Five days in Kyoto: stay in the city or spend a night in the north?
Stay in Kyoto throughout for separate Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji and Fushimi Inari days. If you also want a northern night, spend two nights in Kyoto, one in southern Monju at Amanohashidate and one back in Kyoto. Return from the north to Kyoto on day four, stay the final night and leave the next day, without connecting the final departure on the northern return day.
Choose a 4 nights, 5 days itinerary
Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji and Fushimi
Compare this if you want red torii shrine paths as well as palaces and gardens. Keep one hotel near Kyoto Station, with separate days for Nijo Castle, Arashiyama and Uji, then visit Fushimi Inari on day four. Prepare for departure near Kyoto Station on the final day.
Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji and Fushimi →4 nights, 5 days BReturn to Kyoto after a northern overnight stay, then depart
Compare this for a pine-path walk and a night in Amanohashidate, followed by a final night in Kyoto. Divide your stay into two nights near Kyoto Station, one in Monju south of the sandbar and one near Kyoto Station. Take your final departure the day after returning from the north.
Return to Kyoto after a northern overnight stay, then depart →Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji and Fushimi
Compare this if you want red torii shrine paths as well as palaces and gardens. Keep one hotel near Kyoto Station, with separate days for Nijo Castle, Arashiyama and Uji, then visit Fushimi Inari on day four. Prepare for departure near Kyoto Station on the final day.
Day 1 | Nijo Castle
Keep your Kyoto Station hotel and visit Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji and Fushimi on separate days. Reach Nijo Castle before last admission on day one, then stay near the station to prepare for departure on the final day.
- Kyoto Station → Nijojo-mae Station
Take the Karasuma Line from Kyoto towards Kokusaikaikan to Karasuma Oike. Change to the Tozai Line towards Uzumasa Tenjingawa and get off at Nijojo-mae.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Nijojo-mae Station → Ticket office beside the East Main Gate
Leave Nijojo-mae through Exit 1 and walk towards Nijo Castle. Head to the ticket office beside the East Main Gate.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Ticket office beside the East Main Gate → Ninomaru Palace and gardens
Buy a ticket including Ninomaru Palace at the eastern ticket office, then visit the palace and gardens.
- Ninomaru Palace and gardens → Nijojo-mae Station
Afterwards, leave through the East Main Gate where you entered and return to Nijojo-mae Station.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Nijojo-mae Station → Kyoto Station
Take the Tozai Line from Nijojo-mae to Karasuma Oike. Change to the Karasuma Line towards Kyoto Station and get off there.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
Last castle admission is 16:00 and closing is 17:00. On Ninomaru Palace closure dates, choose a ticket matching the areas you can visit. After a late arrival, move the visit to another day and check operations for the replacement date.
Day 2 | Choose your Tenryu-ji visit areas
- Kyoto Station → JR Saga-Arashiyama Station
From Kyoto Station, take a JR Sagano Line train towards Sonobe that stops at Saga-Arashiyama. Your destination is JR Saga-Arashiyama, distinct from Hankyu and Randen Arashiyama stations.
Tenryu-ji accessJR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised 2024-03-16
- JR Saga-Arashiyama Station → Tenryu-ji admission desk
Walk about 13 minutes from JR Saga-Arashiyama to Tenryu-ji. Follow local signs to the admission desk for your chosen garden, buildings or Dharma Hall visit. Allow time to reach the desk and buy tickets.
Tenryu-ji Japanese hours and visit suspension noticesTenryu-ji access
- Tenryu-ji admission desk → Tenryu-ji garden
The basic garden ticket is JPY 500; add JPY 300 for the buildings. The Dharma Hall costs JPY 500 separately. Even when building visits are suspended, check garden operations separately and buy tickets at the desk for your chosen area.
- End of your Tenryu-ji visit → JR Saga-Arashiyama Station
After your visit, walk from your exit to JR Saga-Arashiyama. If adding a meal or riverside walk, check the route and walking time from your final stop to the JR station, then choose your return train.
Tenryu-ji Japanese hours and visit suspension noticesTenryu-ji access
- JR Saga-Arashiyama Station → Kyoto Station
Take a Kyoto-bound Sagano Line train from JR Saga-Arashiyama. Check the destination and departure time for your date before boarding.
