Yes, the bus and subway pass covers the areas you are going: https://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kotsu/webguid...bs_and_sta.html

Yeah, torres09 is right. I went to Kyoto-Osaka from 17-26 Oct last year and only some leaves were starting to change colour. If you're going even earlier than I did, you might also just see very little autumn foliage.

The bamboo forest is unique and has its own charm. If you can somehow avoid the crowds you should go.

Not sure if those pay-to-enter temples and gardens allow you to take wedding photos inside but some of them are very beautiful.

Based on my experience:
1. You only need a pass if you intend to travel often on a bus, subway or train within a day. Example, a Kyoto 1-day bus pass costs 600 yen while a single bus ride costs 230 yen. So only if you take a bus 3 times or more within a day will you save money with a bus pass. Otherwise an Icoca card is enough.

2. Kyoto subway is easy peasy - only 2 lines with some stations intersecting with the train lines.

I agree that a tourist SIM is more convenient if you are traveling alone or as a couple/small family. But if you are going in a large group, a pocket WiFi makes sense - you wouldn't want 10 people tethering off your phone's hotspot and drain your battery! Also, some phones do not have dual SIM feature so to have to swap SIM cards means people cannot call your original number if there's emergency.

I feel you might not need any pass at all.

Day 1 to Nishiki can use subway or bus. From there to Fushimi Inari you'd use the Keihan line and same line back to Gion.
Day 2 to Arashiyama you'd probably use the JR train. Then bus to Kinkaku-ji.
Day 3 in your itinerary is all walking.

Yup, ICOCA can use on almost all public transport.

But let's say your day 2 you need to take a bus to Kyoto station, then a bus to Kinkaku-ji, then a bus to dinner or back to your hotel, THEN you can consider getting a 1-day bus pass because if you take bus 3 times or more in a day, the bus pass is cheaper than using ICOCA.

I think it should be enough. When I went last year, I averaged about ¥3,000-4,000 per day per person, quite a fair bit spent on food and snacks. LOL.

If you are arriving KIX at 9.30pm, then it makes sense to stay in Osaka first. Your flight back should be at night too then so technically you could go straight to KIX from Kyoto, no need to come back to Osaka again.

If you plan to make day trips to Kyoto, the only problem with staying in Namba area is that I think there is no direct train from Namba to Kyoto. You will have to switch to a different train line. I think cheapest from Namba is ¥590 one way per person on the Keihan line. So you can do the math for your family if you wanna do day trips if it is cost effective for you or not.

Personally, I found staying in Kyoto made more sense in terms of time and transportation as there are too many things to see and do there. But of course, it all boils down to what you and your family want to do lah.

A lot of people have already commented on your itinerary but I just want to mention that your 4th Oct itinerary looks really packed and rushed. How do you plan to go from one location to another? Because my experience of a similar route last time was a lot of walking - by the time my wife and I reached Yasaka Shrine was already lunch time. Of course, we took our time to enjoy each location we visited before we continued on so I guess it will all depend on your pace.

Personally I thought Ginkaku-ji had one of the best gardens among all the temples we visited in Kyoto. If you want to slot that in, I would suggest doing it on 6th Oct and dropping Uji and Nara. You can visit Nara from Osaka (I think the train ride is cheaper too from Osaka compared to from Kyoto).

1. If you arrive KIX at 9.40pm, you should be able to catch the last 2 or 3 Airport Rapid trains to Osaka. Better to head to Osaka.

2. If following (1) above, just start your itinerary in Osaka. You can move to Kyoto later as you can catch the direct train from Kyoto to KIX for your return flight.

3. You can. The only thing is traveling to Kyoto from Osaka daily will cost more so you have to do your own calculations and see which is more worth it. Personally I find there's a lot to see in Kyoto so I prefer to base myself in Kyoto.

As another forumer mentioned, your itinerary should be what you want to see/do there. My wife and I are more into food and cultural experience; we're not so into shopping. So we spent 5 days in Kyoto and 3 days in Osaka (incl. a day trip to Nara).

Personally, I would recommend you do KIX - Osaka - Kyoto - KIX instead of coming back to Osaka before your flight home. The couple of hours you need to pack, check out, take the train to Osaka, drop luggage, etc. can be better spent on doing something on your itinerary.

My personal favourites for gardens are Okochi-Sanso Villa and Ginkaku-ji.

The last Haruka Express leaves KIX at 10.16pm. That's a big risk if you have to clear immigration, collect your luggage (if you have any) and collect your ICOCA card if you don't have one.

You're better off taking the JR train from KIX to Osaka then change trains from Osaka to Kyoto.

Noooo, don't miss Kiyomizu-dera. They are doing restoration work on the exterior but you can still go in and explore.

This is how it looked like back in October last year:

You could take a subway to Shinsaibashi station and start walking down to Dotonbori from there. Maybe aim to reach the Ebisu bridge by evening so that you can see all the neon signboards lit up (you'll have to do some research to find out what time they turn on the lights). Lots of things to eat around Dotonbori too so you can have dinner there.

Yup. The shopping street itself already got a lot to see. Then you will get distracted by all the other things along all the lorong-lorong also. I didn't see all of Shinsaibashi myself - I came from the Denden Town side and by the time I finished exploring Dotonbori I was tired already.

I totally agree! My wife and I spent a whole day in Arashiyama. We didn't do the train and boat ride but we explored the northern side where there are some beautiful temples and gardens, and so much quieter than the main town area. Plus, the main town area has plenty of things to see, taste and explore.

I guess it depends where you're staying in Osaka. If your hotel is located around the Namba area, then your options would be:

1. ICOCA/Haruka package costing = 4200 yen round trip (inclusive of 2000 yen ICOCA purchase) --- you get off at Tennoji station
2. Nankai Airport Express costing = 3840 yen = 1840 round trip (920 one way) + 2000 yen ICOCA

However, if you're staying to the north around Shin-Osaka station, then your options would be:

1. ICOCA/Haruka package costing = 4600 yen round trip (inclusive of 2000 yen ICOCA purchase)
2. Nankai Airport Express costing = 4400 yen = 1840 round trip (920 one way) + 560 yen on Midosuji line subway (280 yen one way) + 2000 yen ICOCA --- 200 yen cheaper than Haruka if you don't mind switching trains.

Haruka is faster and stops at main stations only. Nankai Airport Express is still a local train so it will stop at several stations and is slower but of course, is cheaper.

Your RM3,000 is for how many days of expenses and how many persons?
Last year my wife and I spent on average RM450 per day for 2 persons. But it depends how much you're willing to spend on food, transportation, entrance fees, souvenirs, etc.

Yeah, just take the Nankai Airport Express. Just be careful to read the signs and not step onto the Nankai Limited Express - that will cost you a bomb.

As another forumer pointed out, RM300 per day per person can be your reference point for expenses.

Hmm. I don't think there's a direct train from Dotonbori area to Kyoto so you will have to add on a subway ride (230 yen one way) to Osaka or Shin-Osaka station or Yodoyabashi station (for Keihan line) to catch a train. So do take that into consideration.