Kyoto - Practical Trip-Planning Mini-Guide

Golden phoenix at Kinkakuji

I won't write about Kyoto's major sights -- you can easily find thousands of sources online. Instead I'll write something more on the practical side -- a list of essential trip-planning considerations and solutions based on my own experience.

Entrance to Kiyomizudera

READY-TO-USE ITINERARIES

One Day Itinerary:
Kyoto Station - buy City Bus Day Pass (500 yen) - take Bus 205 to Kinkakuji - See Kinkakuji - Take Bus 12 to Higashiyama - have lunch at Gion District - walk to Yasaka Jinja - see Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka - walk to Kiyomizu Dera - take Bus 206 back to Kyoto Station - dinner and shopping at Kyoto Station.

Torii Tunnel at Fushimi Inari Shrine

Three Day Itinerary:
Day 1 - Same as One Day Itinerary
Day 2 - Kyoto Station - take JR train to Inari Station (190 yen) - walk to Fushimi Inari Shrine - take JR train to Umahori (400 yen) - take Sagano Scenic Railway to Arashiyama (600 yen) - see Tenryuji - walk towards Saga - see Otagi Nenbutsuji and/or Adashino Nenbutsuji - walk to Saga Torii-moto - take Kyoto Bus #72 back to Kyoto Station (270 yen)
Day 3 - Kyoto Station - buy City Bus Day Pass (500 yen) - take Bus 9 to Nijo Castle - see Nijo Castle - take bus 101 to Shijo-Karasuma - lunch and shopping along Shijo street - walk or take any bus along Shijo to Shijo-Kawaramachi - walk across and/or along the Kamo River - take Bus 207 to Sanjusangendo - see Sanjusangendo - take Bus 100 or 206 back to Kyoto Station

Old Scooter near the 5-Storey Pagoda

Five Day Itinerary:
Day 1 to 3 - same as Three Day Itinerary
Day 4 - spend the day in Uji (see separate article on Uji -- you'll thank me)
Day 5 - So many choices -- Pre-arrange for a tour of Kyoto Imperial Palace or any one of the other Palaces (Katsura Rikyu or Shugaku-en Rikyu), or go for a hike from Kurama to Kibune in northeast Kyoto, or take the Hieizan Railway to see Enryakuji.

Kinkakuji -- the Golden Pavilion

ARRIVAL

If you're coming from Tokyo on a grand tour of Japan, then you should already know about the JR Pass. It's less than two and a half hours taking the Shinkansen train.

If you're flying into the Kansai region, Kyoto has no international airport of its own so you'll mostly likely arrive at Kansai International Airport (IATA: KIX) just south of Osaka. There is a direct Limited Express train (nicknamed "Haruka") connecting to Kyoto. It takes 75 minutes and regularly costs 2980 yen (CAD$30).

A Monk on the Path to Kiyomizudera

But you can get a substantial discount by buying a "JR West Kansai Area Pass" for 2000 yen, which covers the unlimited use of Haruka, Rapid, and Local trains within the Kansai area including Kansai Airport, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, and all the way to Himeji. You can buy this pass at any JR Ticket Office at the Kansai Airport or any other major JR stations in the Kansai Area.

JR West Kansai Area Pass

You can find out the official rules for the pass from the JR West Official Site.

[PRACTICAL TIP]: By the official rules you are supposed to buy only one JR Rail Pass of any type during one visit to Japan, so one staff will refuse to sell you more than one JR West Pass. But if you buy two JR West Pass from two different stations then they won't notice.

Maiko (apprentice Geisha) perhaps ... but intuition tells me they're just dressed-up tourists

TRANSPORTATION

In Kyoto, the City Bus system rules. Enough said.

There IS a subway system, but it doesn't reach many of the major sights (eg.Golden Pavilion, Fushimi Inari Shrine ("fox shrine"), Arashiyama etc). IMHO the subway is best for connecting between JR's Kyoto Station and your hotel so you don't have to drag your luggage onto a crowded bus. But for general sightseeing purpose you can get almost anywhere once you familiarize with the City Bus system.

