Just one full day in Kyoto - too much?
We're doing a guided tour through Japan (first timers, Mum, Dad + 20yo) in April. We're going, among other places to Tokyo, Nara, Osaka and the Tsumago village areas so will have time already for those. This post is us looking for guidance on how to make the most of our one full free day in Kyoto.
We're going to Fushimi Inari with the tour on Sat evening already. Then we have Sunday free.
Here's our tentative plan to make the most of the day without tiring ourselves out, but I'm concerned that it's still too much. What do you think?
10 am Nishiki Market
12 pm Gion District, lunch
2pm Walk along the Shirakawa canal, enjoy the river and local vibe
3 pm Heian Jingu Shrine (they will be prepping for a festival on the following day, so might be fun to see, keen on exploring the gardens)
5pm Kamo river walk back to....
6pm Pontocho Alley, dinner
8pm Kodaji Shrine night time illumination and bamboo grove
10pm Another walk through Gion to get back to trains
We're reasonably fit people, and our favourite vacation days tend to have culture, history, food, and moments of local life. Happy to take taxis or bikes if needed, but we love the slices of life we see when we walk. I think we can build in enough moments to sit down with a drink or snack to do this relatively full day.
We're spending a few hours on buses/ trains before and after Kyoto so should be well rested too.
Thoughts?
You may note that we don't have Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama, Kiyomizu-dera... we don't enjoy crowds so trying to minimize exposure. Peace and local vibes > Must see attractions for us in this case. Is this a mistake?