Kyoto isn’t right for every trip to Japan. Here’s a nearby alternative
Skip Kyoto?
I know, right?
Saying that lobs a big ole bunch of pearl-clutching shock at anyone considering a trip to Japan. It runs counter to every bit of travel advice. Kyoto is… Kyoto. The elegant former capital that represents so much of the deep history and culture of Japan.
So what?
As grand, beautiful, and iconic as Kyoto is, Japan’s former capital isn’t always right for every trip to Japan.
The case for skipping Kyoto
That said, it’s not easy for us to suggest that you skip Kyoto.
We’ve been to Kyoto twice and want to return. Each time we go, we leave wanting more. Kyoto is deep in some of our favorite family memories of Japan, from enjoying street snacks while wandering the streets of the Gion District to admiring willowy, drooping branches thick with white cherry blossoms at the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
And yet.
The reality is that Kyoto does not have to be on every Japan itinerary. Here’s why.
Kyoto overtourism
Over-tourism has kept Kyoto constantly crowded. The city’s public transportation is trying to keep up and expand services, but Kyoto’s size is a natural constraint that makes it harder to absorb a constant press of visitors.
The overcrowding is leading to more and more intense measures to either decrease crowds or extract more money from them. For example, on March 1, 2026, accommodation taxes more than doubled, according to TimeOut and Japan Travel JNTO. For nightly accommodation rates, the tax per person is as follows:
- Under ¥6,000/USD$38 per night, ¥200 pp (same as it was)
- ¥6,000/USD$38–¥19,999/USD$126: ¥400 pp (originally ¥200 pp)
- ¥20,000/USD$126–¥49,999/USD$314: ¥1,000 pp (originally ¥500 pp)
- ¥50,000/USD$314–¥99,999/USD$628: ¥4,000 pp (originally ¥1,000 pp)
- ¥100,000/USD$628 and above: ¥10,000 pp (originally ¥1,000 pp)
To be clear, that ranges about USD$1.26 on the low end, to USD$63 and up on the high end. And it’s per person. Per night. Especially for family travelers with kids, those additional costs stack up quickly.
Cost alone can be a good reason to skip Kyoto.
Sightseeing can be trickier than you might think
Many attractions are spread farther apart from one another, but that little fact doesn’t often show up in viral daydream posts or glossy articles about Kyoto.
For example, Fushimi Inari Taisha, with its iconic 10,000 red-orange torii gates, is toward the eastern part of Kyoto. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, with its boardwalk and thick stands of bamboo, is at the western edge of the city. They’re about 40 minutes apart by train. And Kinkaku-ji, the famous Golden Temple, is more toward the north.
When initially planning your trip, it’s easy to think that Kyoto’s major attractions are close together. Trying to cram everything into a day or two can all too quickly wind up with over-packed schedules, FOMO stress, and more of a whirlwind rush around town instead of being able to build memories and experiences.
It might not be part of why you want to visit Japan
There is no one-style-fits-all reason to visit Japan, and there is no one city or one set of attractions visitors have to check out. Kyoto is beautiful and elegant. The city represents and preserves many of Japan’s traditions.
But if that’s not why you’re coming to Japan, that’s okay too.
Not everyone wants to visit Japan to see people in kimono, visit gobs of temples, or steep themselves in traditional formal culture.
Not every visitor’s mobility works with paths on a hill, no matter how many cool torii gates there are.
The overcrowding and higher costs, combined with the additional trickiness of finding accommodation that works well for a family and for a family budget, can simply make Kyoto a poor fit for some visitors to Japan.
That’s why we’re suggesting a quieter alternative to Kyoto, and why we suggest you can skip Kyoto if you want.
Nara can offer similar attractions but be easier to visit
Less than an hour by train south from Kyoto or east from Osaka, Nara can be an excellent middle-ground for the traveler who’s not finding Kyoto a good fit for their itinerary. This isn’t so much a Nara vs Kyoto brawl, as a simple logistical ease that makes for a better trip.
Here are 6 reasons why:
Nara’s compact cluster of attractions beats Kyoto’s sprawl
Nara’s principal attractions lay within about a 1-mile/1.6-km radius of the Nara National Museum in Nara Park.
Feeding the deer in Nara Park, checking out the grounds and the massive bronze Buddha Statue of Todaiji Temple, and more are all within walking distance of Kintetsu-Nara Station, or a short taxi or bus ride.
