is one day in Kyoto worth it?

Hi everybody. I'm going to Japan for the first time next month. I'm attending a conference that's about an hour and a half from Tokyo for a week, and then staying for about four days after that. At least two of those days will definitely be in Tokyo, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to take the shinkansen to Kyoto for a day. We'd stay one night and only have about 24 hours there total, maybe a little less. I know that isn't much, and I hear there's a lot to see there. Is it worth it? I'd love to go there, but I want to have time to enjoy it too. If you think it's worth it, where would you go with an afternoon and a morning in Kyoto?

窶猫窶堙ｨ窶愿ｯ窶堋､窶堋ｲ窶堋ｴ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷ and thank you!

nezumiro said:

Hi everybody. I'm going to Japan for the first time next month. I'm attending a conference that's about an hour and a half from Tokyo for a week, and then staying for about four days after that. At least two of those days will definitely be in Tokyo, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to take the shinkansen to Kyoto for a day. We'd stay one night and only have about 24 hours there total, maybe a little less. I know that isn't much, and I hear there's a lot to see there. Is it worth it? I'd love to go there, but I want to have time to enjoy it too. If you think it's worth it, where would you go with an afternoon and a morning in Kyoto?
窶猫窶堙ｨ窶愿ｯ窶堋､窶堋ｲ窶堋ｴ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷ and thank you!

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If that's all the time you have, I'd say go for it. Go to www.g-fan.com and go to the G-TOUR section. There, you will find links to a slide show and it includes many of the sites in Kyoto to see. Look them over and there you can decide on what you want to see.

you might be missing out on some great foliage that late in the year, but I'd say kiyomizu-dera is probably your best bet for a single day. It's a large compound with a variety of architectural features, and has some great views. There's also kinkaku-ji and ginkaku-ji; the former is more famous, but I prefer the serene landscape around the latter, just google the names and there will be tons of photos. If you don't care to walk around temples all day, there's a ton of shouten-gai (shopping promenade) in the main section of the city across the river from the Gion district. For night, Gion is probably the most exciting section, with restaurants and all forms of entertainment.

I think one day is cutting it a bit short if you don't have any specific reason for going, and there is plenty in Tokyo to keep you busy for that third day, but if you don't mind this, or the price of travel, go for it.

kyoto arashiyama hanatourou.
http://www.hanatouro.jp/index_e.html

Also, Nijo Castle is a must-see.