Kyoto · Day trips
BEYOND KYOTO
Kyoto sits in a ring of easy escapes — deer, sake, castles and the inland sea.
Nara's bowing deer
Forty minutes away: the giant Buddha and 1,200 deer who bow for crackers.
Fushimi sake district
Canal-side breweries with tasting rooms — the other Fushimi pilgrimage.
Osaka for dinner
Fifteen minutes by shinkansen and it's neon, takoyaki and noise. Sleep in Kyoto.
Himeji castle
The white heron castle, Japan's most beautiful original — under an hour by rail.
Kurama to Kibune hike
Mountain temples, cedar forest, and dinner on platforms over the river.