5 days itinerary when travelling alone with 1.5 yo toddler to Kyoto, Japan
Hack - For those who have babies under 2 years old, rejoice with the fact that your baby gets to travel for free! You just have to ensure that the flight departs before your baby’s second birthday.
Tip - Choose a baby friendly city that is close to nature in under an hour so you can return to base if you cannot handle the toddler’s fuss. My first solo with my daughter was with Scoot to Kyoto via Osaka. I travelled light with just a backpack and a checked luggage so I can push the stroller with the other arm. For the flight, I prepped the following in my backpack and a foldable shopping bag:
Food - Bananas, blueberries, baby snacks, milk (powder) and retort porridge from Maeil, For the benefit of first time mom traveller, customs through the world will allow you to bring bottled mineral water and hot water in flasks into the aircraft.
Activities - Sticker, colouring, story books. It was enough to keep her occupied for the 5 hours flight with naps and feeding time in-between.
Others - I double diapered her through the flight (and the trip) so I brought only 3 more diapers, wet wipes, nappy cream, bib and spoon set.
Travelling with my daughter means visiting one key location a day and it typically starts with a slow breakfast from 9am - 10.30am, nappy change and packing of bags thereafter. Leaving the hotel around 11.30am also means arriving at the destination at lunch time so that’s generally the first thing I do when I’m out. I will spend the next 3-4 hours exploring the location with my daughter and start thinking about dinner and back to hotel by 7/8pm. I’ve been to Kyoto before and the 2 things I had to miss doing whilst with her is going to the onsen and fine dining. Everything was a repeat but a new experience awaits.
Day 1 - Arriving at Narita
Took an airport limousine to Kyoto main station and then a cab to The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji, which is 1 station away from Kyoto Station. I chose this as it was close to the Kyoto Aquarium, Kyoto Railway Museum and Umekoji Park which had a huge playground that I could take her to if I decide not to sightsee. It is extremely clean, quiet and includes daily Japanese buffet breakfast - all for about S$80. It helps that it is right beside the Umekoji Kyotonishi station which makes the daily commute convenient to Kyoto Station on the San-In line. When I arrived, I took a taxi from Kyoto Station to the hotel as I had luggage and it cost me about ¥1200.
Day 2 - Nara Deer Park
Started my day at noon and took the Kinetetsu-Kyoto line from Kyoto Station to Kintetsu-Nara and the ride was about an hour. The walk to Nara Deer Park is about 2km and its a pleasant 30 minute stroll along Sanjo Street, lined with Japanese snack and souvenir shops. You will see a pond towards the end and that is the area you’d be exploring, together with the Kofuku-ji Temple. The deers are all over the area but mainly in a park just across the road from the temple. You can buy biscuits from the vendors around at ¥200 per pack to feed the deers. Some locals bring chestnuts to feed them. Be aware that more than one deer may approach you as you hold on to the biscuits and they may get a lil eager to munch it off your hand. Keep the biscuits away from their sight until you’re ready to feed.
Day 3 - Arashimaya and Iwatayama Monkey Park
I got to Arashimaya Station under 20 minutes on a direct train ride from Umekoji Kyotonishi station. As you get to the ground level, you will see a road on you right, with quaint shops and cafe leading to the main tourist street, Saga-Arashimaya, which is lined with Japanese snacks and souvenir shops. It is hard to get lost, especially if you enter Saga-Arashimaya on Google maps. I had my lunch at Udon-Arashimaya-Teh which served really awesome udon at very affordable price of ¥1000-2000 and proceeded to stroll to the bamboo forest. Walking along Saga Arashimaya will lead you to the famous Togetsukyo Bridge which translate to “Moon Crossing the Bridge”. With the stunning mountains as the backdrop and the rivers carving the little town, this would be the most picturesque spot in Arashimaya.
Walk across the bridge and to your left you can find a village with the boarding point of the Hozugawa River Cruise on the left and to the right, the entrance to Iwatayama Monkey Park is located in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan. I chose the latter since I have my daughter with me and figured she’d enjoy that more, Please note that strollers are not allowed in the park so I had to carry her all the way up to the top. The hike is rather easy but carrying a +1 with winter clothings was a lil exhausting. It took me about 30 minutes to walk up. It is home to over a hundred Japanese macaque monkeys. These monkeys are wild but have become accustomed to human presence due to the park's feeding program. You can buy apples or peanuts at ¥100 per bag at the ranger’s cottage at the top of the hill and feed the monkeys through the grills. There are plenty of rest spots to sit and enjoy the view while having snacks and also a playground. The park is opened from 9am to 4pm and tickets cost ¥600 for adults and ¥300 for kids between 3 - 16 years. Kids below 3 years old enter for free. They only accept cash.
Day 4 - Gion
Woke up and decided to head to the Kyoto Imperial Palace but found that it wasn’t suitable for strollers as the pavements were gravelled and headed to Gion, which was part of the itinerary for the day. There is a direct bus service 206 to Gion at the entrance of the Palace and I took my daughter through Hanami-koji Street is a charming narrow street with and old-world atmosphere located in the Gion district of Kyoto, Japan. Lined with traditional machiya houses, this historic street is famous for its teahouses, restaurants, and exclusive shops. Walking down Hanami-koji Street feels like stepping back in time, with geishas hurrying to their appointments and the sound of wooden sandals echoing on the cobblestone pavement. Whilst there were restaurants and a short opened air food street there, I found myself walking to Takashimaya where I spent the rest of the day in the comfort of a shopping mall. If I return another time without my daughter, I would definitely have a Geisha Makeover and book myself to fancy dinners.
Day 5 - Kyoto Aquarium, Playground and back to airport
My flight back was in the evening so I checked out of The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji and finally brought her to the huge playground right beside my hotel before going to Kyoto Aquarium. This aquarium is rather small compared to the others that I’ve been to and can be covered in 2 hours. It worked well for me as I head back to the hotel about 3pm to pick up my luggage and head to Kansai Airport via Haruka Express Hello Kitty Train from Kyoto Station.