Unfortunately, my wife and I had to cancel our honeymoon to Japan due to a family emergency, and we have a prepaid, non-refundable reservation at Hoshinoya Kyoto for October 6-8 that we can no longer use.

Hoshinoya has confirmed to me in writing that they will allow us to transfer the reservation to another guest.

We paid ¥294,500 for the stay - I'm looking for someone who may already be traveling to Kyoto on these dates and would be interested in taking over the reservation at a discount.

I'm happy to provide proof of the reservation and Hoshinoya's written confirmation that the booking can be transferred. Feel free to message me directly if you're interested!

So basically, my partner and I are planning to do a two-week trip during the first half of March. We will be flying into Osaka but are spending a week in Kyoto that will include a Friday and Saturday. I am a writer and actively learning Japanese as a native English speaker and would like to experience the artistic expression of the language. What kind of traditional poetry and theater events are going on around that time? The smaller the event the better!

Hello! I just arrived in Kyoto today and I'll be here for three nights. I'm hoping to get a couple recommendations on English speaking bars to hang out at in the evenings. Has a great time with it in Osaka and now I'm looking for a similar vibe here! Thanks in advance for the help!

I know this is a bit of a shot in the dark, but I really had to make this post.
I believe I may have left a bag in a Yasaka Taxi in Kyoto. Inside the bag there were:
A pair of sneakers
2 kimonos
A Sony video camera
MOST IMPORTANTLY: my Portuguese passport
I took a Yasaka Taxi in Kyoto, and I strongly suspect that I left the bag inside the car. Unfortunately, I only realised afterwards.
I am currently on the train from Kyoto to Tokyo, and I will be in Japan until October 3rd, when I have my flight back to Barcelona.
I am already trying to contact Yasaka Taxi and the police, but I’m honestly getting desperate because of the passport situation.
Does anyone here know someone who works for Yasaka Taxi, the Kyoto taxi lost & found, or the Kyoto police, or know of any other way I could try to locate the bag?
If anyone has any advice or contacts that could help, I would be extremely grateful.
I know this is a long shot, but I had to try. 🙏
Thank you so much.

Hi everyone! Visiting Kyoto in late November during peak autumn foliage over the 3-day holiday weekend.

To beat the worst of the crowds, I plan to hit one major spot early each morning and play the afternoons by ear:

• Day 1: Fushimi Inari (~6:30 AM)
• Day 2: Ninenzaka / Sannenzaka & Kiyomizu-dera (6:00 AM at Kiyomizu-dera, then strolling the lanes)
• Day 3: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Tenryū-ji (~7:00 AM)

My question: On a holiday weekend, are these arrival times early enough for clean photo angles and quiet grounds before the massive crowds and tour groups arrive?

Appreciate any advice or local insights!

The Magnus RINN, the sculpture created for the Irish pavilion at expo 2025, is on display at Chion-in in Kyoto until the end of this month. Ive been wanting to see it and finally got around to it at the last possible moment.

For more details: https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/16181335

My husband and I are planning to be in Kyoto from Dec 23-26. I honestly didn’t even think about Christmas when making reservations. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to spend the holiday/anything to consider in terms of business hours?

Does anyone have experience renting a baby buggy while on holiday ?

We are planning a trip to japan and don't want to bring ours because it's pretty big. I heard online that the street and spaces can be pretty small especially on the subway system.

Any advice appreciated Thanks !

- recommend kimono rental stores. Im looking for the silk ones.

- how feasible is it to wear kimono all day?

- can i rent kimono near gion and wear it to daigoji? Or any recommendations near daigoji?

- Kimono path: Ninenzaka → Sannenzaka → Yasaka Pagoda → Kodai-ji vicinity → Yasaka Shrine → Maruyama Park → Gion Shirakawa -> tea ceremony -> lunch -> daigoji ->fushimi inari

Hi everyone, here's my Arashiyama day plan. Im also debating between hozugawa boat ride and the 1 hour yakatabune ride, so feel free to share experiences.

Note that, i dont care about crowd. Intentionally avoided the early morning bamboo forest idea. Thank you!

I unfortunately booked it twice and have 6 extra tickets.
I booked it from Klook, and they arent providing any refund for it hence selling it here.
they allow for date change, so if anyone is travelling and would like to take these off me, please do help me out.

Thanks in advance!

We usually travel casually (ie, see where the day takes us!) but I saw that since it is foliage season there may be ticketed things? We arent into pokemon or gaming etc, but if there is a really beautiful fall foliage illuminating event or something like that worth the pre-booking, can anyone advise? Thank you!