Information Panel at a City Bus stop

City Bus

There must be a hundred or so routes, so I will list only the one I found to be particularly useful:

- 4: Kyoto Station - Kawaramachi-Sanjo (shopping) - Shimogamo Jinja - Kamigamo Jinja
- South 5: Kyoto Station - Fushimi Inari shrine ("fox shrine")
- 12: Gion - Nijo Castle - Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)
- 59: Shijo-Keihan Station (near Gion) - Kinkakuji - Ryuanji
- 100: Kyoto Station - Sanjusangendo temple - Kiyomizu Dera temple - Gion District - Heian Jingu - Ginkakuji temple
- 205: Kyoto Station - Kawaramachi-Sanjo - Shimogamo Jinja - Kinkakuji
- 206: Kyoto Station - Sanjusangendo temple - Kiyomizu Dera temple - Gion District

Early Summer at Higashiyama (Eastern Hills) District

For a full list of routes, you can download the latest bus map from the City of Kyoto's official site.

It costs 220 yen everytime you get off a bus, so the relatively cheap Day Pass for 500 yen has become a favorite to tourists. Buy all the Day Passes you need for your entire stay in Kyoto when you arrive at Kyoto Station, or you risk boarding a bus with all its Day Passes sold out.

Inside Fushimi Inari Shrine Complex

Kyoto Bus

This is a private bus company, entire separate from the City Bus system. For casual tourists this is only useful for reaching the outskirt areas not served by City Bus. Useful routes include:

- 17: Kyoto Station - Sanjo-Keihan (near Gion) - Ohara
- 18: Kyoto Station - Higashiyama-Sanjo (near Gion) - Ohara
- 62: Sanjo-Keihan Station (near Gion) - Arashiyama - Saga
- 72: Kyoto Station - Arashiyama - Saga

Fares are generally within the 300 yen range. I took #62 from Nijo to Saga for 270 yen.


PRACTICAL TIP

Kyoto Bus #62 / #72 is my preferred way to get to the Arashiyama area -- if you stay on the bus after Arashiyama the bus takes you deep into an amazingly beautiful area known as Saga. From Saga you can take a scenic walk back to Arashiyama which should take about an hour if you don't stop. It took us four hours -- so you can imagine how nice it was. But MAKE SURE you get on KYOTO BUS #62/#72, not the City Bus!

Kiyomizudera -- a Candidate for the New 7 Wonders of the World

Subway

Great for connecting between these places:

- Kyoto Station (the city's major train station)
- Nijo Castle (Nijojo-mae Station)
- Shijo-Karasuma shopping district (Shijo Station)
- Gion District (Higashiyama Station)
- Daigoji Temple (Daigo Station)

And not much else...

Fares depend on the distance of travel, starting from 210 yen and goes up to 340 yen. Day Pass costs 600 yen and is valid only in the Subway.

Kyoto Tower -- an Eyesore or a Landmark?

JR Trains

Though mostly used for inter-city connections, the JR is useful for getting between certain outlying areas of Kyoto. For instance it connects between Umahori, Arashiyama, Nijo Castle, Kyoto Station, Fushimi Inari Shrine, and all the way to Uji, Nara and beyond. A couple of real-life examples we encountered:

1) The end point of the Sagano Scenic Railway lies in Kameoka/Umahori, on the far western side of Kyoto beyond Arashiyama, and the JR is the cheapest (320 yen) and most convenient way to get back to Kyoto Station.

2) One day we took the JR from Nijo to Inari to see the fox shrine, and it took 190 yen and less than 20 minutes. By City Bus it would have taken two bus trips and at least 45 minutes.

The Ultra-Modern Kyoto Station

Keihan Railway

These little private trains runs down the Eastern bank of the Kamo River. To most tourists the only usage is to get from the Gion area (Sanjo-Keihan Station) to Fushimi Inari Shrine (Fushimi Inari Station) and possibly all the way to Uji.

