Kyoto for two

Day 1

1. 07:00Fushimi Inari Taisha — Dawn gates — the whole point
2. 10:00% Arabica Higashiyama — Coffee under the pagoda
3. 11:30Kiyomizu-dera — Walk the Higashiyama lanes up
4. 14:00Nishiki Market — Late market lunch
5. 18:00Gion — Gion at dusk
6. 19:30Pontocho Alley — Pick a lantern, duck in

Day 2

1. 07:30Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — Bamboo before the crowds
2. 09:30Togetsukyo Bridge
3. 11:30Kinkaku-ji — Golden Pavilion on the way back
4. 13:30Honke Owariya — 550-year-old soba lunch

Day 3

1. 09:30Philosopher's Path — Quiet canal walk
2. 12:00Ippodo Tea — Matcha to take home

Temples & shrines

• Fushimi Inari Taisha — Be there by 7am — you'll have the gates to yourselves.
• Kinkaku-ji — The Golden Pavilion — 30 minutes is enough.
• Kiyomizu-dera — The wooden stage over the city — stay for dusk.

Old Kyoto

• Gion — Evening stroll on Hanamikoji — you might spot a geiko.
• Pontocho Alley — Lantern-lit alley of tiny restaurants along the river.
• Philosopher's Path — Canal-side walk between temples — cherry trees in spring.

Eat & drink

• Nishiki Market — Snack your way down the covered arcade.
• Honke Owariya — Soba since 1465. Order the hourai.
• % Arabica Higashiyama — Latte with the Yasaka Pagoda view.
• Ippodo Tea — Matcha tasting at the counter of a 300-year-old tea shop.

Arashiyama morning

• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — Before 8am for empty paths.
• Togetsukyo Bridge — River views + monkeys on the hill behind it.