on one of the slower Hikari that make lots of stops (which you'd have to if you bought a rail pass) it's about 20-30 minutes more.

The temple on pilings on the hill is Kiyomizudera, which is definitely recommended if you get there.

I'm going to chime in with those who say not to bother for a one day return trip. I think if you did a whirlwind tour you'd just end up hitting a lot of the big temples, which can end up all looking the same if you do them quickly enough, and you may wonder why you bothered. I love the temples, but I also love wandering around in Nishiki Market and other backstreets, walking the Philosopher's Path, etc., and those are things you'll never get a chance to do in a day trip.

Whoops, was typing this up and looking at online train schedules as Pickles posted--sorry for the duplicate info!

jib71

Doesn't make sense to argue about the journey time... Just look it up:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi

And if you're not satisfied with that, then travel with Mr. Pickles' cat.

jib71

I'm finding it hard to understand the dates etc. But here are some thoughts -

(1) I would not get stuck on the idea of Christmas Eve in Tokyo

My experiences of Tokyo on Christmas Eve are that Christmas is all about dating. It's "charming" to walk around areas such as Roppongi Hills / Ginza / Shinjuku and see all the fairy lights and couples in love.

It is quite difficult to get a reservation in a Western restaurant (book now if you want French or Italian) but the Japanese restaurants always seem to have room for me and Mrs. JIB. We have enjoyed a kaiseki Christmas for the past four or five years... But this kind experience is surely not exclusive to Tokyo.

Once upon a time, I spent Christmas in Hiroshima, which was really cool, because quite a few people went to midnight mass at the Cathedral (what a wonderful extra "date spot" to allow you digest dinner before heading to the love hotel). The place was packed to overflowing. Quite an atmosphere.

And another time, I spent Christmas in Nara - which was rather dull, come to think of it.

I imagine that Kyoto is very pretty and enjoyable on Christmas Eve - probably. The restaurants and nightclubs will surely be full of young couples, just like their counterparts in Tokyo. So perhaps you can arrange your trip to Kyoto over Christmas and have enough time to see it properly?

Maybe Mosburger has the inside scoop on spending Chrimbo in Kyoto?


(2) Akashi Kaikyo
Are you suggesting bypassing Kyoto in favour of seeing a bridge? That would not be my choice. But if you're a civil engineering projects fanatic, then who am I to disagree....

So you want to see the bridge?
http://www.hsba.go.jp/bridge/d-route.htm
http://www.hsba.go.jp/bridge/e-akasi.htm

It is a 10 minute walk from Maiko station.

You can find train times here:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi

(3) KIX
Are you suggesting bypassing Kyoto in favour of seeing an airport? (see comments above)

My first reaction is to suggest that you change one of your flights so that you will arrive at or depart from KIX. However, I really cannot work out what flights/dates/etc. are fixed in your plan. So I leave it to you to work out whether you can do this.

If you want to make a special trip to see KIX, it is not terribly well linked to the Shinkansen. To get an idea of what's involved, please try the following searches:
- Kyoto to Kansai Airport.
- Shinosaka to Kansai Airport

Search for those journeys on the following site:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi

Instead of seeing KIX, why not visit Centrair (Chubu / Nagoya) airport instead? It is also a large offshore island airport - rather like KIX. It is only 30 minutes from the Shinkansen line. (Get off the Shinkansen at Nagoya). It has an onsen inside the airport - you can observe the planes taking off while taking a bath. Surreal.


IMHO, if you are making a trip to the Kansai area (West Japan) then you should not be bypassing Kyoto in favour of any other place. But only you can know for sure what will please you more...