The garden opens from 08:30 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:50; buildings open from 08:30 to 16:45, with last admission at 16:30. Check official notices for early garden opening and building or Dharma Hall suspensions on your date. Early opening does not apply to every admission desk or building. Check date-specific JR return services separately. If an area is closed, decide whether to visit only the garden or change the date.
Optional: eat lunch in Arashiyama after your visit, or walk beside the river if time allows. Check restaurant locations, hours and queues, and decide how far to walk before turning back. Leave time to walk from your final meal or riverside stop to JR Saga-Arashiyama. Skip either option to suit the weather and return time.
Day 3 | Uji
- Kyoto Station → JR Uji Station
From Kyoto Station, take a JR Nara Line train towards Uji or Nara that stops at Uji. Get off at JR Uji, distinct from Keihan Uji.
- JR Uji Station → Byodoin
Walk from JR Uji to Byodoin. The facility's official access map gives about ten minutes on foot.
- Byodoin → Byodoin garden and Hoshokan
For the Phoenix Hall interior, check same-day first-come registration first and arrange the garden and Hoshokan around it. Interior admission costs JPY 300 beyond the basic ticket. If registration has closed, visit the garden and Hoshokan.
Byodoin official visiting guidanceSummer operating exceptionsChanges from 16 October
- End of your Byodoin visit → JR Uji Station
After the garden, Hoshokan and any chosen interior visit, leave the facility and walk to JR Uji. If eating in Uji, return to the JR station from your restaurant. The official ten-minute access estimate is between the station and facility; check restaurant-to-station walking time separately.
- JR Uji Station → Kyoto Station
Take the Nara Line towards Kyoto from JR Uji and get off at Kyoto. Check the date-specific destination and departure time, and avoid heading to Keihan Uji by mistake.
Byodoin garden opens from 08:45 to 17:30, with last admission at 17:15; Hoshokan opens from 09:00 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:45. Phoenix Hall interior visits use same-day first-come registration. Check official notices for sessions, group sizes and suspensions on your date. Return on a Kyoto-bound train from JR Uji.
Day 4 | Fushimi Inari shrine visit
- Kyoto Station → JR Inari Station
Choose a JR Nara Line train from Kyoto that stops at Inari. Some rapid services pass through without stopping, so check the stops.
- JR Inari Station → Main shrine and torii area
Enter the shrine in front of the station and visit the main shrine and torii area. General visits are free; prayers and shrine items cost extra. Today, explore the main shrine and torii area, then return to the same entrance. Reaching the mountain summit takes longer. Avoid photography that blocks passage.
Shrine transport guidanceShrine visit fees and operationsVisitor rules
- Main shrine and torii area → The shrine entrance where you arrived
After visiting your planned area, return to the entrance where you arrived. Allow return time first rather than pushing on to the summit.
- The shrine entrance where you arrived → JR Inari Station
Return to the entrance, then go to JR Inari directly in front of the shrine. Distinguish it from Keihan Fushimi-inari. If eating outside the grounds, return to JR Inari from your restaurant, checking the route and walking time separately.
- JR Inari Station → Kyoto Station
Take the Nara Line towards Kyoto from JR Inari. Check the destination and departure time for your date before boarding, then get off at Kyoto.
Check services stopping at Inari and your return train for the date. This route does not climb to the summit; decide your walking area first and return to the same entrance.
Optional: eat outside the grounds afterwards. Within the grounds, avoid eating outside designated areas. Check restaurant locations, hours, queues and directions to JR Inari, and skip the meal if needed for your return time.
Day 5 | Finish at the station building
- Kyoto Station → Your chosen station building visitor area
With time before departure, explore the fourth-floor Muromachi-koji Square and Grand Stairway. Add the tenth-floor Skyway only after 10:00 and with enough time before departure.
- End of your station building visit → Your booked departure from Kyoto Station
After your visit, head to the platform for your booked departure from Kyoto Station. Skip sightseeing if transfer time is too tight.
Your booked departure platform and the time needed to reach it
The fourth-floor Muromachi-koji Square and Grand Stairway open from 06:00 to 23:00, and the Skyway opens from 10:00 to 22:00. Skip the Skyway before an early departure. Visit only the square and Skyway as time permits, then catch your departure service.
