Tokyo - Kyoto in a day

My wife and I have a short 3 night stay in Tokyo at the end of an Australia trip in March and we hope to maximise our stay in Japan by getting across to Kyoto for the day.

I would like some advice on how feasible and what cost would be involved? I know the bullet train takes approx 2 1/2 hours which is fine as we would try and leave very early in the morning and head back to Tokyo late afternoon.

Does anybody have any experience of doing this?

Cheers

Stuart

Tokyo - Kyoto in a day

In terms of cost, it%26#39;s about 27,000 yen round trip for the nozomi, which is a lot of Australian dollars. If the cost isn%26#39;t enough to put you off, and you really don%26#39;t mind leaving very early, then sure, you can hit a few of the high points in Kyoto. Plan scrupulously including how you will get from the station to your first intended sightseeing spot and what route and transit you will take througout the day. It can take considerable time to get around Kyoto. And have a contingency plan for a rainy day.

People seem to have very strong opinions on this exact subject, which comes up pretty often. Some will try to talk you out of it, but if you have your heart set on seeing Kyoto and you don%26#39;t mind the cost, it is feasible. The shinkansen ride can be quite enjoyable, and is not very long, especially on the Nozomi. You will remember this day for the rest of your life (even if it turns out that you don%26#39;t like it!). Perhaps you could consider staying until early evening instead of late afternoon.

Tokyo - Kyoto in a day

Whoops! Just noticed you are Londoners and not Australians. In that case, 27,000 yen is a lot of pounds. The Australian dollar seems to have been one of the worst hit currencies against the yen, but we are all pining away for the days when our money bought more in Japan. Things seem to be looking up slightly in recent days; let us hope the trend will continue.

Thanks for the reply. We certainly haven%26#39;t been discouraged by your response as we love a challenge. Perhaps we should go down the route of having an organised tour in Kyoto to cut down on some of the logistics as we don%26#39;t have a lot of time to plan now.

While Kyoto cannot realistically be seen in just one day, you can indeed hit some major sites. Departing late afternoon might not give you enough time though. Your best option is depart no earlier than 6pm to make sure you%26#39;ve had a chance to see everything.

Most Kyoto attractions are served by the bus network which is not ideal when you are in a rush. You might have to utilise more taxis and a combination of subway (although the subway lines only hit a few sights).

JTB Sunrise Tour offers 2-day 1-night tour but there is no same day tour from Tokyo as far as I know. The only way you can join their day tour otherwise is to take a very early Shinkansen (no later than 6am) so you can get there by 8:15am. See link below:

japanican.com/tours/FToursKensakuShosai.aspx鈥?/a>

If you are looking to do a tour mabye your best bet is a half day afternoon tour.

Sunrise JTB offer this type of tour, however apparently it is very rushed, but you could expect nothing more I supposed

jtb-sunrisetours.jp/JTB.SunriseTours/鈥?/a>

If you leave on the first Nozomi(6:00am from Tokyo or Shinagawa) and return on the last(21:34), you have more than 12 hours in Kyoto. Go to the info. center upon arriving at Kyoto station to plan out the course. You can visit several temples/shrines easily on your own by bus (buy the 500yen day bus pass)and have a plenty of time to relax and have a good dinner/stroll Gion area at night. You won%26#39;t spend more than one hour at many places, i.e. Kinkakuji. Many Japanese tourist do this and take a nap on the way back. Nozomi/Hikari runs every few min. so you can take one as you please on free seating seats(the same fare) and you hop on/off. You can pay a little more for reserved seats, if you wish to leave during busy time.

Thanks to everybody for replying. Amazinga%26#39;s advice sounds like the best plan.

I%26#39;ve actually done Tokyo-Kyoto in a day. Takes a little planning but as a contributor notes, it will be one you will remember for a long time.

I had a JR Rail Pass which limited me to the Hikari, which is still a bullet train but not as fast as the Nozomi. Arranged the JR Rail Pass in London.

Anyway, left Toyko on the 7.36 and arrived in Kyoto at approx 11.15. Walked to Toji Temple, then back to Kyoto station and used the local buses as described above. Tickets can be purchased in a Ticket Office at the bus terminus. Not alot of English is spoken but by hook or by crook, they know what you are after and they provide you with the all important map in English which shows temples and shrines and relevant bus numbers. If you arrive on the bullet train, you don%26#39;t initially realise that there is more of Kyoto station than mets the eye as the Shinkansen part is separate.

Jumped on the bus to Nijo Castle and eventually the Golden Temple, which is stunning. As it was getting late in the day, I decided to make my way back to Kyoto Station. Had a longish wait at a bus interchange and decided to jump on the metro (local tube) to get to Kyoto station. No ticket machines or maps in English, but a local Japanese lady sensed my predictament and indicated which tube line to get (purple!). Ticket collector took my money and gave me a ticket. Words can not express my gratitude.

Caught the 5.30pm-ish train back to Tokyo and arrived back around 9.10pm. In conclusion, it can be done but you can%26#39;t cram too much in. Good luck.

TimASurrey:

Thanks for the good report that should be helpful to a lot of future day trip visitors.

I am wondering you took Kodama trains both ways instead of Hikari? Hikari trains generally get to Kyoto from Tokyo in 2:45. Your rides are one hour longer and those would ordinarily be Kodama trains.

The 500 Yen bus pass offers excellent value as after 3 rides, you are already ahead. However, I had experienced a similar wait at the bus interchange (kind of a train transfer at a station but much slower). For future visitors, I suggest you take a taxi or subway (if a station is nearby) should a bus transfer is required. It really took a long time.

Kyoto Station isn%26#39;t really that large. From Shinkansen is at the southern side of the station and it%26#39;s easily accessible to the rest of the station.

If anybody had about an hour or so to spare while in Kyoto, you can experience a sento(gender separated public bath). This is large. You have to go out your way in most places but this is located right in front of the Kyoto station on B3F in the Kyoto Tower Building. It costs only 600 yen(if you print out the coupon at the page bottom, 750 yen regular) and open from 7:00am to 8:30pm(enter by 8:00pm). Wash cloth, soap, shampoo, rinse, hair dryer are provided(100 yen extra for large bath towel).

kyoto-tower.co.jp/kyototower/bath/index.html

If you go early evening, you might be all by yourselves for a while. Follow some simple rules just like onsen, i.e. no washing in the tub or no towel in the water.

Enjoy.