A trip between Sanjo-Keihan and Fushimi Inari costs just 200 yen, slightly cheaper than the bus and much more convenient.

"7 Falls and 8 Rises ... That's Life," says the little statue

Keifuku Railway

Another little private railway, this one mainly for getting to Arashiyama which isn't served by the City Bus. The problem is none of its stations connects you to subway stations or major JR stations, so its use is really quite limited unless you really plan on getting to one of its stations by City Bus.

Prayer Session at Kiyomizudera

ACCOMMODATION

As you've read from above, local transportation isn't as straight forward as Osaka or Tokyo (if you could call Tokyo's subway system "straight forward"). IMHO the best strategy is to stay within a few minutes walk from a subway station, a JR station, or a major bus route directly taking you to Kyoto Station. So all of my recommendations will fall within this category of convenience.

As in any other large Japanese city, there are hostels, business hotels, Ryokans (traditional inns), and then your typical three four five star Westernized hotels. Listed costs are as of Aug 2008.

Jishu Jinja -- the Famous Shrine for Romance-Seekers

Hostels / Guesthouses

Costa Del Sol - Dorms 2000 yen; Single w/Toilet+Shower 3500; Double 5500; Triple 7500. Walking distance to subway's Gojo Station.

Ichijo Ivy - Private suites with Toilet+Shower+Kitchen. The rate gets cheaper as you stay longer, and a three night stay for a double suite currently runs for about 7000 yen. Bus 101 takes you to Kyoto Station in about 25 minutes.

The Old Geisha Quarter of Hanami-Koji

Tour Club - Dorms 2450 yen; Double w/Toilet+Shower 6890; Triple 8880. 10 minutes walk (or a short bus ride) from Kyoto Station.

Guest Inn Kyoto - 3500 yen for a private single w/Toilet+Shower; 7000 for a double; 10500 for a triple. A few minutes to Kyoto Station via Bus 206.

Fox-faced Prayer Inscriptions at Fushimi Inari Shrine

Business Hotels

Toyoko Inn - There are 3 branches in Central Kyoto, all within walking distance of subway or bus stations, and costs around 6000 yen for a Single and 8000 for a Double/Twin. IMHO the best locations is the Shijo-Karasuma branch, which costs a little more.

Superhotel - Located right beside subway's Gojo station, and costs about 6000 yen for single, 8000 for double, and 9000 for triple.

Kodaiji Temple in Higashiyama District

Mid-Range Hotels and Beyond

If this is your preference then perhaps you shouldn't be reading this article. Sorry :)

Confectionist at Work

Minshuku / Ryokan - with Private Bathroom

If you want the full Japanese experience of staying at a traditional inn, Kyoto is a nice place to do it and the cost isn't much more than a business hotel:

Ohto Ryokan - Near Sanjusangendo temple, a short bus ride from Kyoto Station via Bus 100 or 206. All rooms with private toilet and shower. Single 4725 yen; Double 9450; Triple 12600.

Iroha Ryokan - At heart of the tourist district of Higashiyama, walking distance from Sanjo-Keihan subway station. Triple room with toilet for 12000 yen.

Cleanse Your Mouth at the Purifying Pool

Kinsuikan - Walking distance to subway's Karasume-Oike Station. Single Room with Toilet/Shower 6000 yen; Double 9000; Triple 12000.

Ikoi no Ie - Single Room with Toilet/Shower 7600 yen; Double 9600; Triple 12600. Also has ensuite rooms costing a bit more. Walking distance to Gojo subway station.

Most Paper Cranes I've Ever Seen in my Life

Station Ryokan Seiki - Walking distance from Kyoto Station. Single Room with Toilet/Bath 5500 yen; Double 8000; Triple 12000.

Ryokan Shimizu - Walking distance from Kyoto Station. All rooms with private toilet/bath. 5000 yen per person for low season; 6000 for mid season; 7000 for peak season.

