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If there's only one day, this is the one that pays: Fushimi Inari at seven in the morning, the only hour when the ten thousand torii are free of people; Kiyomizu-dera mid-morning, climbing the Sannenzaka lanes; and Gion at dusk, when the odd maiko crosses on her way to work. All three sit on the same train line.
Tap a point to see which one it is and how to get there.
A suggestion, not a rule: once you create the trip you can split it up however you like.
💡In Gion there are alleys where photography is banned
They are private streets, with signs and fines, and it has been enforced seriously in recent years because things got out of hand. Do not chase a maiko down the street for a photo: she is on her way to work. On the main streets you can photograph freely.
💡Kyoto works by bus, but not at rush hour
The bus network reaches where the train does not and is the normal way to get around, but by mid-morning the tourist-line buses are full and painfully slow. Use the train for anywhere far and keep the bus for short hops. You pay as you get off, and it helps to have coins.
💡Fushimi Inari, at dawn or at night
It is always open and free, so there is no reason at all to go when everyone else does. At seven in the morning the torii are empty and the light comes in sideways. At night it is lit and has a different feel, though the climb feels longer.
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