Kyoto Field Card · 25–28 June 2026

Thursday 25 June

Arrival from Hakone · hanko drop · Hikiniku

Kyoto Stn 13:30
Higashiyama by night

Afternoon — settle & the market

14:30

Arrive Kyoto Station

Off the Hakone shinkansen on the 12:30 Hikari. JR Sagano Line → Nijo, 2 stops / ~5 min, ¥190 — the Moxy is right by Nijo Station.

JR Sagano · ¥190

¥190£1

14:45

Bag drop Moxy Kyoto Nijo ⛩️ Map

3 min from JR Nijo Station. Conf — add it. Drop and go — too early to check in.

Moxy Kyoto Nijo · Nijo Stn

—

Booked

15:30

Nishiki Market — light browse ⛩️ Map

"Kyoto's Kitchen", a narrow covered arcade 5 min away. Graze lightly — pickles, tofu doughnuts, soy-milk ice — but save the appetite for Hikiniku.

Nishiki · 錦市場

¥500–1,000£2–5

Late afternoon — the seal & the river

16:15

Hanko order drop — Teramachi ⛩️ Map

Inbando or Hyakuninisshu. Order your name seal in katakana — アリス — carved in wood, ~¥3,000. Collect tomorrow at noon.

Teramachi · order ~¥3,000

order

collect Fri 12:00

16:45

Pontochō stroll ⛩️ Map

The lantern-lit riverside alley, barely two umbrellas wide. Walk it now — dinner is at Hikiniku, but you'll come back here later in the trip.

Pontochō · 先斗町

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17:15

Yukata hunt — Teramachi arcade ⛩️ Map

You wore one two days running in Hakone and want your own — this is the spot. Chicago Vintage on the covered Teramachi arcade has racks of secondhand yukata from ~¥1,500, fine to wear and take home. For a brand-new one, SOU·SOU (modern prints, nearby) or the Daimaru yukata floor at Shijo. All open till ~20:00, so no rush before dinner.

Teramachi · 寺町アーケード

¥1,500+£7+

Shops till 20:00

Evening — through Gion to dinner

18:30

Walk to Higashiyama via Gion ⛩️ Map

~20–25 min through the old teahouse district. Aim to arrive at Hikiniku by 19:15 — fifteen minutes early, not on the dot.

Gion · 祇園

Gion: no photos of maiko or geiko — private lanes, real fines

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19:30

Hikiniku to Come dinner ⛩️ Map

Counter hamburg-steak, grilled in front of you. Prepaid — and strict: ten minutes late and the seat auto-cancels with no refund. Be at the door by 19:15.

363 Kiyomotochō · Higashiyama

10-min late = auto-cancel, no refund — arrive 19:15

¥2,980£14

prepaid

Prepaid

21:00

Walk back via Pontochō & the Kamogawa

~15 min along the river. Couples and students sit out on the banks in summer — a lovely slow end to the day.

Kamogawa · 鴨川

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Friday 26 June

The Big Day — rain plan: hydrangeas first, then Fushimi & Higashiyama

Uji → Fushimi → Higashiyama
umbrella · cash for goshuin

Morning — cash first, then the hydrangeas

09:10

Cash first — konbini ATM

You're low (~¥4,000) and today is cash-only: temple entries, four goshuin, the hanko deposit and the taxi all want cash. Pull ~¥15–20,000 (covers tomorrow too) at a 7-Eleven (Seven Bank) or Lawson / FamilyMart ATM by Nijo before you tap in — foreign cards work, English menu, 24/7. Uji has far fewer machines, so do it now.

7-Eleven / konbini ATM

—

Cash

09:30

Tozai + Keihan → Mimuroto

From the Moxy: Tozai subway (Nijo→Sanjo) then the Keihan Main line south, change at Chūshōjima to the Keihan Uji line → Mimuroto stn, ~15-min walk. ~1hr door-to-door. JR's Sagano & Nara lines are weather-suspended — your route is Keihan + Tozai (different companies, usually weather-proof). Tap the Suica; no reservation.

Tozai + Keihan

Check Keihan is running before you leave — if it's down too, Mimuroto's off and the day reroutes

~¥600~£3

10:30

Mimuroto-ji — the "Ajisai-dera" ⛩️ Map

20,000 hydrangeas plus the famous heart-shaped window — the hard rain is exactly why they peak now. An hour is plenty today: flowers, the heart window, ask for the ★ seasonal hydrangea goshuin (cash), then go — no lingering in the wet.