Ryokan Kyoraku - Walking distance from Kyoto Station. Single Room with Toilet/Bath 6000 yen; Double 11000; Triple 16000.

Object of Worship at Fushimi Inari Shrine -- the Fox

Minshuku / Ryokan - without Private Bathroom

I collected these links but never seriously considered them since my wife wanted a private bathroom. Also be sure to find out how to get to these Ryokans, as some of them may be quite a long bus ride from Kyoto Station.

Sanki - Single Room 4200 yen; Double 8000.

Fujiya Ryokan - Double 9000 yen.

Rokuroku - Double 8400; Triple 10200.

Matsubaya - Single Room 5460 yen; Double 9870; Triple 13860.

Hinomoto - Single Room 4200 yen; Double 8400.

The Busy Sannen-zaka

Kyoka - Single Room 4200 yen; Double 8400.

Hiraiwa - Single Room 4200 yen; Double 8400.

Miwaya - Double 10500.

Nunoya - Single Room 6825 yen.

Kyonoen - Double Room 8000 yen.

Traditional Pottery Store outside Kodaiji Temple

Machiya Rental

If you really want the ultimate Kyoto experience, you can rent an entire Japanese-style Townhouse (Machiya) for your stay.

Though not business-hotel-cheap, if you compare it to renting a villa in Tuscany or Provence you'll realize this is still quite a bargain.

Kyoto Machiya - the first English-language-friendly Machiya rental site. Judging from the photos the townhouses look really posh and comfy. Expensive though.

Tenshi Tsukinuke - You need some minimal Japanese knowledge to make your reservation here. But it costs only 20000 yen for up to 4 occupants.

Shindo-shokuryo - You also need some minimal Japanese knowledge to make your reservation here. There are several Machiyas for rent, and the cheapest costs only 15800 yen for up to 3 occupants.

Sake Casks outside a Shrine

Kyoto Eco-House Machiya

This is the ultimate ultimate Kyoto experience - a Kyoto-Style Machiya maintained and rented out by a grassroot non-profit group working for the preservation of traditional Japanese townhouses. We stayed here for three nights in May 2008, and IMHO this is the ultimate immersion into the authentic Kyoto.

Eco-House Machiya -- Our Base for Exploring Kyoto

This is a 90-plus-year-old Machiya built in the traditional style with a raised floor, wooden lattice windows, and sliding wooden panels dividing two small Tatami-mat rooms. For three days this became our own, and we became regular Kyoto residents, buying necessities from the neighborhood 100-yen shop, cooking breakfast over the gas burner, hand-washing our clothes and drying them on the backyard clothesline. And the real kicker is --- it costs less than 5000 yen (CAD$50) per night, with your own kitchen, fridge, a clean bath/shower and all.

For now I'll provide a quick link for anyone interested in making a reservation very soon. But I promise I'll write a proper article on this wonderful and unique alternative accommodation in central Kyoto. Soon.

Yasaka Shrine at the Heart of Gion District

BEST SEASON TO VISIT

I find that it really depends on how well you tolerate huge crowds. I mean seriously huge crowds.

The most popular seasons are:
- Sakura (cherry blossom) season in April
- Koyo (autumn foliage) season in mid-late November
- Festival season in July (Gion Matsuri) and August (Obon)

A real Maiko -- you can tell from her graceful manner and her quick bows to every picture-taking tourist and stopped car

These are all beautiful times of the year to visit, as long as you're comfortable with the extreme crowdedness from foreign as well as domestic tourists at every popular sight. Also, summer in Kyoto is very hot and humid -- for the past several years the August average daytime temperature has reached 33-34 degrees Celcius with 60-plus percent humidity. The weather in Sakura and Koyo season is much nicer, with daytime temperature around 17-19 degrees Celcius and not too much rain.

