Kyoto and Day Trips to Amanohashidate and Mount Koya

Use Kyoto Station as your base, combining classic city sights with a day trip to Uji and Amanohashidate and Ine, plus a night at a Mount Koya temple lodging.

Staying near Kyoto Station makes departures easy. For the first three days, visit Higashiyama, Fushimi Inari and Byodo-in in Uji, Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji. On day four, take a limited express to Amanohashidate and the boat houses of Ine. On day five, travel to Mount Koya to stay at a temple lodging and take a night walk through Okunoin. The next day, return via Namba in Osaka, stopping at Dotonbori on the way. Travel times are long, so this itinerary suits travelers who want to see bays and religious sites outside the city.

Winter is cold and snowy on Mount Koya, and temple lodgings can be chilly, so bring warm clothing.

Day by day

Day 1 · Arrival and southern Higashiyama

Kyoto（Sanjusangen-do、Kiyomizu-dera、Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka）

Take the JR Haruka from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto Station and store your luggage. Take a bus to the Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizu-dera area and explore on foot.

Stay: Kyoto Station Area

Day 2 · Fushimi Inari, Uji and Gion

Kyoto（Fushimi Inari Taisha、Byodo-in, Uji、Gion & Hanamikoji Street）

Take the JR Nara Line to Inari Station, about 5 minutes, then continue to Uji, about 20 minutes. In the evening, take the Keihan line back to Shijo in Gion.

Matcha is served on Uji's Omotesando. The interior of the Phoenix Hall at Byodo-in requires a separate ticket.

Stay: Kyoto Station Area

Day 3 · Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji

Kyoto（Arashiyama Bamboo Grove、Tenryu-ji、Togetsukyo Bridge、Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)）

Take the JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama, about 15 minutes. In the afternoon, take a bus to Kinkaku-ji, then a bus back to Kyoto Station.

Stay: Kyoto Station Area

Day 4 · Amanohashidate and Ine boat houses

Kinosaki Onsen & Amanohashidate（Ine Funaya Boathouses、Kono Shrine (Moto-Ise)、Kasamatsu Park、Amanohashidate）

Take the JR Limited Express Hashidate to Amanohashidate, about 2 hours. Transfer to a route bus to Ine, about 1 hour. In the evening, take the limited express back to Kyoto, about 2 hours.

Direct express trains run infrequently, so check round-trip timetables in advance.

Stay: Kyoto Station Area

Day 5 · Travel to Mount Koya temple lodging

Mount Koya（Danjo Garan & Konpon Daito、Kongobu-ji Temple、Okunoin）

Via Namba in Osaka, transfer to the Nankai Koya Line to Gokurakubashi, then take the cable car up the mountain. The full journey takes about 3 hours. Buses run on the mountain.

Temple lodgings have early curfews and dinner times. You can leave large luggage at your hotel in Kyoto.

Stay: East of Okunoin

Day 6 · Morning service and return to Kyoto via Namba

Mount Koya（Koyasan Reihokan Museum） → Osaka（Dotonbori & Shinsaibashi）

After attending the morning service at the lodging, descend the mountain. Take the Nankai line about 1.5 hours to Namba, explore Dotonbori, then take the train about 1 hour back to Kyoto.

Stay: Kyoto Station Area

Day 7 · Northeastern Higashiyama walk before departure

Kyoto（Ginkaku-ji、Philosopher's Path、Nanzen-ji）

Take a morning bus to Ginkaku-ji, walk the Philosopher's Path to Nanzen-ji, then take the subway back to Kyoto Station and the Haruka to the airport.

This suits evening departures. For an early flight, you can change this to a half-day around Kyoto Station.

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