Uji · 三室戸寺

¥1,000£5

entry

★ Goshuin 2

Midday — back north via Fushimi

11:30

Keihan back — hop off at Fushimi-Inari

Fushimi's on the Keihan line back toward the city, so do it on the return. At Chūshōjima you cross platforms — the Uji line dead-ends, so switch to the Main line there, then alight at Fushimi-Inari. ~50 min.

Keihan · change at Chūshōjima

~¥270~£1

12:15

Fushimi Inari Taisha ⛩️ Map

The thousand vermilion torii. In the rain the lower gates are atmospheric and far quieter — skip the full summit climb today; the goshuin is the goal. Gates free.

Fushimi Inari · 伏見稲荷

Free

12:30

Goshuin — at the desk

No dawn rush after all — the desk runs 9:00–17:00, so just collect it now while you're here.

Fushimi Inari · goshuin desk

¥500£2

Goshuin 1

13:15

Quick lunch

Grab a fast bite near the shrine or up in Higashiyama. Save the leisurely soufflé-pancake sit-down (A Happy Pancake, Teramachi) for if the goshuin timing leaves room — today is about reaching four desks before they close.

Fushimi / Higashiyama

¥1,000–1,500£5–7

Afternoon — Higashiyama, racing the goshuin clock

14:15

Keihan → Gion-Shijo

~10 min up to Gion-Shijo, then a ~8-min walk to Yasaka.

Keihan · ~¥230

~¥230~£1

14:30

Yasaka Shrine + chinowa walk ⛩️ Map

Do Yasaka before Kiyomizu — its goshuin office shuts ~16:00 (Kiyomizu's runs later). Late June brings the Nagoshi-no-Harae: pass through the grass purification ring (chinowa) to shed the year's first half. Ask for the seasonal goshuin.

Yasaka · 八坂神社

Free

★ Goshuin 4

15:00

Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka + Yasaka Pagoda + Yōjiya ⛩️ Map

Climb the preserved stone lanes toward Kiyomizu — wet stone, slippery; use the handrails — the five-storey Hōkan-ji pagoda framing the top. Duck into Yōjiya's machiya store for blotting-paper souvenirs on the way.

Higashiyama · 八坂の塔

—

Souvenir

15:30

Kiyomizu-dera ⛩️ Map

The great wooden stage over the hillside, the Otowa waterfall's three streams below. The goshuin booth runs till ~17:30 — your buffer, so it's the last desk of the day.

Kiyomizu · 清水寺

¥400£2

Goshuin 3

16:30

Taxi → Teramachi

Don't walk it tired in the rain — that's ~25 min and risks the 17:00 hanko cutoff. A taxi is ~¥1,500 and ~10 min; grab one at the foot of Kiyomizu-zaka.

Taxi · ~¥1,500

~¥1,500~£7

Taxi

17:00

Place the hanko order — Teramachi ⛩️ Map

You didn't get to this Thursday, so order it now: name seal in katakana — アリス — carved in wood, ~¥3,000 (pay a deposit). Teramachi is right by CHOYA/Sanjo, so it folds into the evening. Collect Saturday — many shops shut Sundays.

Teramachi · order ~¥3,000

order

collect Sat

Order

Evening — umeshu & the alley

18:00

★ CHOYA Ume Studio workshop ★ ⛩️ Map

Make your own umeshu (plum wine) to carry home — a proper hands-on hour at the Sanjo studio. Paid; a short hop from the Moxy (Tozai subway from Nijo, or ~20 min walk). 18:00–19:00.

Sanjo · CHOYA

¥5,900£28

£27.57

Paid

19:15

Pontochō dinner

5 min from CHOYA. Pick an izakaya or small kaiseki along the alley — you've earned a long sit-down after the biggest day of the trip.

Pontochō

¥4–6,000£19–28

Saturday 27 June

Quiet western loop · Golden Pavilion, four goshuin & gyoza in Pontochō

Kinkaku-ji → Ninna-ji → Saga
four goshuin · gyoza by night

Morning — a slow start (it's wet, no rush)

10:00

Lie-in at the Moxy

Two soggy days earned a proper slow start — no early train. Eased in, dry socks, decent coffee before heading out.

Moxy Kyoto Nijo

—

Early afternoon — the Golden Pavilion + ramen

12:45

Taxi → Kinkaku-ji

~15 min, ~¥1,800 from the centre — kept you dry over the slow rainy bus.