Hurrying Away to the Next Appointment

For the other months of the year, late December to February are generally cold (daytime high of 10 degrees or less), but the airfare is cheapest, the city least crowded, and many hotels have low season rates. It begins to warm up in March, and the temperature stays quite comfortable up to late May; this is generally shoulder season except when the Sakura is in full bloom, however stay clear of the Golden Week domestic holiday in late April-early May. The Aoi Matsuri festival is held annually on May 15. The rainy season start mid June, which lasts until July when the hot humid weather kicks in and runs through September. July and August is also peak travel season for domestic tourists so hotel prices won't be cheap. The Jidai Matsuri festival is held on October 22, when the weather should be dry and cool, and by December it cools all the way down to single-digit temperature.

We ended up choosing mid May due to several factors: comfortable weather, reasonable airfare, medium level of crowdedness, and catching the Aoi Matsuri (May 15) was an added bonus.

Tanuki Statues -- One of My Favorite Folk Craft Items

FOOD

Please see my next article on Kyoto's local cuisine ... it's too long to put into this article.

Festive Kyoto - the Aoi Matsuri

Everyone in Japan has a favorite season to visit Kyoto -- the blazing foliage of Autumn and the Sakura of Springtime are justifiably popular. But if you can manage to be in Kyoto in the middle of May, you'll be treated to a colourful 1400-year-old festival.

Always held on May 15 every year (ie. easy to plan your trip around it), the Aoi Matsuri is by far the most ancient, if not the most visually striking, of the "Big Three" annual festivals of Kyoto (the other two being the Gion Matsuri in August and the Jidai Matsuri in October). Just how old? The Tales of Genji has a chapter where two of Genji's lovers had a fight at the Aoi Matsuri -- and it was written 1000 years ago.


To this date, the participants of the festival still dress in Imperial Court attire from the Heian Period (8th to 12th Century AD). In contrast to the rowdy Gion Matsuri of the peasantry, the Aoi Matsuri is almost a religious procession for the aristocracy and is really more of a spectator event than something you partake in. A 700-metre-long line of archers, horsemen, ox carts and young ladies dressed in exquisite gowns would walk the entire 8 kilometres of city streets from the old Imperial Palace to the Kamigamo Jinja shrine in north Kyoto. If you thought your jeans and camera gear are heavy and uncomfortable in Kyoto's humid summer, you should be glad you're not wearing a 30-kilogram ceremonial gown in 12 layers (as we will see below).


Of course, no Japanese festival is complete without a temporary town of Yatai, or mobile food stalls selling anything from Takoyaki balls to iced lemonade to mini games with Hello Kitty prizes. The blue stall in the foreground sells "Baby Castella" sponge cakes, and we bought a little bag for 300 yen -- not bad, not great -- just what you'd expect from a Yatai.


As always my favorite is the simple Yakitori skewer. The big metal pot is the barbecue sauce, but I'm purist when it comes to Kushiyaki food and I usually ask for salt flavor. On this day all we had for lunch was Yakitori, Castella, and a hotdog. We could have gone to a restaurant but hey, why miss the complete festival experience?


We made it to the Kamigamo Jinja shrine around 14:45 to grab a snack and find a good viewing spot, but it wasn't until around 15:30 when the head of the procession started to arrive. Here a Furyukasa (decorated umbrella) led a delegation of officials on the path towards the inner shrine.


The festival's proper name is actually Kamo Matsuri, named after the guardian deity worshipped by the two host shrines -- Kamigamo Jinja and Shimogamo Jinja. The popular name of Aoi Matsuri was coined for the Aoi (hollyhock) flowers used in the decoration of the procession.

Leading to the main event on May 15 are other peripheral ceremonies, the most well-known being the cleansing of the hands of the Imperial Court ladies at one of the two shrines on May 4, and a photogenic display of horseback archery which I've seen only on TV. All very famous stuff, in case you happen to be in Kyoto during the two weeks leading up to the main festival.


