Five days in Kyoto: stay in the city or spend a night in the north?
Stay in Kyoto throughout to visit Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji, and Fushimi Inari on separate days. For a night in the north, compare two Kyoto nights, one in Monju south of Amanohashidate, then one in Kyoto. Return from the north on day four, spend your final night in Kyoto, and leave the next day; this course does not connect your northern return to your final departure on the same day.
Choose an itinerary for 5 days, 4 nights
Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji, and Fushimi
Compare this course for red torii paths as well as palaces and gardens. Use one hotel near Kyoto Station, with separate days for Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, and Uji, then visit Fushimi Inari on day four. Stay near the station for departure preparations on the last day.
Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji, and Fushimi →5 days, 4 nights BA Northern Overnight Stay, Then Return to Kyoto for Departure
Compare this course for a pine-path walk and a night in northern Kyoto Prefecture, followed by a final night in Kyoto. Split your nights into two near Kyoto Station, one in Monju south of the sandbar, then one near Kyoto Station. Your final departure is the day after returning from the north.
A Northern Overnight Stay, Then Return to Kyoto for Departure →Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji, and Fushimi
Compare this course for red torii paths as well as palaces and gardens. Use one hotel near Kyoto Station, with separate days for Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, and Uji, then visit Fushimi Inari on day four. Stay near the station for departure preparations on the last day.
Day 1: Nijo Castle
Keep your Kyoto Station hotel and give Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Uji, and Fushimi separate days. Visit the castle before last admission on day one and stay near the station on your final day.
- Kyoto Station → Nijojo-mae Station
Take the Karasuma Line toward Kokusaikaikan to Karasuma Oike, then transfer to the Tozai Line toward Uzumasa Tenjingawa and get off at Nijojo-mae.
Official Nijo Castle access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Nijojo-mae Station → Ticket office beside the East Gate
Leave through Exit 1 and walk toward Nijo Castle. Head to the ticket office beside the East Gate.
Official Nijo Castle access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Ticket office beside the East Gate → Ninomaru Palace and garden
Buy a Ninomaru Palace-inclusive ticket at the East Gate office and visit the palace and garden.
- Ninomaru Palace and garden → Nijojo-mae Station
After the visit, leave through the East Gate you used to enter and return to Nijojo-mae.
Official Nijo Castle 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. Transfer to the Karasuma Line toward Kyoto Station and get off there.
Official Nijo Castle access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
Castle admission ends at 4:00 PM and the grounds close at 5:00 PM. On Ninomaru Palace closure days, choose a ticket for the areas you can visit. If arriving late, move the visit to another day and check operations for that date.
Day 2: Choose your Tenryu-ji viewing areas
- Kyoto Station → JR Saga-Arashiyama Station
Take a JR Sagano Line train toward Sonobe stopping at Saga-Arashiyama. Get off at JR Saga-Arashiyama, distinguishing it from Hankyu and Randen Arashiyama stations.
Tenryu-ji accessJR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised March 16, 2024
- JR Saga-Arashiyama Station → Tenryu-ji reception
The walk from JR Saga-Arashiyama to Tenryu-ji takes about 13 minutes. Follow on-site guidance to reception for your selected garden, buildings, or Dharma Hall. Allow time to reach reception and buy tickets.
Tenryu-ji Japanese-language hours and visit restrictionsTenryu-ji access
- Tenryu-ji reception → Tenryu-ji garden
The basic garden ticket is ¥500; buildings cost an additional ¥300. Dharma Hall admission is a separate ¥500. Even on building viewing suspension days, check garden operations separately and buy at your chosen area's reception.
- Tenryu-ji viewing exit → JR Saga-Arashiyama Station
After viewing, walk from your exit to JR Saga-Arashiyama. If adding a meal or riverwalk, check the route and walking time from your final stop to the JR station before choosing a return train.
Tenryu-ji Japanese-language hours and visit restrictionsTenryu-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.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised March 16, 2024
The garden opens 8:30 AM–5:00 PM, with reception until 4:50 PM; buildings open 8:30 AM–4:45 PM, with reception until 4:30 PM. Check official guidance for early garden openings and suspended building or Dharma Hall viewing on your date. Early opening does not apply to every reception point or building. Check travel-date JR round trips separately. If an area is closed, choose the garden only or change dates.
