Since my “Tokyo before 10am” blog post is one of my most popular reads so far.. I thought I’d branch out and make suggestions for Kyoto.
As I mentioned in my Tokyo post – Japan opens later than many countries ( certainly later than in Australia) and it’s not uncommon for even coffee shops to remain closed until 10am or even 11!
I was a morning person before I had children but now my kids make sure that I’m really REALLY a morning person! And by 11am we’ve already been awake for hours.
So here are my suggestions for Kyoto for those exploring the city before 10am.
Fushimi-Inari (known by many as “the red gates from Memoirs of a Geisha” is open 24 hours a day and is a fantastic way to start the day. The food and souvenir stalls won’t appear until 10 or 11am but how special to be at such a special spot while the rest of Japan is slowly starting to wake up!
I’ve written about Fushimi-Inari with kids here.
The bamboo forest is also open 24 hours a day in Arashiyama so, technically, you could visit anytime but I think I’d wait to arrive after 9:30am. For me, part of the Arashiyama vibe is seeing the jinrikisha and the shops and restaurants – but in case you were short for time – there is no reason that you couldn’t go super early. Especially if you’d prefer to just see the bamboo forest with almost no crowds? Why not.
I’ve written about visiting Arashiyama with kids here.
Kiyomizudera is, in my opinion, one of the ‘must do’ temples for Kyoto (even if you’re not a temple person.)
Kiyomizudera opens at 6am. Here is my write up on visiting Kiyomizudera with kids.
Heian Jingu also opens at 6am and I have included here the playground options nearby too.
Maruyama Park
Approximately 15 minutes on foot from Heian Jingu Shrine is Maruyama Park. This was a good place to grab a little bit of food, a juice (there is a shop that sells freshly squeezed juice inside an actual orange) and an ice-cream. The kids loved checking out the fish. As far as we could see, this not a park with a playground.
Maruyama Park is open 24 hours a day.
MARUYAMA PARK
京都市東山区丸山町
MARUYAMACHO, HIGHASHIYAMA-KU, KYOTO
Maruyama Park is 3 minutes walk from Yasaka Shrine.
A REALLY casual breakfast idea in Kyoto is to grab some of the bakery goods from Vie De France inside the Cube Department Store (also underneath Kyoto Station.) They have a dine-in section.
We were close to the station we wanted something local. This place did the trick and my kids were delighted to be given pizza bread for breakfast too.
It’s open early which also helps.
It’s not my most glamourous recommendation but….. meggghhhh… sometimes you’ve just got to go with what works, right?
VIE DE FRANCE, CUBE DEPARTMENT STORE, KYOTO
京都市下京区 烏丸通塩小路町９０１ＴＨＥ ＣＵＢＥ地下２階
THE CUBE DEPARTMENT STORE, BASEMENT 2ND FLOOR,
901 KARASUMA STREET, HIGASHI-SHIOKOJI-CHO, SHIMOGYO-KU, KYOTO
OPEN 8AM-9PM
For a vegan breakfast, I recommend Coyote The Ordinary Shop in Kyoto. This cafe serves vegan egg on toast and coffee.
This cafe doesn’t accept reservations. They do accept most major credit cards. The entire cafe is non-smoking. I would budget around 1200 yen for a meal here.
COYOTE THE ORDINARY SHOP, KYOTO
下京区東塩小路町939 キャンパスプラザ京都 1F
GROUND FLOOR, CAMPUS PLAZA KYOTO BUILDING, 939 HIGASHI-SHIOKOJICHO, SHIMOGYO
OPEN EVERYDAY 8:30AM-5PM
I have suggested Umekoji Park and Playground in Kyoto for around 8am because, depending on the time of year, there are some rides available for children which begin at 9am – so you could enjoy the playground until then.
There are also some empty train carriages being used as play equipment and they also open at 9am.
Here are all the details for visiting Umekoji Park and Playground in Kyoto with kids.
Umekoji park is also 3 mins walk from Kyoto Railway Museum – which opens at 10am.
Nijo Castle opens at 8:45am
If you decide to visit Nijo Castle with a baby, you can store the stroller at the front gate for 300 yen ( there are too many steps so you wouldn’t want to attempt it with your stroller anyway.) So don’t forget to pack that baby carrier!
Nishiki Market is, surprisingly, not really a great option for early mornings. Some stalls will open around 9am but to see the market properly? I’d wait until at least 10am.
Kinkakuji ( the Golden Pavilion) opens at 9am and I have written all about visiting Kinkakuji with kids here.
I adore the lesser known Kodaiji Temple.
It opens at 9am.
To help you plan activities around Kodaiji – it is 8 minutes walk from Maruyama Park ( pic and details above) and 18 mins walk from Heian Jingu (also above.)
It’s a beautiful spot to visit. Especially in Autumn and Spring.
京都市東山区下川原町526番地
526 SHIMOKAWARACHO, HIGASHIYAMA-KU, KYOTO
ENTRANCE 600YEN
OPEN 9AM-5PM
Enkoji Temple is a little further out of the centre of Kyoto ( 27 mins by taxi , approx 3000 yen) but it is great if your kids need a lovely big park nearby to play in afterwards. See my detailed post on Enkoji Temple and nearby large park and playground here.