To this day the festival still features a Messenger (Chokushi) from the Imperial Court in Tokyo whose primary objective is to visit each of the two shrines and deliver a prayer on behalf of the Emperor, then present gifts from the Imperial family which would always include a horse of exceptional pedigree. These horses would been seen later at the festival's dramatic finale at the end of the day.



In the past a whole regiment of servants would accompany the Imperial Messenger, but in the modern era commoners are dressed in old Imperial Court attire to carry on the grandeur of the ancient festival. This includes a representation of provincial governors and their bow-and-arrow-bearing bodyguards, various officials in the old Imperial Court, load-bearers carrying a wooden chest of religious offerings from the Emperor, dancers, musicians, firemen and other peasant followers.

The beautifully symmetrical Japanese umbrelllas was only an introduction to the grand entrance of the central character of the festival, the rightful focus of the parade...



The Saio-dai, a young maiden chosen to represent the role of the Imperial Princess of the Heian Period as the figurative head of the two shrines. This year's Saio-dai was 25-year-old Murata Shiho, future successor to the famed Ryotei restaurant Kiku-no-i (http://www.kikunoi.jp/).

Befitting the regal status of the Saio-dai, the traditional Juni-hitoe (12-layer gown) was said to weigh an exhausting 30 kg, cost 5.5 Million yen (CAD$55000) and took two kimono-dressers three hours to put it on her. If you're wondering how the fortunate young lady managed to walk 8 km under all this suffocating weight and heat, the answer is she didn't -- she sat inside a wheeled palanquin pulled by her servant followers for most of the way.



You won't likely see it unless you somehow catch the Saio-dai sneezing, but she's supposed to be wearing a metallic black glaze (Ohaguro) on her teeth. Following the Saio-dai were the representation of lesser female officials known as Myobu, dressed in superbly handwoven Kochiki robes worthy of heirloom status in most middle-class families. This is getting very expensive as annual festivals go.


Everyone representing the female officials were dressed in formal court attire of appropriate of the 9th Century, complete with a whole detachment of servant followers and musicians.


Musicians playing an ancient bamboo instrument known as the Sho. Introduced from continental Asia back in the 7th Century, it is one of the instruments that would likely have been performed at the festival's inauguration more than a millenium ago.


The festival grounds was also a good place for people-watching as the ladies all came out with their latest Kimonos and boldest hairstyles for the celebrations. Even the grandmothers.

Soon after the appearance of the Saio-dai the parade came to an unexpected and abrupt close. Some got up and left but most stayed behind waiting for something, but at the time we didn't know what we were waiting for.


So we were standing behind the paying section when the middle aged lady beside us started to strike a conversation. It turned out to be her first time watching the Aoi Matsuri as well, and she ALSO was wondering where the rest of the procession had gone. K-san was a 50-ish-year-old woman from nearby Kobe, just a 90-minute train ride from Kyoto, and just as expected she was rather surprised that we had traveled from as far as Vancouver. Being a gracious host, she scurried around to gather more information, and came back with a simple answer -- the horses were tired from a full day's work and needed a little more rest.

K-san then did something entirely uncharacteristic of the Japanese -- a civic disobedience I would never expect from a Japanese housewife -- she sat down at the paying section and invited us to sit down with her, all directly under the watchful eyes of festival staffs whose primary job was to prevent unlawful entry to the paying section! We did sit down with her for a little while out of politeness, and then left for another (standing) spot closer to the entrance of the shrine. If I absolutely wanted a seat I would have paid for it ... but it's just not worth the 2000 yen.



A horse! Finally. This was the beginning of the end of today's festivities, when the officials started to bring the horses and riders into the shrine for the grand finale known as Soume, or Running of the Horses.


Remember the horse bestowed by the Emperor as a gift to the shrine? Well this is it. First all the horses were led into the shrine to receive some sort of purification and blessing.


A very fine horse, as you can see from the shine on its coat. It would be majestic enough even without all this meticulous decoration.



The horses were led back to the first Torii gate. The Soume ritual would involve six horses and their riders in full regalia, galloping down the 500m course between first and the second Torii in full speed.