Optional: Have lunch in Arashiyama after visiting, or walk by the river if time allows. Check restaurant locations, hours, and waits, and decide how far along the river to walk before turning back. Allow the walk from your final meal or walking stop to JR Saga-Arashiyama. Skip either option to fit weather or return time.
Day 3: Uji
- Kyoto Station → JR Uji Station
Take a JR Nara Line train toward Uji and Nara stopping at Uji. Get off at JR Uji, distinguishing it from Keihan Uji.
- JR Uji Station → Byodoin
Walk from JR Uji to Byodoin. The facility's official access map estimates about 10 minutes.
- Byodoin → Byodoin garden and Hoshokan
For the Phoenix Hall interior, check same-day first-come reception first and arrange your garden and Hoshokan visit around it. Interior viewing costs an additional ¥300 beyond basic admission. If reception has ended, visit the garden and Hoshokan.
Official Byodoin visitor informationSummer operating exceptionsChanges from October 16
- Byodoin viewing exit → JR Uji Station
After the garden, Hoshokan, and any selected interior viewing, leave the facility and walk to JR Uji. If eating in Uji, return from your restaurant to the JR station. The official 10-minute walk covers station-to-facility access; restaurant-to-station time needs a separate check.
- JR Uji Station → Kyoto Station
Take a Kyoto-bound Nara Line train from JR Uji. Check the date's destination and departure time, and avoid going to Keihan Uji.
Byodoin's garden opens 8:45 AM–5:30 PM, with reception until 5:15 PM; Hoshokan opens 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, with reception until 4:45 PM. Phoenix Hall interior visits are first come, first served on the day. Check visit-date notices for sessions, capacity, and suspended viewing. Return on a Kyoto-bound train from JR Uji.
Day 4: Fushimi Inari worship
- Kyoto Station → JR Inari Station
Choose a JR Nara Line train from Kyoto that stops at Inari. Some rapid trains skip the station, so check its 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 worship is free; prayer services and religious items are separate. Return to the same entrance after these areas. Climbing to the summit takes more time. Avoid photography that blocks foot traffic.
Shrine access informationWorship fees and opening informationVisitor rules
- Main shrine and torii area → Your original shrine entrance
After visiting the area you planned, return to the entrance you used. Allow time for the return instead of extending the walk unplanned to the summit.
- Your original shrine entrance → JR Inari Station
Return to JR Inari directly in front of the shrine, distinguishing it from Keihan Fushimi-inari. If eating outside the grounds, return to JR Inari from your restaurant. Check that location's route and walking time separately.
- JR Inari Station → Kyoto Station
Take a Kyoto-bound Nara Line train from JR Inari. Check the date's destination and departure time, then get off at Kyoto.
Check trains stopping at Inari and your return service for the date. This is not a summit-climbing course: choose your walking extent first and return to the same entrance.
Optional: Eat outside the grounds after your visit. Avoid eating outside designated areas within the grounds. Check restaurant location, hours, waits, and the route to JR Inari; skip the meal stop if necessary for your return.
Day 5: Finish at the station building
- Kyoto Station → Your chosen station-building viewing area
If time allows before departure, see the fourth-floor Muromachikoji Square and Grand Stairway. Add the tenth-floor Skyway only after 10:00 AM and with enough time before your departure.
Square and walkway opening informationRooftop closure notice
- Station-building viewing exit → Your booked Kyoto Station departure
After your visit, head to the platform for your booked departure from Kyoto Station. Skip viewing if the transfer leaves too little time.
Your booked departure's platform and required transfer time
The fourth-floor Muromachikoji Square and Grand Stairway open 6:00 AM–11:00 PM; the Skyway opens 10:00 AM–10:00 PM. Skip the Skyway for an early departure. Limit this visit to the plaza and Skyway before boarding your departure.
Included: Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace ¥1,300; Tenryu-ji garden ¥500; Byodoin garden and Hoshokan ¥700. General worship at Fushimi Inari is free.
