Travel2gether
Our trip, on paper ✂
Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto in 4 days
Nov 25–Nov 28, 2026 · 3 nights · 4 travelers
Kyoto at the start of the autumn-leaf peak: Kiyomizu-dera lit up at night, Fushimi Inari before the crowds, Arashiyama at opening time and the Philosopher's Path on the way out. Every slot has a cheaper and a fancier option — tap to make it your group's.
🛂 Visa required for a PH passport — Tourist visa needed, usually filed through an accredited travel agency; a limited eVisa scheme has been expanding.
Day 1 — Land, then Kiyomizu-dera by night
Wed · Nov 25, 2026
15°/6°C — Cool and dry most years. It drops fast after sunset (~16:50) — wear the jacket, not just carry it.
13:40Land at Kansai Airport (KIX)
Immigration, bags, then the JR ticket office for the HARUKA and an ICOCA card (¥500 deposit plus credit) for everything after.
15:00Airport train to Kyoto
Pick: HARUKA limited express · JPY 3,060–3,590
16:30Check in near Kyoto Station
The station is the hub: HARUKA, the JR line to Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama, the subway and most buses all start here.
17:30Up Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka
Bus 206 or a taxi split four ways to Gojō-zaka, then the preserved stone lanes up to the temple — matcha soft-serve and pickles on the way.
18:15Kiyomizu-dera autumn night viewing
The wooden stage over a valley of lit-up maples, and a blue searchlight beam over the city. Allow an hour.
19:45Dinner in Gion
Pick: Ramen or udon near Gion-Shijō · JPY 1,000–1,500
Airport train to Kyoto, drop the bags, and spend the first evening on the lantern-lit lanes of Higashiyama — the temple's autumn night viewing only runs for ten days a year.
Day 2 — Fushimi Inari, Tōfuku-ji, Nishiki
Thu · Nov 26, 2026
15°/6°C — Cold at 7 am on the mountain — layers you can peel off on the climb.
07:00Fushimi Inari Taisha
JR Nara line two stops from Kyoto Station (~5 min). Thousands of vermilion torii up the mountain.
Pick: To the Yotsutsuji viewpoint · Free
09:30Breakfast by the shrine
Inari-zushi (sweet tofu-pocket sushi, named after the shrine) and a hot drink from the stalls by the station.
10:15Tōfuku-ji
One stop back on the JR line. A valley of maples under the Tsūtenkyō bridge — one of Kyoto's top leaf spots, and busy for it. The Zen rock gardens of the Hōjō are quieter.
12:30Nishiki Market lunch crawl
"Kyoto's kitchen" — a covered 400-metre lane of 100+ stalls. Tamagoyaki on a stick, grilled mochi, tofu doughnuts, pickles to bring home.
14:30Afternoon downtown
Pick: Teramachi + Shinkyōgoku arcades · JPY 0–3,000
18:30Pontochō for dinner
The narrow lantern-lit alley along the Kamo River. Yakitori, okonomiyaki or a riverside set. Many places show menus outside — check before you sit.
The torii-gate mountain at 7 am while it's empty, Kyoto's most famous maple valley next door, then the city's food market and a lantern-lit evening alley.
Day 3 — Arashiyama early, the Golden Pavilion after lunch
Fri · Nov 27, 2026
14°/5°C — Arashiyama sits by the river in the hills — a couple of degrees colder than downtown in the morning.
07:30JR Sagano line to Saga-Arashiyama
~15 min from Kyoto Station. Walk to the north end of the bamboo grove first.
08:00Bamboo grove
The towering green corridor, at its quietest before the tour buses.
08:30Tenryū-ji garden
A UNESCO-listed Zen temple with a 700-year-old pond garden. The garden opens at 8:30 — and its north gate opens straight onto the bamboo grove.
09:45The rest of the morning
Pick: Ōkōchi Sansō villa · JPY 1,000
12:00Lunch in Arashiyama
Yudōfu (simmered tofu) is the local speciality — or soba from a shop by the station if the group is hungry and cold.
14:00Kinkaku-ji — the Golden Pavilion
Gold leaf over a mirror pond. One-way path, ~45 minutes. Late afternoon light is the best for photos.
17:30Evening at Kyoto Station
Ramen Street on the 10th floor, the Skyway glass walkway, and Isetan's food hall in the basement for pasalubong — boxed yatsuhashi and matcha sweets.
The bamboo grove before 8:30, a Zen garden and a hilltop villa with matcha, then the Golden Pavilion in the afternoon light.
Day 4 — Philosopher's Path, then home
Sat · Nov 28, 2026
15°/6°C — A gentle walking morning. Saturdays are busier everywhere — start early.
08:00Checkout — bags held at the hotel
Bus or taxi to Ginkaku-ji (~30 min).
08:45Ginkaku-ji — the Silver Pavilion
Never actually silvered — a quieter, mossier counterpart to the Golden Pavilion, with a raked-sand garden.
09:45Philosopher's Path
2 km of stone path along a canal lined with maples and small temples. Cafés along the way for a warm drink.
11:00Nanzen-ji and the aqueduct
Pick: Grounds + the brick aqueduct · Free
12:30Back to the hotel for bags
Subway from Keage to Kyoto Station (one change).
14:30HARUKA to Kansai Airport
Arrive ~15:45, check in, last shopping airside.
18:30Fly home to Manila
Lands around 21:45. Trip complete.
Check out, leave the bags, walk the canal path from the Silver Pavilion to Nanzen-ji's red-brick aqueduct, and catch the HARUKA by 14:30.