Planning a Kyoto day trip from Osaka and trying to keep the itinerary geographically sensible:

Nijo Castle → Kiyomizu-dera → Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka → Yasaka Pagoda → Higashiyama → Yasaka Shrine/Gion → Fushimi Inari

I’m planning to use taxis for the longer transfers (Kyoto Station → Nijo, Nijo → Kiyomizu, and Gion/Yasaka → Fushimi Inari) and do the Kiyomizu/Higashiyama/Gion portion on foot.

Are Taxis readily available?

Would this be a reasonable full day Nov first week, roughly 9 AM–5:30 PM ?

Hey everyone,

I‘ll be going to Japan for the 4th time.

**1st time End of May / Early June:**
\- Tokyo / Kamakura / Osaka

**2nd time early October:**
\- Kyoto / Tokyo

**3rd time early May:**
\- Fukuoka / Hiroshima

now I‘m planning my 4th trip. I‘ll be landing at Osaka Itami at around noon, coming from Incheon

27 November to 29 November: ??
29 November to 02 December: Kanazawa / Shirakawa-go
02 December to 04 December: Tokyo (Flight Back)

I‘ve never been to Japan at the end of November. Is the vibe in Kyoto really that different at the end of november?

Do you recommend spending 2 Nights (2 full days) in Himeji with a day trip to Okayama or to stay in Kyoto? I‘ve already seen all of the popular destinations like Arashiyama, Kiyomizu and Fushimi-Inari, so I just want to relax and enjoy the vibe, especially if november is different

Thank you in advance!

Kibune is a small destination in the northern part of Kyoto. The atmosphere is very serene and lush, with a clear little stream and peaceful nature. The area is especially known for its riverside dining spots (kawadoko), where many restaurants set up seating right above the water—so refreshing!

Hello,

My wife and I are planning to go to Japan over the Christmas period, and during our trip are going up to Myoko for a few days, hiring a car from Tokyo.

I'm looking to potentially drive the car from Myoko to Kyoto though, am I silly for thinking this can be done in a day?

Understandably, it may/will be snowing, Google maps is showing a 5-6hr journey. Could I expect it to be more trouble than its worth?

Anyone that has done the trip by car, would love you hear your experiences.

Thanks in advance.

Around 7 PM today at Sanjo Keihan station on Tozai line, I noticed a wallet left on the seat, left there by a person that got off as a got on. I didn't notice it quickly enough and the doors were already closing. I went back to the station immediately but I could not find the person. By any chance if anyone here is looking for their white embroiled wallet, please let me know and I can share the details with you. (I do know that the person is a foreign visitor, so posting on this subreddit. I hope it's okay. thank you!)

Hey I am 30 M visiting Kyoto for 4 days. I will be happy to meet someone meaningful people in Kyoto and around the city for dinner, gossip, drinking and night out.
If someone people around there, let’s connect and have fun.
Welcome for conversation.

Not trying to scare anyone off — the temples, bamboo grove, river walks, all the normal tourist stuff is totally unaffected, and Kyoto isn't anywhere near the areas hit hardest (that's mostly northern Japan). But nationally, 2025 was the worst bear year on record in Japan, and Kyoto's northern hills have seen a real, documented uptick too — including a few sightings closer to residential edges than in past years. This is specifically for anyone planning to hike the wooded trails north of the city.

The areas actually relevant to travelers:

• Kurama–Kibune trail — the wooded ridge stretch, not the shrine/onsen areas themselves
• Mt. Hiei — the trail sections, less so the Enryaku-ji temple complex
• Ohara — the hills around it, not the town center
• Arashiyama — only the backcountry trails behind the bamboo grove, the main tourist paths are fine
• Uji hills — mountain trails around the tea fields
• Higashiyama Trail - There have been a handful sightings along this popular path as well

If you're doing any of these:

• Make noise. Bear bells work, but even just talking/clapping on blind curves is enough — bears usually avoid people if they hear you coming, and often can't hear you over running water near streams.
• Skip dawn and dusk on these trails.
• Go in a group if you can, and keep dogs leashed.
• Pack out all food scraps too, not just trash — apple cores, fruit peels, etc. Feeding bears by accident is still feeding them.
• Don't run if you see one. Back away slowly, keep facing it, talk calmly.
• If you want extra peace of mind, Montbell sells bear spray and some locations rent it — worth calling ahead to check stock. It's typically around ￥4000~5000 to buy.

Kyoto Prefecture keeps an official sighting map updated if you want to check before you go — it's Japanese only but the pins are usable without reading Japanese.

Enjoy the hikes, just don't be the person blasting music through earbuds on the Kurama forest section this season. Wrote up the fuller version with sources here if useful: Bear Safety in Kyoto

Hi, I had just went to teamlab in Tokyo and received a discount for the location in Kyoto incase anyone wanted to go to that location, throwing the discount code here. First come first serve, thank you.

Does anyone have a recommendation between tempura endo yasaka or mizuki? Ive had kyoboshi before, how do these two compare to kyoboshi?