Trip Plan
29. november 2025, Japan ⋅ 🌙 54 °F
Trip plan for hiking the Kyoto Trail and sightseeing Kyoto as well as Nara, Hikone and Uji
To-ji Temple
30. november 2025, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
When I arrived at Kyoto Station via Airport Bus, it was too early to check into my hotel, so I took a short walk south to visit To-ji Temple.
Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
30. november 2025, Japan ⋅ 🌙 54 °F
Took a bus to this shrine. Illumination was lively and well attended with some striking foliage.
Hotel Hokke Club Kyoto
30. november 2025, Japan ⋅ 🌙 52 °F
Located next to Kyoto Tower, this hotel proved to be a great location. The room was tiny and had no view window, but...
It was located across the street from the bus and train station.
Had an izakaya,Læs mere
Fushimi Inari Shrine
1. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 48 °F
Kyoto Trail Higashiyama Route 1 starts at Fushimi Inari Shrine and ends at Keage Station, going through residential areas and a few mountain trails.
It was early enough so the shrine wasn't tooLæs mere
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
1. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
The Kyoto Trail passed by Kiyomizu-dera and a back entrance allowed easy entry. As usual, the temple was crazy busy so I stayed away from the balcony but the momiji below the balcony was stunning.
Nijo-jo Castle
1. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
After finishing up the hike at Keage Subway Station, it was a quick subway trip to Nijo-jo. The beautiful Karamon Gate, singing nightingale floors of the Ninomaru Palace, and the Ninomaru Garden wereLæs mere
Nanzen-ji Temple / Aqueduct
2. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F
The second day of the Kyoto Trail Higashiyama Route is a climb from Nanzen-ji Temple to the peak of Daimonjiyama, then a descent to the "大" bonfire pit, then to Ginkaku-ju Temple.
From Keage SubwayLæs mere
Daimonjiyama
2. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
The view from Daimonjiyama should have been spectacular but Kyoto smog obscured it, but the hike down to the bonfire site had the best view.
Ginkaku-ji Temple
2. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
Today's hike finished at Ginkaku-ji which (behind only Kiyomizu-dera) is my second favorite Kyoto location. And in autumn it was even more beautiful.
Umekoji Park / Suzaku Garden
2. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
It was difficult finding Suzaku Garden, a small area of the large public Umekoji Park. There were no lights or banners or music to mark it. And it was sparsely attended and very mellow. But it didLæs mere
Cable car ride to Hieizan
3. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F
The previous days of hiking left me sore and tired. The third day of the Higashiyama Route was the hardest with a long, totally uphill climb to the top of Hieizan. So I decided to skip the hike and doLæs mere
TeamLab Biovortex
3. december 2025, Japan ⋅ 🌙 43 °F
A short walk east from my hotel was the warehouse of the newest TeamLab installation, Biovortex. It was in a residential area and unmarked by any lights or signs so I had to walk around the hugeLæs mere
Winter hike
4. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F
Recovered after a rest day, I committed to hiking Kitayama East Route 1 even though weather reports indicated snow in the morning.
Since the trail followed the mountain ridge and I would be taking theLæs mere
Nijo-jo Castle Moon Viewing
4. december 2025, Japan ⋅ 🌙 45 °F
Back to Nijo-jo for a lighting and special effects event, but my expectations exceeded what was actually presented. It was a lot of walking around the grounds with very little special effects.
Kurama-dera Temple
5. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F
I decided to skip the first part of the Kitayama East Route 2 as it followed a road and adjacent towns and just went directly to the end with the Kurama-dera and Kifune Shrine.
With clear skies,Læs mere
Kifune Shrine
5. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 41 °F
Kifune Shrine was very crowded due to its small size, but still interesting. And the walk down the road to the train station was beautiful, following the river with its many waterfalls.
Kodai-ji Temple
5. december 2025, Japan ⋅ 🌙 45 °F
The Kodai-ji illumination event included a special effect on its gate, typically stunning momiji light up with reflecting pond, and a light up of its bamboo forest. All together an amazing event.
Day trip to Nara
6. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F
Got to Nara early, to both avoid the crowds and to catch the morning light on a beautiful day. My primary goal was to visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine, one of my favorite shrines. After this I hiked up theLæs mere
Kitayama West / Nishiyama Route
7. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F
Back to hiking the Kyoto Trail. This was a combo of the end of the Kitayama West Route and the Nishiyama Route 1 and followed the Kiyotaki River. It was the most scenic part of the trail with crystalLæs mere
Temple Crawl
7. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F
At the end of the Nishiyama Route 1 was Saga Arashiyama and a series of smaller temples to visit. I decided to visit Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, Gio-ji, and Jojakko-ji as I walked towards the train station.
Nishiyama Route 2
8. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F
The final section of the Kyoto Trail. This was a strange hike as it started in the most touristy part of Arashiyama, then took an abrupt turn up the mountain where no one was. The trail wasLæs mere
Saiho-ji (Kokedera) Temple
8. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
Several interesting practices for this temple. To protect its garden, it requires reservations to control the number of visitors. To make you appreciate its garden, it requires you to copy sutras, toLæs mere
Kyoto Station at night
8. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
Very modern and vibrant train station. I spent most of my time ground level or lower (Porta shopping, subway and train access) but for dinner I ventured to the heights of Kyoto Station.
Day trip to Hikone Castle
9. december 2025, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
I have a stamp rally book of the 24 best Japanese Castles. I find these castles, especially the original structures, fascinating. It's also a prompt to visit more regions of Japan.
Hikone Castle wasLæs mere