Kyoto travel info

Seven in the morning on the Fushimi Inari trail, and the vermilion torii gates stack up the mountain with almost nobody under them. Gravel crunching underfoot, one crow somewhere above. Turn up two hours later and the same path is a queue of people waiting for their photo. That's Kyoto in a nutshell: the same place is a different city depending on the hour.

By day you get carried along the slopes below Kiyomizu-dera with a matcha soft-serve in hand. After dark the lanterns come on one by one under the willows along the Shirakawa canal in Gion, a shamisen leaks out from behind a wooden lattice, and a maiko's obi disappears around the end of an alley.

There are far too many temples and shrines to see them all, so don't try. City buses are packed in peak season; mix in the subway and private railways, pick one or two neighbourhoods a day and walk them slowly. Kansai Airport is about 100 km away, and the Haruka express gets you to Kyoto Station in a little over an hour.

Kansai International Airport (KIX)

• JR Haruka Limited Express: About 75–80 minutes to Kyoto Station, no change · Discount one-way ticket for foreign visitors ¥2,200 (child ¥1,100) · regular non-reserved about ¥3,060
• Airport Limousine Bus to Kyoto Station: About 85–90 minutes, longer in traffic · ¥2,800 one way (child ¥1,400) · ¥5,100 return (valid 14 days)
• Shared shuttle (MK, Yasaka): About 1.5–2 hours depending on other drop-offs · About ¥4,300 per person (airport listing; confirm when booking)

Osaka International Airport (Itami) (ITM)

• Airport Limousine Bus to Kyoto Station: About 50–55 minutes, roughly every 20 minutes · ¥1,340 (child ¥670)
• Osaka Monorail + Hankyu Railway: About 1 hour, 2–3 changes · Around ¥700, depending on route

• Visa: Visa-free for many passports; check yours
• Getting there by air: Fly into KIX, then ~1.5h to town
• Time zone: UTC+9, no daylight saving
• Currency: Yen (¥); keep cash for temple fees
• Paying: Cards plus ICOCA; passport for tax-free
• Power: 100V; flat two-pin adapter needed
• Language: Japanese; stations signed in English too
• Internet: Nothing blocked; an eSIM is enough
• Emergencies: Police 110 · Ambulance/fire 119
• Best time: Apr–May, Oct–Nov; blossom/foliage = crowds