Our Kyoto 2 Day Itinerary covers all the quintessential Kyoto destinations that we feel are the most memorable and enjoyable destinations to visit. The first day will focus on the Arashiyama (嵐山) area, famous for its bamboo grove (嵐山 竹林の小径, Arashiyama Chikurin-no-shōkei), and the beautiful Katsura River (桂川, Katsura-gawa). The second day will focus on the Higashiyama (東山) area, with its traditional stone-paved streets lined with wooden shops on both sides as well as the iconic Fushimi Inari Shrine with its thousand torii (鳥居) gates.
Exploring Central Kyoto's Old Districts
Fushimi Inari, Higashiyama, and Gion
Nature
Culture
Gourmet
Volume
If there’s one neighborhood that you have to visit in central Kyoto, then it’s got to be the Higashiyama (東山) district. The district consists of stone-paved roads, wooden buildings and shops on both sides of the street, all leading up to the UNESCO World Heritage Site (世界遺産, Sekai Isan), the Kiyomizudera Temple (清水寺, Kiyomizu-dera) located atop a wooden stage.
Before heading to Higashiyama though, we’ll also check out the famed Fushimi Inari Shrine with its thousand torii (鳥居) gates, and the Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki-ichiba), also known as Kyoto’s kitchen.
Itinerary Details
Start at Kyoto Station
Recommended Time:
08:00
京都駅
Kyoto Station
JR-E01
嵯峨野線
Sagano Line
JR-D01
奈良線
Nara Line
K
11
烏丸線
Karasuma Line
JR-A31
JR京都線
JR Kyōto Line
JR-A31
琵琶湖線
Biwako Line
Head to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine
Est.
08:00
10 mins
Nara Line
Towards Nara Station
JR West
Kyoto Station
to
Inari Station
5 mins
Take Main Exit
Est.
08:20
2 hours
Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社)
Explore the Thousand Torii Gates
The Fushimi Inari Taisha is one of Kyoto’s most iconic shrines (神社, Jinja), with its endless torii (鳥居) gates lined up one after another, making for an unforgettable sight. The shrine worships the Shinto god, Inari (稲荷, God of foxes, fertility, rice, and agriculture), the god of rice, and kitsune (狐, Fox) are thought to be Inari’s messengers. As such, you’ll find many kitsune statues throughout the shrine, some carrying a key in their mouth for the rice granaries.
Head to Sanjo
Est.
10:20
36 mins
3 mins
270m
Fushimi Inari Taisha
to
Fushimi-Inari Station
Keihan Main Line
Towards Sanjo Station
Keihan
Fushimi-Inari Station
to
Sanjo Station
11 mins
Take Exit 6
12 mins
950m
Sanjo Station
to
Tokura Sanjo
Est.
11:05
1 hour
Closed on Wed
Tokura Sanjo (とくら三条)
Try out a Hamburg
One of the common hallmarks of Japanese yoshoku (洋食, Yōshoku, Western Food) is the hamburg (ハンバーグ, Hanbāgu, Hamburger steak). Here at Tokura, they specialize in handmade hamburgs that are so juicy, the moment you cut into one, the juices of the meat will keep on flowing.
Walk over to Nishiki Market
Est.
12:05
7 mins
7 mins
600m
Tokura Sanjo
to
Nishiki Market
Est.
12:25
1 hour
Nishiki Market (錦市場)
Walk down Nishiki Market
Nishiki Market, also known as Kyoto’s kitchen, is a long and stored market in Kyoto, having first opened in 1615. Today, the market runs along a covered shotengai (商店街, Shōtengai, Shopping Street) for around 400m, with around 130 shops offering fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, pickles, dried items, and more. It’s a great place to stroll down, take in the bustling atmosphere, and check out some of the local wares.
Walk over to Yasaka Shrine
Est.
13:25
19 mins
19 mins
1.4km
Nishiki Market
to
Yasaka Shrine
Est.