Separate costs: JR and subway travel, including the Fushimi round trip; four nights' lodging and meals; Tenryu-ji buildings and Dharma Hall; Phoenix Hall interior; Honmaru Palace and separate exhibitions; prayer services and religious items; airport or onward travel.
Selecting both Tenryu-ji buildings and Phoenix Hall interior viewing brings the facility subtotal to ¥3,100.
Nijo Castle admission feesTenryu-ji Japanese-language hours and visit restrictionsOfficial Byodoin visitor informationWorship fees and opening information
A Northern Overnight Stay, Then Return to Kyoto for Departure
Compare this course for a pine-path walk and a night in northern Kyoto Prefecture, followed by a final night in Kyoto. Split your nights into two near Kyoto Station, one in Monju south of the sandbar, then one near Kyoto Station. Your final departure is the day after returning from the north.
Day 1: Nijo Castle and a Kyoto night
Explore Kyoto City and Uji, stay one night in the north, then another in Kyoto. Visit Nijo Castle on day one and Uji on day two before traveling to Amanohashidate on day three and returning to Kyoto.
- Kyoto Station → Nijojo-mae Station
Take the Karasuma Line toward Kokusaikaikan from Kyoto Station. Transfer at Karasuma Oike to the Tozai Line toward Uzumasa Tenjingawa and get off at Nijojo-mae.
Official Nijo Castle access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Nijojo-mae Station → Ticket office beside the East Gate
Leave through Exit 1 and walk toward Nijo Castle. Head to the ticket office beside the East Gate.
Official Nijo Castle access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Ticket office beside the East Gate → Ninomaru Palace and garden
Buy a Ninomaru Palace-inclusive ticket beside the East Gate and visit the palace and garden.
- Ninomaru Palace and garden → Your original station and the same hotel
After a meal, return via the same transfer to your Kyoto Station hotel. For a late arrival or closure, swap dates with day-two Uji.
Official Nijo Castle access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area mapNijo Castle admission feesNijo Castle hours and closures
Castle admission ends at 4:00 PM and the grounds close at 5:00 PM. On Ninomaru Palace closure days, choose a ticket for the areas you can visit. If arriving late, move the visit to another day and check operations for that date.
Day 2: Uji round trip
- Kyoto Station → JR Uji Station
Take a JR Nara Line train toward Uji and Nara that stops at Uji, then get off at JR Uji.
- JR Uji Station → Byodoin garden and Hoshokan
Walk about 10 minutes to Byodoin and visit the garden and Hoshokan. If same-day Phoenix Hall reception is available and you can wait for your session, add interior viewing for ¥300.
Official Byodoin access mapOfficial Byodoin visitor informationSummer operating exceptions
- Byodoin garden and Hoshokan → Your original station and the same hotel
After a meal in Uji, take a Kyoto-bound Nara Line train from JR Uji. Spend the second night at the same hotel.
Byodoin's garden opens 8:45 AM–5:30 PM, with reception until 5:15 PM; Hoshokan opens 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, with reception until 4:45 PM. Phoenix Hall interior visits are first come, first served on the day. Check visit-date notices for sessions, capacity, and suspended viewing. Return on a Kyoto-bound train from JR Uji.
Day 3: Arrive in the north and walk
- Hotel near Kyoto Station → Amanohashidate Station
Take the direct Hashidate limited express from Kyoto to Amanohashidate. You do not transfer at Fukuchiyama. Search departure and arrival times for your date and prepare full-route fare and limited express tickets and your reserved seat before boarding.
- Amanohashidate Station and Monju rotating bridge → South-side pine path and return to Monju
If time allows, walk from the station via the rotating bridge on the Monju and Chion-ji side and Daitenkyo Bridge to the south-side pine path. Walk 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 and rain, move the walk to tomorrow morning or skip it.
Rotating bridge informationTourism association walking map, page 2
All Hashidate seats require reservations. Check round trips in the operator's regular timetable and for your travel dates, reserving seats before boarding. The walk below stays on the south side near Monju. A Fuchu hotel across the sandbar requires different local transportation.
