Thanks to all who helped out with my previous "Train to Kyoto" thread. I was able to get lots of valuable info from your replies.

I have a another question concerning Kyoto and some temple/shrine recommendations. I will be in Kyoto for three days and plan on the following: Day 1 hit Nijo and Arashiyama and Day 3 visiting Fushimi Inari in the early moring and then going to Himeji for an early afternoon viewing of the castle. Day 2 is where my question comes in....

I plan on pounding the pavement on Day 2 visiting as many temples and shrines as possible. I am considering Ryoanji, Kinkakuji, Kiyomizudera, Chion-in, the garden at Ginkakuji, Nanzenji, Sanjusangendo, and Heian.

Is my proposed Day 2 possible at all? Am i missing any must see spots? What would you guys add/drop to make the most out of the day? Any input on the logistics of how to make it work is also very much welcomed. I would prefer to not do a big tour group if possible, but a private tour guide on a van is definitely an option.

Thanks in advance.

With two or three people and good planning, taxi from plan to place is the quickest. By yourself will be expensive this way. I would plan an early evening stop at the bridge near Gion to see meiko sans go to work.

In my first visit to Kyoto (and to Japan), I did all of those, using the extensive tourist bus system. I just didn't do them all in one day.

I like to spend time at the various locations and try for some good photos. If you are a strong walker and don't get fatigued easily, you might (just) be able to do all that in one day, assuming you don't anticipate any "contemplation time." If you decide to try, I suggest the judicious use of taxis to get across town quickly.

Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji are very close together, two stops on the local bus that runs by both. You could walk it in 10+/- minutes. Likewise, Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizu are very close, with Chionin and Nazen-ji a 10-15 minute walk north. Heian Jingu is kind of by itself in the middle of town and Ginkaku-ji is off in the eastern hills.

You will be busy.

I would rather see fewer temples and spend a little time enjoying them. YMMV.

Yep. Maybe one in the morning and two in the afternoon with a leisurely lunch in between. Kyoto is ill suited for hasty visits.

Welll YMCDV (your mileage clearly does vary).
My preference is somewhere between your ascetic approach and the OP's checklist.

Hear, hear!

I agree with the others about quality over quantity. I don't mean to sound crass, but, unless you are a serious student of the history or architecture, after a while they all tend to look the same. Kyoto has a diversity of things to see.

Get out your map of Kyoto, and figure out which sights are located close to one another.

Concentrate on one geographic area each day.

And I agree that unless you're seriously into Japanese history or Buddhism, you want to go easy on the temples. They all start to look alike unless you understand their symbolism or their historical significance.

A Kyoto guidebook will tell you about other attractions in the area.

When I went to Kyoto about a year and a half ago, I was blown away by Tenryuji. It seems like it was north west of Kyoto. We took a short train ride to it and came back via taxi. It had all of the cultural/idealized settings I wanted to see in Japan. There is a rock garden as you walk in, around back is an incredible garden/pond setting and as you walk up the hill in back you come to a bamboo forest. All of this is wrapped around a temple you can walk through. There are also numerous temples in the area you can visit by foot. The area has a rustic setting/small town feel to it.

After you leave Tenryuji, you can make a left and take a short walk to the entrance of the bamboo forest trail. There is also a neat little street of shops that winds up a hill with temples all along the way. I will definitely make it back here again some day.

Nijo Jo was also a lot of fun. The views up on the wall are incredible. The grounds are beautiful and the tour of the Castle was quite interesting. The one thing I missed was the Tora Gates that run up the hill to the south. I spoke with someone who visited them and they said it was a nice walk and if you time it around sunset you get a beautiful view looking back towards the city.

Have fun. I'm jealous.

The Miho museum ( http://www.miho.or.jp/english/index.htm ) outside of Kyoto proper is also worth seeing and experiencing.

Here's what I consider the most worthwhile sights for the first-time visitor to Kyoto. I'm judging by what my students enjoyed most when I used to take them there.

Kiyomizu-dera. As a temple it's not that different from the others, but the walk up the hill takes you through a well-preserved neighborhood, and the view of the city from the "terrace" is great.
Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) and Ryoanji (the raked sand place): These are so famous that you don't want to miss them, but unless you are deeply philosophical, you won't want to spend that much time there
Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) and the Philosopher's Walk: Start at Ginkakuji and walk south along the stream. It's a pleasant, wooded walk and you may or may not want to stop in at the other temples along the way. Eventually the walk leads you to the area of the Chion-in, but unless you have a lot of time, I'd skip that and go straight to Gion and poke around in the stores.
If there's traditional dance show at the Kaburenjo theater, you might want to take it in.
Nishikikoji Market: Across the river and a few blocks inland from Gion is Kyoto's central market arcade. Challenge yourself to see how many of the foods you can recognize.
Nijo Castle: a genuine feudal castle, well-preserved, gives you an idea how the samurai really lived
Nishijin Textile Museum: I was surprised at how much my students enjoyed this. You can see demonstrations of how the famous Kyoto brocade is made, and there's a kimono style show every couple of hours.
Pontocho after dark: This is the prime geisha district, full of traditional buildings, most of which function as private clubs. You are likely to see geisha and maiko making their rounds from club to club to entertain at private parties.

In summer I would add the beer gardens along the Kamo River, since Kyoto has some of the muggiest, most oppressive summer heat anywhere.

I wouldn't bother with the Imperial Palace tour, even though you're supposed to be privileged as a foreigner to join a tour without an appointment. The problem is that you don't actually see anything. The guide just walks you through the palace grounds and points out non-descript buildings that you never get to see the inside of, even though no one lives there any longer. There's a book for sale at the gate that shows you what the interiors look like, and if you're interested, buy that. It shows you much more than the tour does.

The best way to plan a tour of Kyoto is to get out a map, preferably one with the bus routes superimposed. The bus ticket center in front of Kyoto station sells 24-hour transit passes that are good for the buses and subway.