Kyoto

With limited time, we opted for a one-day bus tour from Viator, departing and returning near Namba Station in Osaka. It was an easy, comfortable ride to Kyoto, and this wasn’t our first Viator tour—we’ve consistently found them reputable, responsive, and easy to work with. Note: Tour cost approximately $120/person.

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What We Saw

The tour covered four of Kyoto’s most iconic sites:

Arashiyama — the famous bamboo forest

Fushimi Inari Taisha — endless vermilion torii gates

Kinkaku-ji — the Golden Pavilion wrapped in gold leaf

Kiyomizu-dera — a dramatic hillside temple overlooking the city

The day involved a lot of walking and not much time at each site, but it was good for what it was—seeing the highlights and getting a feel for Kyoto.

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The Reality

Every site was extremely crowded. Photography was difficult, and even moving from the bus to the attractions felt congested and chaotic. If we should ever return to Japan, we’d choose smaller, out-of-the-way villages with interesting sites and far fewer people.

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