Kyoto · Japan

Staying online in Kyoto

Kyoto looks walkable on a postcard and then sends you across town on a bus that does not announce your stop in a way you will catch the first time.

Before you land

Most people arrive on the shinkansen at Kyoto Station, which is a city of its own. Install the eSIM before you leave Tokyo or the airport so you can find the right bus island without hunting for wifi.

Getting around

City buses are the main tool, and Google Maps is the difference between the right stop and a pretty walk in the wrong direction. Taxis are easy and not cheap. Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari are not next to each other, whatever the itinerary grid implied.

Where the data actually goes

Gion and the Philosopher's Path are fine on foot once you arrive. Fushimi Inari's trails have almost no signal in the trees, so the plan matters on the way there, not at the summit. Nishiki Market is crowded enough that a translated menu on your phone is the polite move.

Which plan to buy

A Japan plan bought for Tokyo already covers Kyoto. If Kyoto is the whole trip, the 10GB / 7 day bundle is the one that survives buses, maps, and a day in Osaka.

Practical notes

Temple grounds often ask you not to eat or take calls. Download tickets before you go. The same Japan plan covers Osaka and Nara if you day-trip, which almost everyone does.