Taxi · ~¥1,800

~¥1,800~£8

Taxi

13:00

Kinkaku-ji — the Golden Pavilion ⛩️ Map

The one big icon you'd not seen — gold leaf glowing against the grey. A short one-way loop, quick even in the rain. First goshuin of the day at the desk.

Kinkaku-ji · 金閣寺

¥500£2

Goshuin 6

13:45

Ramen lunch by the Golden Pavilion

A hot bowl just by Kinkaku-ji to refuel before the western temples — just the thing on a grey, wet day.

Kinkaku-ji area · ramen

¥1,000–1,500£5–7

Ramen

Western Kyoto — Ninna-ji & the Saga temples

14:15

Ninna-ji ⛩️ Map

A short hop from Kinkaku — UNESCO grounds and a calm five-storey pagoda, quiet in the wet. Second goshuin of the day.

Ninna-ji · 仁和寺

¥500£2

Goshuin 7

15:00

★ Giō-ji — the moss garden ⛩️ Map

Out into Saga: a tiny, hushed temple carpeted in deep green moss under maple and bamboo — exactly the kind of quiet, hidden spot you love. Third goshuin.

Giō-ji · 祇王寺

¥300£1

★ Goshuin 8

15:45

★ Adashino Nenbutsuji — 8,000 stone Buddhas ⛩️ Map

A short walk on through the old preserved street. Thousands of weathered stone Buddhas gathered for forgotten souls — sombre, hushed and beautiful in the wet, with hardly a soul about. Your fourth goshuin of the day.

Adashino · 化野念仏寺

¥500£2

★ Goshuin 9

Afternoon — a sweet stop in Arashiyama

16:30

Mochi balls — a sweet break

Wandered on down toward Arashiyama and stopped for a skewer of the cute little mochi balls — a small sweet reward after four temples.

Arashiyama / Saga · mochi

¥400–700£2–3

Mochi · sweet

Evening — Pontochō & gyoza

19:00

Pontochō → Gyoza Chao Chao ⛩️ Map

Back to the lantern-lit alley over the river. A little overwhelmed by the wall of izakayas, you trusted your gut and ducked into Gyoza Chao Chao on Kiyamachi — juicy one-bite gyoza grilled to order (the classic pork, the shiso, the garlic). Ended the night exactly as you'd been craving: dumplings.

Gyoza Chao Chao · Kiyamachi · Pontochō

¥1,500–2,500£7–12

23:00

🏁 F1 Qualifying — watch it

The one you wanted live. Quali runs 23:00–00:00 (JST). Back at the Moxy after Pontochō, or on a screen at a Kiyamachi sports bar. Stream on F1 TV / DAZN.

Moxy / sports bar

—

🏁 Quali

Sunday 28 June

Check out · yukata at Kyoto Tower · Nara deer + Great Buddha · on to Osaka

Kyoto → Nara → Osaka
yukata · matcha · deer · bag shipped ahead

Morning — check out + ship the bag

10:00

Final pack + check out — Moxy

A relaxed final Kyoto morning. Overnight bag only — keep the yukata and (later) matcha tins zipped inside. Settle the bill and hand the big bag to the front desk for takkyubin pickup.

Moxy Kyoto Nijo

—

10:15

★ Takkyubin big bag → Sugata Osaka

Yamato Transport pickup via the Moxy front desk. To Sugata Hotel · 2-3-23 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0085. ~¥2,000, arrives Monday afternoon — keep the tracking slip.

Takkyubin · ~¥2,000

~¥2,000~£9

10:25

JR Nijo → JR Kyoto

JR Sagano Line, ~5 min, ¥190. Confirm Sagano is running with the front desk before you leave.

JR Sagano · ¥190

¥190£1

Kyoto Tower — yukata for myself

10:45

★ Wargo Kyoto Tower Sando — yukata ⛩️ Map

In the Kyoto Tower basement (Sando arcade), ~2-min walk from JR Kyoto's Hachijo Exit. Yukata only — no obi or geta, since it's for lounging at home. Pure cotton, plain or subtle pattern; solid navy / charcoal / cream wear best day-to-day. Budget ~¥6,000–9,000. You're 165 cm, on the M/L line — try women's M first, then L; hem just above the ankle, comfortable wrap (not tight), soft hand-feel (avoid stiff cotton-poly). Tax-free over ¥5,000 with your passport. Staff line: "Yukata only — no obi, no sandals. Cotton, plain, for relaxing at home. I'm 165 cm, show me M and L."