Included: Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace JPY 1,300; Tenryu-ji garden JPY 500; Byodoin garden and Hoshokan JPY 700. General Fushimi Inari shrine visits are free.
Extra costs: The subtotal excludes JR and subway travel, including the Fushimi return; four nights' accommodation; meals; Tenryu-ji buildings and Dharma Hall; Phoenix Hall interior; Honmaru Palace; separate exhibitions; prayers and shrine items; and travel to the airport or next destination.
Including both Tenryu-ji's buildings and the Phoenix Hall interior brings attraction admission to JPY 3,100.
Nijo Castle admissionTenryu-ji Japanese hours and visit suspension noticesByodoin official visiting guidanceShrine visit fees and operations
Return to Kyoto after a northern overnight stay, then depart
Compare this for a pine-path walk and a night in Amanohashidate, followed by a final night in Kyoto. Divide your stay into two nights near Kyoto Station, one in Monju south of the sandbar and one near Kyoto Station. Take your final departure the day after returning from the north.
Day 1 | Nijo Castle and a Kyoto hotel
Explore Kyoto city and Uji, spend a night in the north, then another in Kyoto. Visit Nijo Castle on day one and Uji on day two, followed by the Amanohashidate stay and Kyoto return from day three.
- Kyoto Station → Nijojo-mae Station
Take the Karasuma Line from Kyoto towards Kokusaikaikan. At Karasuma Oike, change to the Tozai Line towards Uzumasa Tenjingawa and get off at Nijojo-mae.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Nijojo-mae Station → Ticket office beside the East Main Gate
Leave Nijojo-mae through Exit 1 and walk towards Nijo Castle. Head to the ticket office beside the East Main Gate.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Ticket office beside the East Main Gate → Ninomaru Palace and gardens
Buy a ticket including Ninomaru Palace beside the East Main Gate, then visit the palace and gardens.
- Ninomaru Palace and gardens → Return to your starting station and the same hotel
After eating, return via the same transfer to your Kyoto Station hotel. After a late arrival or closure, swap with day two's Uji visit.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area mapNijo Castle admissionNijo Castle operations and closures
Last castle admission is 16:00 and closing is 17:00. On Ninomaru Palace closure dates, choose a ticket matching the areas you can visit. After a late arrival, move the visit to another day and check operations for the replacement date.
Day 2 | Uji and back
- Kyoto Station → JR Uji Station
From Kyoto Station, take a JR Nara Line train towards Uji or Nara that stops at Uji, and get off at JR Uji.
- JR Uji Station → Byodoin garden and Hoshokan
Walk about ten minutes to Byodoin and explore the garden and Hoshokan. Add the JPY 300 Phoenix Hall interior visit only if same-day registration is available and you can wait for your chosen session.
Byodoin official access mapByodoin official visiting guidanceSummer operating exceptions
- Byodoin garden and Hoshokan → Return to your starting station and the same hotel
After eating in Uji, take the Nara Line towards Kyoto from JR Uji and return to Kyoto Station. Spend the second night at the same hotel.
Byodoin garden opens from 08:45 to 17:30, with last admission at 17:15; Hoshokan opens from 09:00 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:45. Phoenix Hall interior visits use same-day first-come registration. Check official notices for sessions, group sizes and suspensions on your date. Return on a Kyoto-bound train from JR Uji.
Day 3 | A walk after arriving in the north
- Your hotel near Kyoto Station → Amanohashidate Station
Travel directly from Kyoto to Amanohashidate on the Hashidate limited express, without changing at Fukuchiyama. Search departure and arrival times for your date. Before boarding, prepare full-route travel and limited express tickets and your reserved seat.
- Amanohashidate Station and Monju revolving bridge → Southern pine path and return to Monju
If time allows, walk from the station via the Monju and Chion-ji revolving bridge and Daiten Bridge to the southern pine path. Explore only the southern section and return across the same two bridges to Monju. Crossing to Fuchu at the far end or returning by boat is excluded. In strong wind or rain, move the walk to the following morning or skip it.
Revolving bridge guidanceTourism association walking map, page 2
All Hashidate seats are reserved. Check outward and return services in the operator's regular timetable and date-specific search, and reserve your seat before boarding. The walk below covers the southern Monju section. Choosing a Fuchu hotel across the sandbar changes your local route.