Especially if you only have a day, you can get more out of Nara, yet keep a better pace, than you can in Kyoto.
It’s easier to start sightseeing right away from Nara’s Kintetsu-Nara Station
Kyoto attractions require more transit legs around the city. Whether visiting on a day trip or overnighting, it’s easier to start sightseeing right away from Nara’s Kintetsu-Nara Station.
For example, if staying in Osaka, you can bring nothing but a day bag and immediately start sightseeing. Nara Park and its iconic deer are just beyond the east exit of Kintetsu-Nara Station. The same overall path can take you along Nara Park to Todaiji Temple (our two main recommendations for day trippers), plus on-the-way attractions such as Nara National Museum and Yoshikien Garden.
Depending on your itinerary, or if you allot multiple days in Nara, you can include other iconic attractions, such as:
- Kasugataisha Shrine
- Manyo Botanical Gardens
- Kofukuji Temple Complex
- Sarusawa Pond
- Mochi-pounding at Nakatanidou
- Higashimuki Shopping Street
However, these are close to Kintetsu-Nara Station. In fact, the farthest-out attraction is Kasugataisha Shrine. Yet from Kintetsu-Nara Station, even that is less than 1km away, or about half a mile.
Comparable temples, less crowding
Yes, when it comes to Kyoto, you can absolutely gorge your soul and your camera roll on temples and shrines. They’re incredible.
However, just like temples in Thailand or churches throughout Europe, there are only so many you need to see. Temple fatigue is real. Unless temples and shrines are a major part of your Japan priorities, there is no need to visit multiple temples.
Many travelers, especially when visiting Kyoto, can easily fall into a mental trap of feeling the need to visit shrines and temples simply because they’re there. You don’t have to.
Nara offers two iconic temple areas:
Todaiji is a Nara must-visit: The extensive grounds, inviting temple complex, impressive scale of the Nandaimon Gate, and the massive bronze Buddha statue are distinct. Daytime hours will have crowds, as this is one of the city’s most popular attractions, but it’ll still typically be less crowded than most must-visit temples in Kyoto.
Kofukuji Temple Complex has more of a choose-your-own adventure approach. We especially like its convenient location, just a little south of Todaiji but still within the Nara Park grounds. Multiple shrines and temples (though the iconic pagoda is undergoing renovation), along with paths on the flattened small hill of the complex’s location, are an open-air joy. You can check out what you want, then head down for restaurants, a stroll around Sarusawa Pond, or even back to the train station.
Optional: Kasugataisha Shrine is beautiful, but we consider it optional, especially on a day trip.
These grand temples hold their own against anything in Kyoto. If you visit them instead of Kyoto’s temples, you will not be missing out.
Kyoto is always crowded, but Nara has a pattern you can time for day trips or an overnight stay
Kyoto is always crowded, but Nara has a pattern you can time. Those Kyoto crowds hardly let up nowadays, unless you’re visiting during a major off-season, such as winter.
Nara Park (sometimes referred to as Nara deer park), especially its perimeter walk, is crowded from morning through mid-afternoon. Crowds taper off later in the day as folks finish up their day trip and head back to Osaka or Kyoto for dinner.
You can especially make time work in your favor if you stay a night or two in Nara, as we’ve done. If you go to main attractions early in the morning or later in the day, you can enjoy the main attractions with less crowding.
Especially for families with kids, staying overnight in Nara instead of Kyoto can be a smarter choice.
Nara’s accommodation clusters are close to the main attractions and Kintetsu-Nara Station. There’s a broad range of hotels, rentals, and ryokans (traditional inns).
Since Kyoto is more limited in offerings and has so much over-tourism, you may be more likely to find your preferred accommodation and price in Nara. Visitors with kids who stay overnight in Nara have more to choose from.
Nara is easier to navigate with kids and limited time
As a family of four, we’ve visited Nara both on a spring day trip from Osaka and on a two-night stay during the mid-August Obon Festival. Personally, we find Nara easier to navigate with kids and limited time.
For example, feeding Nara’s deer, strolling Nara Park, and visiting Todaiji are the chief attractions, and they’re close together. Since other attractions are near these too, it’s not only easier and more straightforward to navigate Nara. It’s easier to adjust your itinerary based on how you’re doing on time and energy.
Plus, you can find more places to take breaks, and the open space can prevent overstimulation or over-tiredness.
