Day Trips
近隣へのアクセス
Keihan Gion-Shijo is two minutes from the front door, which puts a great deal of western Japan within an easy morning's reach.
京阪祇園四条駅が徒歩2分。関西一円へ出やすい立地です。
Times and fares below are approximate and change with the timetable. Check a route app — Google Maps, Jorudan or Navitime all work well in English — before you set out.
所要時間と運賃は目安です。実際の乗換はGoogleマップ等の経路検索でご確認ください。
From Gion-Shijo Station
祇園四条駅から
| Destination | Time | Fare | 行き先 | 所要 | 運賃 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fushimi Inari | 伏見稲荷 | ~9 min | ~¥240 | ||
| Uji | 宇治 | ~32 min | ~¥320 | ||
| Osaka (Yodoyabashi) | 大阪（淀屋橋） | ~55 min | ~¥430 | ||
| Nara | 奈良 | ~70–80 min | ~¥1,000–1,520 | ||
| Kobe | 神戸 | ~80 min | ~¥1,100 | ||
| Himeji | 姫路 | ~90–120 min | ~¥2,300 | ||
| Fukui / Eiheiji | 福井・永平寺 | ~2 h | ~¥6,000 |
Fushimi Inari is a direct ride with no changes — the single easiest excursion from this house. Everything else needs at least one transfer, usually at Kyoto Station or in Osaka.
伏見稲荷は乗換なしの直通です。それ以外は京都駅または大阪での乗換が必要です。
Where to go, and why
それぞれの見どころ
Uji — half a day
宇治（半日）
Green tea and the Byodo-in Phoenix Hall — the building on the ten-yen coin. A river, a short main street of tea shops, and far fewer people than anywhere in central Kyoto. The best half-day trip from here if you want quiet.
宇治茶と平等院鳳凰堂。10円硬貨の建物です。市内より格段に空いています。
Nara — a full day
奈良（1日）
Japan's first permanent capital, and older than Kyoto. The Great Buddha at Todai-ji sits in the largest wooden building most people will ever walk into. The deer in the park bow for biscuits and will follow you relentlessly if you buy any.
東大寺の大仏と奈良公園の鹿。京都より古い都です。
Osaka — an evening
大阪（夕方から）
Loud, cheerful, and about food. Dotonbori after dark is the opposite of everything Kyoto is, which is precisely the appeal. The Keihan line runs late — check the last train before you settle in.
道頓堀の夜。京阪の終電時刻をご確認ください。
Himeji — a full day
姫路（1日）
The finest surviving castle in Japan, never destroyed and never rebuilt in concrete. Fastest by Shinkansen from Kyoto Station.
現存天守。京都駅から新幹線が最速です。
Fukui — a long day, or a night away
福井（1日〜1泊）
Eiheiji, the great Zen training monastery, where monks still live under the same rule laid down in 1244. Nearby: the cliffs at Tojinbo, and a dinosaur museum that is genuinely one of the best in the world. Better as an overnight than a day trip.
永平寺、東尋坊、恐竜博物館。日帰りより1泊が快適です。
Tickets and passes
きっぷ・パス
- An IC card (ICOCA, Suica, Pasmo — they all work interchangeably) covers almost every train and bus in the region. Tap in, tap out. Buy one at any station machine on your first day.
- ICカード（ICOCA、Suica等）が最も簡単です。初日に駅の券売機で購入してください。
- The Japan Rail Pass does not cover Keihan, Hankyu or the Kyoto subway. If you have one, it is for JR lines and the Shinkansen only.
- ジャパンレールパスは京阪・阪急・地下鉄には使えません。
- Day passes exist for the Keihan line and for Kyoto buses and subway. Worth the arithmetic only if you plan three or more journeys in a day.
- 京阪・市バス・地下鉄には一日券があります。3回以上乗る日なら得になります。
- For the Shinkansen, seats can be reserved online in English, and the ticket collected at the station.
- 新幹線は事前のネット予約が可能です。
One practical note: trains here stop earlier than you might expect, often before midnight. Check the last train home before you commit to a second drink in Osaka.
終電は深夜0時前のことが多くあります。お出かけ前にご確認ください。