Day 4 | Return to Kyoto and your final hotel
- Your Monju hotel → Amanohashidate Station
In the morning, you can take a short southern pine-path walk and return to Monju the same way. Head to Amanohashidate Station after lunch. Skip the walk in poor weather or if it leaves too little time before boarding.
- Amanohashidate Station → Kyoto Station
Board your reserved Hashidate at Amanohashidate and get off at Kyoto. Check return departure and arrival times in the timetable for your date. Spend the final night in Kyoto and leave the following day.
Return to Kyoto on your reserved Hashidate from Amanohashidate. Use the afternoon for meals and rest in Kyoto, without adding Arashiyama sightseeing. Your final departure is the following day.
Day 5 | Depart from Kyoto Station
- Your hotel near Kyoto Station → Your chosen building walkway
Explore Kyoto Station Building's fourth-floor square and Grand Stairway. Add the Skyway after 10:00 only if there is enough time before departure.
- Your chosen building walkway → Your departure from Kyoto Station
After your visit, head to the ticket gate and platform for your booked departure from Kyoto Station.
The fourth-floor Muromachi-koji Square and Grand Stairway open from 06:00 to 23:00, and the Skyway opens from 10:00 to 22:00. Skip the Skyway before an early departure. Visit only the square and Skyway as time permits, then catch your departure service.
Included: Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace JPY 1,300; Byodoin garden and Hoshokan JPY 700. Amanohashidate sandbar walks are free.
Extra costs: The subtotal excludes all rail and subway travel, including Hashidate return; three nights in Kyoto and one in Monju; meals; Phoenix Hall interior admission of JPY 300; Honmaru Palace; separate exhibitions; boats; observation decks; and final-day travel to the airport or next destination.
Adding the Phoenix Hall interior brings attraction admission to JPY 2,300. Northern rail travel costs extra. The October 2026 JR fare table gives an adult ordinary-car reserved-seat regular-season fare of JPY 5,000 one way: JPY 2,320 travel fare + JPY 2,680 limited express fare. The return is JPY 10,000 if both dates are regular-season dates. This includes the Tango section fare. Check return trains, seats and fares for your travel dates.
Nijo Castle admissionByodoin official visiting guidanceAmanohashidate accessOctober 2026 JR fare table, page 15
Frequently asked questions
Must I leave Kyoto on the day I return from Amanohashidate?
You can spend the final night in Kyoto and leave the following day. This northern overnight itinerary returns on Hashidate on day four, stays one night and leaves on day five. For a flight home the same day, check the return train, airport journey and flight check-in time together. With enough time between actual trains and flights, a Kyoto night is not mandatory. Check the walk from your final hotel to Kyoto Station.
Is the pass cheaper for just the Hashidate return trip?
The October 2026 JR fare table gives JPY 5,000 one way for a regular-season ordinary-car reserved seat, or JPY 10,000 return if both dates are regular-season dates. The adult five-day Kansai Wide pass is JPY 12,000, so it is not cheaper for this return alone. Compare other covered journeys within the same five days and actual seasonal fares. Municipal subway travel, admission, accommodation and meals cost extra.
October 2026 JR fare table, page 15JR Kansai Wide usage rules in Japanese
Official sources and dates checked
- Tenryu-ji access ·
- Amanohashidate access ·
- Nijo Castle official access map ·
- Nijo Castle admission ·
- Nijo Castle operations and closures ·
- Byodoin official access map ·
- Byodoin official visiting guidance ·
- Summer operating exceptions ·
- Changes from 16 October ·
- Shrine visit fees and operations ·
- Shrine transport guidance ·
- Visitor rules ·
- Outbound PDF ·
- Inbound PDF ·
- JR Hashidate guidance ·
- October 2026 JR fare table, page 15 ·
- Revolving bridge guidance ·
- Tourism association walking map, page 2 ·
- Square and walkway opening guidance ·
- Rooftop closure notice ·
- Kyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised 2024-03-16 ·
- Tenryu-ji Japanese hours and visit suspension notices ·
- JR Kansai Wide usage rules in Japanese ·
- JR Kyoto Line stop map, revised 2026-03-14 ·
- JR Kansai Wide coverage, eligibility and validity period ·