Kyoto and Osaka work as a single base for most of Kansai, and the day trips below are all within about ninety minutes. They are grouped by direction, since the choice is usually decided by which line you are already on.
Inside Kyoto
Walkable districts and short bus rides. Start early: the popular slopes fill by nine.
- Higashiyama — Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka and the Gion lanes
- Arashiyama and Sagano — bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji, and quieter temples north
- Ohara and Sanzen-in — a mountain village north of the city
- Kurama and Kibune — a forest trail between two valleys
- Fushimi — canal-side breweries and tasting rooms
- Uji — Byodo-in and the matcha shops by the river
- Nijo Castle — a palace with nightingale floors
West and north
Sanyo and San’in lines, or the Kosei line up the west side of Lake Biwa.
- Himeji — the white National Treasure keep, under an hour by Shinkansen
- Hikone — a National Treasure keep on Lake Biwa
- Amanohashidate — the pine sandbar on the Japan Sea side
- Koyasan — temple lodging on a mountain south of Osaka
From Osaka
Minami food districts, plus the Seto Inland Sea by ferry.
- Dotonbori, Kuromon and Shinsekai — three food districts and how to walk them
- Umeda Sky Building — the rooftop observatory ring
- Nara — deer, Todai-ji, and the old merchant lanes
- Naoshima — art museums across the Seto Inland Sea
A workable shape: one early Higashiyama morning, one Arashiyama afternoon, and one full day out of the city. Trying to do two of the outside trips on the same day is where itineraries usually break.
Other collections on this site
- Japan’s Twelve Original Castles
- Japan’s Onsen Towns
- Day Trips from Tokyo
- UNESCO World Heritage in Japan
- First Time in Japan: how to plan a trip
- Japan by Season: spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Japanese Gardens — groups them by garden type, and by season
- Japan’s Old Towns — sorts the preserved streets by what kind of town they were