Day 4: Return to Kyoto for your final hotel night
- Monju hotel → Amanohashidate Station
In the morning, you may take a short south-side pine-path walk and return the same way to Monju. After lunch, head to Amanohashidate Station. Skip the walk if weather is poor or there is too little time before your train.
- Amanohashidate Station → Kyoto Station
Board your reserved Hashidate at Amanohashidate and get off at Kyoto. Check return departure and arrival times for your travel date. Spend your final night in Kyoto before leaving tomorrow.
Return to Kyoto Station on your reserved Hashidate from Amanohashidate. Use the afternoon for meals and rest in Kyoto, without adding Arashiyama sightseeing. Your final departure is tomorrow.
Day 5: Depart from Kyoto Station
- Hotel near Kyoto Station → Your chosen building walkway
Explore the fourth-floor station plaza and Grand Stairway. Add the Skyway after 10:00 AM only if your departure leaves enough time.
Square and walkway opening informationRooftop closure notice
- Your chosen building walkway → Your Kyoto Station departure
After your visit, head to your booked departure's gates and platform at Kyoto Station.
Square and walkway opening informationRooftop closure notice
The fourth-floor Muromachikoji Square and Grand Stairway open 6:00 AM–11:00 PM; the Skyway opens 10:00 AM–10:00 PM. Skip the Skyway for an early departure. Limit this visit to the plaza and Skyway before boarding your departure.
Included: Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace ¥1,300; Byodoin garden and Hoshokan ¥700. Amanohashidate sandbar walks are free.
Separate costs: All rail and subway travel, including Hashidate round trips; three Kyoto nights and one Monju night, meals, ¥300 Phoenix Hall interior viewing, Honmaru Palace and separate exhibitions, boats and viewpoints, and final-day airport or onward travel.
Adding Phoenix Hall interior viewing brings the facility subtotal to ¥2,300. Northern rail travel is separate. The JR October 2026 table lists a standard-season adult ordinary-car reserved-seat one-way total of ¥5,000: ¥2,320 fare plus ¥2,680 limited express ticket. If both days are standard season, the round trip is ¥10,000. These amounts include the Tango section. Check round-trip trains, seats, and fares for your actual dates.
Nijo Castle admission feesOfficial Byodoin visitor informationAmanohashidate accessJR October 2026 fare table, page 15
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to leave Kyoto on the day I return from Amanohashidate?
You can spend your final night in Kyoto and leave the next day. This northern course returns to Kyoto by Hashidate on day four, stays one night, and departs on day five. For departure from Japan on the return day, check the train, airport journey, and flight check-in time together. Another Kyoto night is not essential if your actual train and flight leave enough time. Check the journey from your final hotel to Kyoto Station too.
Is a pass cheaper for the Hashidate round trip alone?
JR's October 2026 fare table lists a standard-season ordinary reserved seat at ¥5,000 one way, or ¥10,000 round trip when both dates are standard season. The adult five-day Kansai Wide Area Pass costs ¥12,000, so this round trip alone does not make the pass cheaper. Compare other covered journeys within the same five days and your actual seasonal fares. Municipal subway fares, admission, lodging, and meals are separate.
JR October 2026 fare table, page 15JR Kansai Wide Area Pass Japanese-language terms
Official sources and checked dates
- Tenryu-ji access ·
- Amanohashidate access ·
- Official Nijo Castle access map ·
- Nijo Castle admission fees ·
- Nijo Castle hours and closures ·
- Official Byodoin access map ·
- Official Byodoin visitor information ·
- Summer operating exceptions ·
- Changes from October 16 ·
- Worship fees and opening information ·
- Shrine access information ·
- Visitor rules ·
- Outbound timetable PDF ·
- Return timetable PDF ·
- JR Hashidate information ·
- JR October 2026 fare table, page 15 ·
- Rotating bridge information ·
- Tourism association walking map, page 2 ·
- Square and walkway opening information ·
- Rooftop closure notice ·
- Kyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised March 16, 2024 ·
- Tenryu-ji Japanese-language hours and visit restrictions ·
- JR Kansai Wide Area Pass Japanese-language terms ·
- JR Kyoto Line stop map, revised March 14, 2026 ·
- JR Kansai Wide Area Pass coverage, eligibility, and validity ·