Wargo · Kyoto Tower Sando

¥6–9,000£28–42

Yukata · tax-free

Down to Nara — matcha at the station

11:43

JR Miyakoji Rapid → Nara

Direct from JR Kyoto, ~45 min, ¥720. (Uji's cut this trip — the matcha is sorted at Nara instead.)

JR Miyakoji Rapid · ¥720

¥720£3

12:30

★ Nakamura Tōkichi — matcha tins (in JR Nara Stn) ⛩️ Map

The classic Uji teahouse has a counter right inside JR Nara Station — grab your matcha tins here, no Uji detour needed. Your "decent matcha" requirement, sorted.

Nakamura Tōkichi · JR Nara Stn

¥1,500–3,000£7–14

Nara 奈良

Japan's first capital — bowing deer, the Great Buddha, lantern halls

12:45

★ Nara Park + the deer ⛩️ Map

Buy a pack of shika-senbei (¥200) and the deer will bow for a cracker — genuinely. Keep your matcha tins and yukata zipped inside the bag — the deer go for any visible package. Grab a quick onigiri en route (skipping a sit-down lunch).

Nara Park · 鹿せんべい ¥200

¥200£1

Free park

14:00

Tōdai-ji — the Great Buddha ⛩️ Map

A 15-metre bronze Daibutsu inside one of the largest wooden buildings on earth. ¥600 entry; goshuin desk on site if you want it.

Tōdai-ji · 東大寺

¥600£3

Goshuin 10

15:00

Wander Naramachi ⛩️ Map

The old merchant quarter — lattice-front machiya, little cafés and craft shops — on the way back toward the station. Kasuga Taisha is the optional add if you've energy (its 3,000 lanterns, ★ goshuin) — it's still in the tracker.

Naramachi · ならまち

—

16:00

Back to JR Nara Station

Regroup at the station for the Osaka train.

JR Nara Stn

—

Evening — on to Osaka

16:30

JR Yamatoji Rapid → Osaka

Direct from Nara, ~45 min, ¥570, straight into central Osaka.

Yamatoji Rapid · ¥570

¥570£3

17:30

Osaka Stn → Shinsaibashi

Midosuji subway, ~5 min to Shinsaibashi — the Sugata is a short walk from there.

Midosuji Line

~¥190~£1

18:00

Arrive Osaka — Sugata Hotel check-in ⛩️ Map

Shinsaibashi, right in the thick of it. The big bag isn't here yet (arrives Monday) — the overnight bag is all you need. Switch to the Osaka card from here — Dōtonbori awaits.

Sugata Hotel · Shinsaibashi

—

Next leg →

Field reference — the small but useful things

Hotel: Moxy Kyoto Nijo · JR Nijo Stn 3 min · add conf#
Hikiniku: Thu 19:30, prepaid · 10 min late = auto-cancel · arrive 19:15
CHOYA: Fri 18:00–19:00 · paid ¥5,900 · Sanjo
Hanko: order Fri, collect Sat · ~¥3,000 · Teramachi (shops ~10:00–18:00)
Goshuin: ~¥500 each, cash only · bring the goshuinchō everywhere
Hydrangea goshuin: Mimuroto-ji — seasonal, ¥800–1,000, ask specifically
Fushimi: gates free · goshuin desk ~9:00–17:00
Goshuin cutoffs: Mimuroto 15:10 · Yasaka ~16:00 · Fushimi 17:00 · Kiyomizu ~17:30 — do Yasaka before Kiyomizu
Gion: no photos of maiko/geiko on the private lanes — real fines
Transit: IC card taps subway, JR & buses · bus day pass ¥1,100 (Sat only)
Cash: Kyoto is cash-friendlier than Tokyo — temples & goshuin are cash
Takkyubin: big bag Kyoto → Sugata Hotel Osaka, Sun ~¥2,000
Plug: Type A (Japan, 2-pin) — bring the adapter

Kyoto — Imperial Quiet

Getting around — hotel hub & the lines that reach each zone

御朱印帳 Goshuinchō tracker — tap each as you collect it

Thursday 25 June

Friday 26 June

Saturday 27 June

Sunday 28 June

Nara 奈良

Basin heat · the tail of tsuyu

Field reference — the small but useful things

Kyoto — recs & finds

Bars

Yukata — for yourself