RTW Trip Day #8: Kyoto: Kinkaku-ji (Golden) Palace & Fushimi Inari Taisha

6 October 2025

Steps: 21,590

We had to check out of Ben's Guesthouse by 11am, so we got out quite early to visit one of the most famous temples in Kyoto - the Golden Palace, as it was quite near to our hotel, and we had enough time to fit it in before check out.

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Palace)

We got to Kinkaku-ji Golden Palace, just after it opened at 9am, but there was already a steady stream of tourists walking up the path to the entrance.

The viewpoints were quite busy, but we still managed to get some nice shots of the pavilion. The grounds are stunning, and I have to say it’s even more impressive in person than in photos.

The palace is unique as the top two floors are covered completely in gold leaf, which reflects into the water in a stunning way.

Check in to the Hilton Doubletree Higashiyama

We checked out of our hotel and took a taxi across town to the Hilton DoubleTree Higashiyama. We would have spent the whole time there but we didn’t have enough points at the time we booked!

Our room wasn’t ready, so we spent some time exploring the Teramachi shopping street area and found a great little ramen spot tucked away on a side street.

When we got back, our room was ready, and it was lovely. It had a real Japanese feel with shoji-style wooden dividers, lower beds, and a fantastic sofa bed, which meant Susie and I each got a bed to ourselves!

Fushimi Inari Taisha

One of the VERY few occasions we had some breathing space (if only for a second)

In the late afternoon we decided to head down to Fushimi Inari Taisha, hoping that things might be a little quieter as we turned up after 5pm. Well, let's just say that if that was quiet, then I don't even want to imagine what it is like when it's busy! So many people, but we did manage to find a couple of seconds in between the crowds to snap some photos. The parts near the start were like a conveyor belf procesions line though.

Fushimi Inari is famous for its thousands of bright orange torii gates that wind up the mountain behind the shrine. We hiked up about half of the way to the top, but it was getting dark, the girls were tired and moaning and I think we all just needed to get some rest.

In the evening we grabbed some yakitori skewers at a restaurant across from our hotel. It was okay, but honestly, it was the worst food we’ve had on the trip so far, so the less said the better.

Previous Day #7: Arashiyama’s Temples, Bamboo Forest & Monkey Park

Next Day #9: Kiyomizu-dera, Temple Overload and Nijo Castle

Read About Our Itinerary here