And full speed it was! You have to see it live as the riders blew by in such a blur.


Uaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! this rider screamed at the top of his lungs, like a samurai riding into battle. Of course all the audience knew it's for show so there's a somewhat comical quality to it. By now the long wait was all but forgotten and everyone was laughing and having a good time.


And then the real comedy happened. Actually it wasn't that funny at first, when everyone watched in horror as the very last horse threw the rider off its back! But even more amazing was how the determined rider managed to hold on to the reins, land on his feet, and run with the horse on the ground to slow it down.


Gambatte ne!! the specators applauded the rider's effort to control the horse and prevent it from galloping wild into the stands. Oh well, at least five of the six horses had finished the final ritual, and the crowd was ready to go home happy.



But wait ... why was the rider dragging the horse back to the starting line? Now the entire shrine was buzzing and everyone got nervous about this stubborn rider with his stubborn horse. Carrying out the completeness of the ritual is one thing, but endangering one's own life is something else.


Well, the horse got the message this time. In full obedience it streaked down the course at scorching speed, taking itself and its master towards the second Torii amidst a full standing ovation of applause. In fact it raced past the finish line in full gallop and didn't even slow down until a couple hundred metres after the Torii. A dramatic finale to the day's events, and now everyone could go back with a good story for the family.


PRACTICAL INFO

The head of the procession starts from the Imperial Palace at 10:30 AM, arrives at Shimogamo Jinja around 11:40, leaves the Shimogamo Jinja again at 14:20 PM, then finally arrives at the Kamigamo Jinja around 15:30 PM. Note that this is the scheduled times for the HEAD of the line, and it takes almost an hour for the entire procession to pass through. So if you just want to take a 10 minute glimpse, you can in fact take advantage of the 1-hour window and just see some random parts of it. But if you think this may be the only chance in your lifetime to see a Japanese festival and you don't want to miss anything, then it's probably best to view it under the backdrop of one of the three excellent host venues.

Where are the venues geographically and where does the festival route pass through? I couldn't find an English map on the web so I made one myself, courtesy of the good info from the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper:



As you can see, the Imperial Palace is at the south, which you can easily reach by subway's Marutamachi Station. But if you want to take advantage of the excellent City Bus Daypass for 500 yen (available at major subway stations and onboard some buses), Bus 205 will take you from the Kyoto Station to the East side of the Imperial Palace. Get there before 10:30 if this is your choice of venue. After the procession leaves, you'll have time to wander the huge palace grounds.

Another possibility is the Shimogamo Jinja shrine (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), also served by Bus 205 but has no subway station. You could plan on arriving around 11:40 and see the procession before lunchtime, or you could arrive around 14:20 and watch them heading out to the streets of Kyoto again. This option may give you a bit more flexibility.

But if you're arriving too late for the morning procession like we did, you'll have no choice but to head for the Kamigamo Jinja (another UNESCO World Heritage Site). This is the least convenient venue by public transportation, as there is no subway station and is served only by City Bus 4, 46, and 67. Bus 4 and 67 serve the northeastern and western suburbs and doesn't really do much for most tourists, but Bus 46 starts from the tourist district of Gion, passes by the Nijou Station where you may transfer from JR or subway, and ends up at Kamigamo Jinja on its final stop. So this is still easily manageable if you can plan your sightseeing around the City Bus routes. Arrive around 15:30 and plan on spending the rest of the afternoon there -- in 2008 they didn't start the Running of the Horses until 17:45.

You can download the route maps of the City Bus and Subway from the City of Kyoto.

Finally, although the Aoi Matsuri is always scheduled for May 15 every year, if the weather turns really ugly they will postpone the processions by one day, as it did happen a couple of times in the past decade. Just plan your stay in Kyoto for at least two or three days -- in fact my opinion is that you can't really see Kyoto's major sights without at least 3 days, and only if you keep busy with your sightseeing.