Bruce Cunningham

Review of Fushimi Planning Center/ Kyoto...

I'd heard that this is the most popular tourist de...

I'd heard that this is the most popular tourist destination in Kyoko, so I was prepared for it to be crowded, and to be underwhelmed - it's complicated.
Yes, it was crowded - not as crowded at 9am as it was when we left near noon, but crowded enough at the lower part of the tori gates tunnels to turn walking into almost shuffling. However, by the mid-point, the crowd had thinned by half. So not as crowded as I'd feared.
And I have to say that I was wrong about the quality of the experience. The colors, culture, and views more than justified the crowds and the climb.
Three points: 1. Find an English map of the climb. 2. Do the complete loop at the top - the left-hand half has beautiful deeply wooded areas. 3. Look for the toilets on the map and use them - they're few and far between.