Family logistics and harmony alone can be a good reason to skip Kyoto.
Sightseeing with all the same cultural depth but at a more relaxed and informal pace
Kyoto is elegant and formal, but not every visitor is interested in that, just as not every visitor to Europe is interested in opulent palaces.
As Japan’s first permanent capital, Nara predates Kyoto’s time as capital. That deep history still lives and breathes in Nara, as it does in Kyoto, but Nara is simply more chill about it.
Nara balances Japan’s culture, history, and elegance, but is more laid-back and welcoming. For many people visiting Japan, especially first-time visitors, this can ease concerns about doing the right thing from a courtesy, culture, and etiquette standpoint.
BONUS: Lean on Nara for unique experiences Kyoto doesn’t offer
Another reason to skip Kyoto? Nara also offers unique attractions and experiences that Kyoto doesn’t.
For example, Kyoto technically has a giant Buddha statue, at the open-air Ryozen Kannon in the eastern part of town. However, it’s not on par with the giant bronze Buddha statue at Todaiji.
With open-air green spaces and less crowding, Nara’s attractions offer a more relaxed pace instead of a stressful shuffle. Combined with distinct attractions, it’s what gives Nara the same cultural depth as Kyoto but without the formality, and not a substitute, but a worthy destination in its own right.
Here are a few other distinct experiences and attractions that make Nara stand out and can be an argument to skip Kyoto:
- Mid-August Obon Festival (mountaintop fire ceremony, lantern festival, and more)
- Nara’s iconic wild deer aren’t just cute and fun to feed. They represent old legends deeply valued, which turns into not only the deer as a tourist draw but with protections under the law.
- Historic neighborhoods that evoke centuries past as you walk around—only without the Kyoto crowds
- Ryokan stays can be more accessible, affordable, and approachable than Kyoto
- Naramachi historic district offers walking, souvenirs, and window-shopping without tour bus mobs
- For spring visits where you’re staying at least a day or two during cherry blossom season, a day trip to Mount Yoshino gives you views of over 30,000 cherry trees
Option: Include both Nara and Kyoto
We’ve focused this guide on when and why Nara can be a better fit than Kyoto for your trip. However, we adore Kyoto too. And the call of Kyoto is real. It’s an amazing city.
When you are planning your trip to Japan, time is limited. You can’t do everything and you can’t go everywhere. But if you consider Nara and Kyoto as equal priorities, you can do both. Here are some ways you can make that work, while keeping a sensible Japan itinerary:
Base in Osaka with day trips to each city
From Osaka, you’re less than an hour’s train ride from both Nara and Kyoto.
If you stay in Osaka, you don’t have to pack up and change accommodation for each city. Instead, you can just pack what you need for the day and come back to the lodging where you’re already settled in. Especially when traveling with kids, that can be much easier, less stressful, and more convenient.
Stay at least a night in Kyoto and at least a night in Nara, then go to Osaka
Another way to do this, especially if you prefer staying overnight instead of taking day trips?
From Tokyo, take the train to Kyoto (especially the Shinkansen, which stops in Kyoto before continuing to Osaka’s Shin-Osaka Station).
Stay however long you’re planning to stay in Kyoto, such as one or two nights
From Kyoto, take a train on the Kintetsu Line, such as the Kintetsu Limited Express, to Nara. Stay one or two nights in Nara.
From Kintetsu-Nara Station, take the Kintetsu Line to Osaka’s Namba Station. Now you can have your time in Osaka. Osaka deserves as long a stay as possible, but see if at least three nights fits your itinerary. After Osaka, you could continue to other destinations on your trip, fly out of Kansai International Airport (KIX), or take the train back to Tokyo.
Yes, you can skip Kyoto. Nara could be a better fit for your trip
We adore Kyoto and have visited twice on multi-night trips. In fact, we plan on day-tripping there from Osaka during our next visit to Japan.
When you plan to visit Japan, you can feel a lot of pressure to include Kyoto. It’s a popular destination for a reason. However, we understand that as iconic as Kyoto is, the former capital doesn’t have to have a place on every Japan itinerary.
Whether overcrowding or simply seeking different experiences, if Kyoto isn’t a fit for your Japan trip, that’s okay.
You can skip Kyoto.
Instead, consider a day trip or overnight to Nara. With fewer crowds, easier attractions, and often lower costs, Nara can be a much better fit for your trip. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see us there too.