13:50
45 mins
Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社)
Explore Yasaka Shrine and its Garden
The Yasaka Shrine, also known as the Gion Shrine, is a shrine (神社, Jinja) whose grounds often serve as a connection between the Gion and Higashiyama Districts. The temple was first founded in 656, and worships Susanoo (須佐之男), the Shinto god of the sea, storms, fields, the harvest, marriage, and love. Today, the temple plays host to the Gion Matsuri every summer, Japan’s largest traditional matsuri (祭り, Festival), with large floats and hundreds of participants.
Est.
14:35
1.5 hours
Higashiyama (東山)
Discover the charm of Kyoto's Machiya
The Higashiyama District is one of the best places to feel as if you’ve been taken back to old Kyoto. The streets are lined with traditional machiya (町家, Traditional wooden townhouse) on both sides, filled with bustling shops that evoke the atmosphere of an area that has been serving merchants and visitors for centuries.
Est.
16:05
1 hour
Fumon Chaya (普門茶屋)
Chew on some Warabi-mochi
Fumon Chaya is a modern cafe that specializes in warabi mochi (わらび餅, Bracken Starch Mochi) and matcha (抹茶, Maccha, Powdered Green Tea). The cafe is located near Kiyomizudera Temple (清水寺, Kiyomizu-dera) and boasts a modern chaya (茶屋, Teahouse) interior. Their warabi-mochi is also served in an eye-catching manner atop a large leaf on ice. The warabi-mochi is lightly dusted with kinako (きな粉, Roasted Soybean Flour) and is cut in large chunks that are nice and chewy, with more kinako and kuromitsu (黒蜜, Brown Sugar Syrup) on the side. It is also served with a monaka (最中) filled with anko (餡子, Red Bean Paste) and vanilla ice cream.
Est.
17:05
45 mins
Kiyomizudera Temple (清水寺)
Check out a temple on a wooden stage
Kiyomizudera Temple is one of Kyoto’s most famous temples (寺, Tera), due to its iconic architecture where the entire main temple building sits atop a wooden stage that props it up into the air like stilts. Said to be founded in 780, Kiyomizudera was named after the Otowa Falls whose site the temple was built on.
Est.
18:15
1 hour
Gion (祇園)
Stroll through Kyoto's Hanamachi
The Gion district of Kyoto is famous for being one of Japan’s most well-known hanamachi (花街, geisha districts, lit. flower town), and also for the machiya (町家, Traditional wooden townhouse) that line its streets. While the Gion district is large, and much of it is modern, there are two preserved districts that still maintain the atmosphere of yesteryear Kyoto: the Shirakawa area, and the Hanami-koji area.
Walk over to Kichi Kichi
Est.
19:15
10 mins
10 mins
750m
Gion Shirakawa Area
to
Kichi Kichi Omurice
Est.
19:35
1.5 hours
Closed on Wed
Kichi Kichi Omurice (キチ・キチ)
Watch omelettes fly through the air
A visit to Kichi Kichi is half-meal and half-performance, as the shop’s master (マスター, Masutā, Owner), Yukimura Motokichi (幸村 元吉), dazzles you with his cooking skills. This charismatic owner has gone viral on Youtube and Instagram for his enthusiastic attitude, and pizzazz while cooking his omurice (オムライス, Omuraisu, Omelette rice). As you sit at the counter, you marvel at his skills as he stir fries the rice, flipping it through the air, as he explains each ingredient and the seasoning that goes into it, before finally cooking the omelette, flipping it onto the bed of rice, and then slicing it open to watch the yellow goodness flow all over the rice.
Head to Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station
Est.
21:05
5 mins
5 mins
400m
Kichi Kichi Omurice
to
Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station
End off at Kyoto-Kawaramachi
Est.
21:10
京都河原町駅
Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station
HK
86
阪急京都本線
Hankyu Kyoto Main Line
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