Best Day Trips from Osaka and Kyoto

Kansai's cities are so close together that you can base yourself in Osaka or Kyoto and visit most of the region as day trips. Times are approximate.

Easy half-day and day trips

• Nara (~35–50 minutes): giant Buddha at Tōdai-ji, friendly deer, Kasuga Taisha.
• Uji (~20–30 minutes from Kyoto): Byōdō-in temple and Japan's famous green tea.
• Fushimi Inari (~5 minutes from Kyoto Station): the torii-gate tunnels; go early.
• Kobe (~20–30 minutes from Osaka): harbour, Kobe beef, Kitano district and Mt Rokko.
• Himeji (~30–60 minutes): Japan's finest original castle, plus Kōkoen garden.

Longer day trips

• Hiroshima & Miyajima (~1.5 hours by Shinkansen from Osaka): Peace Memorial Park and the floating torii. Long but doable; staying overnight is better.
• Koyasan (~2 hours from Osaka): sacred mountain of temples; ideal with a temple stay.
• Amanohashidate (~2 hours from Kyoto): one of Japan's three famous views.
• Kinosaki Onsen (~2.5 hours): seven public baths, best overnight.
• Okayama & Kurashiki (~1 hour by Shinkansen): Kōrakuen garden, canal-side old town.

Within Kyoto's edges

• Arashiyama: bamboo grove, Tenryū-ji, monkey park, river boats.
• Kurama & Kibune: mountain hike between two shrine villages; riverside dining in summer.
• Ōhara: rural temples, beautiful in autumn.

Passes

The Kansai Area Pass, Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass and Kintetsu or Hankyu passes can save money — see regional rail passes. For the Tokyo side, see best day trips from Tokyo.