In autumn, Kyoto is about how you move as much as what you see. It's the busiest season of the year, and the city buses in particular get packed to the point where you can't board.
On top of that, the old tourist "Bus One-Day Pass" has been discontinued. This guide sticks to one thing: how to move between the leaf-viewing spots without getting caught in the crowds, using the passes and rail routes that exist now.
For peak timing and the spots themselves, see our separate guide, Kyoto Autumn Leaves 2026. Treat this as the "how to get around" companion.
Skip Kyoto's buses in peak season: the day pass is gone and the city is pushing visitors onto the subway. Plan around trains and walking, and the crowds hurt less.
A note on dates: fares and passes below are current as of August 2026. Things that change year to year — like the evening temple openings — are shown with 2025 figures as a guide, so check each official site before you go.
The short version: rail over buses
The tourist "Bus One-Day Pass" went off sale in September 2023 and stopped working at the end of March 2024. It was scrapped to push crowds off the buses and onto the subway, and it hasn't come back.
The city itself asks visitors to use the subway in autumn. In 2025 it added Karasuma-line runs — from 82 to 94 round trips during the day — and sold day passes at Kyoto Station to steer people underground. The 2026 measures haven't been announced yet.
So the basic plan is simple: take a train or the subway as close as you can, then walk.
Passes available now
Here are the main passes. A single city-bus ride is ¥230 for an adult.
Pass | Adult | Covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass | ¥1,100 | All subway + city buses + parts of the Kyoto/Keihan/JR bus lines | Covering the city by bus and subway |
Subway 1-Day Pass | ¥800 | Subway only | Days built around subway lines |
Subway & Randen 1-Day Ticket | ¥1,300 | Subway + Randen (no city bus) | Arashiyama plus the city in a day |
Randen 1-Day Pass | ¥700 | All Randen lines | Hopping around Arashiyama |
The cheap bus-only day pass is gone, so the only unlimited-bus option now is the ¥1,100 Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass. On buses alone, you'd need about five rides before it pays off. It suits days when you'll ride the subway and buses five or so times combined.
You can buy passes at subway station windows, ticket machines and information centers, and IC cards work too.
Kyoto also plans to bring in a two-tier fare — different prices for residents and non-residents — aiming for fiscal 2027 (not in effect as of August 2026). For now the flat city-bus fare is ¥230.
There are wider Kansai rail passes, but they leave out things like the city buses, JR and the Randen, so the coverage is patchy. If you're only doing Kyoto, the local ¥1,100 Subway & Bus pass is simpler.
EX100 & EX101 express buses: weekends and holidays only
These sightseeing express buses launched in 2024. They skip most stops to reach the Kiyomizu-dera and Ginkaku-ji areas faster.
A ride is ¥500 — more than the flat ¥230 — but the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass covers them with no extra charge.
They run on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and over the New Year, not on weekdays. For a weekday trip to Higashiyama, see the routes in the next section.
EX100 runs from Kyoto Station via Gojozaka (Kiyomizu-dera), Gion and Okazaki (Heian Shrine) to Ginkaku-ji; EX101 links Kyoto Station and Gojozaka (Kiyomizu-dera).
How to reach the main areas
Most of the crowded autumn spots are actually reachable by rail.
- Tofuku-ji — a 10-minute walk from Tofukuji Station (JR Nara Line, Keihan), with no bus needed. In autumn the Tsutenkyo bridge opens at 8:30, so arriving first thing beats the crowds.
- Kiyomizu-dera & Higashiyama — the most crowded area in autumn. The nearest station is Keihan "Kiyomizu-Gojo," a 20–25 minute uphill walk to the temple. On weekends and holidays, the EX100 express runs from Kyoto Station to Gojozaka (Kiyomizu-dera).
- Arashiyama & Saga — three rail routes: JR Sagano Line "Saga-Arashiyama," Hankyu "Arashiyama," and Randen "Arashiyama." To pair Arashiyama with the city in one day, the ¥1,300 Subway & Randen ticket works well.
- Eikan-do & Nanzen-ji — a 15-minute walk from Keage Station on the Tozai subway line. The "Nanzen-ji / Eikan-do-michi" bus stop is a 3-minute walk away, but in autumn the buses crawl in traffic, so the subway plus a short walk is more reliable.
- Kibune & Kurama — take the Eizan Railway from Demachiyanagi. On the "Maple Tunnel" stretch (Ichihara–Ninose) the trains slow down for the foliage, and there's an evening light-up. In 2025 the evening light-up ran November 7–24, while the slow-speed running was extended to November 30 as the color held. The wider timetable runs into mid-December, but the light-up ends in late November, so aim for November. Check the Eizan Railway site for the current year.
- Takao (Jingo-ji) — mostly by bus, about 50 minutes by JR Bus from Kyoto Station. From the stop you cross Takao Bridge and climb roughly 350 stone steps — a 20-minute approach — and travel times can be unpredictable in the hills. It falls within the JR Bus flat zone covered by the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass.
- Kitano Tenmangu — a 7-minute walk from Randen "Kitano-Hakubaicho," or by city bus to "Kitano-Tenmangu-mae."
How to dodge the crowds
The same spot feels completely different depending on when you go and the order you visit.
First, go first thing in the morning. Most temples open around 9:00, and Tofuku-ji's Tsutenkyo opens at 8:30 in autumn. The hour right after opening is the quietest.
Second, check the crowd forecast. Kyoto City and the Kyoto City Tourism Association run a "Kyoto Comfort Map" with time-of-day congestion forecasts by area.
For evening openings, confirm the current year's dates. The figures below are 2025's, so check each temple's official site for the 2026 dates and prices.
- Kiyomizu-dera — 2025: Nov 22–Dec 7, 17:30–21:00, ¥500 for adults, no reservation needed.
- Eikan-do — 2025: Nov 15–Dec 10, reception 17:30–20:30, ¥700 (junior-high age and up).
- Kodai-ji — 2025: Oct 24–Dec 14, 17:00–22:00 (reception to 21:30), ¥600 for adults.
- Kitano Tenmangu's Momiji-en — 2025: November 1–December 10. The garden opens at 9:00, and the light-up runs from sunset to 20:00 (last reception 19:40). Entry is ¥1,200 with tea and a sweet, and tripods aren't allowed.
At Tofuku-ji, visitors may be asked at busy times not to take photos from the Tsutenkyo and Gaunkyo bridges — shoot from off the bridge instead.
Bad-weather policies vary by temple, so if rain is in the forecast, check the official notice before you head out.
Experiences to book early
Once your route is set, lock in the popular experiences — in autumn they book out early.
To walk Arashiyama or Kiyomizu in a kimono, you can book kimono rental in Kyoto (VASARA). To ride the Sagano Romantic Train through the Hozugawa gorge, a Kyoto day tour that includes the Sagano train bundles the transport and sightseeing together. That train sells out especially early in autumn.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.
