Kyoto crowd forecast

8 landmarks · six-month outlook

Across its main sights, Kyoto is Moderate today (35/100). The quietest day in the next six months looks like Mon 15 Feb 2027.

Today, landmark by landmark

Landmark	Crowd index	Level
Fushimi Inari Taisha	41/100	Busy
Kiyomizu-dera	41/100	Busy
Nishiki Market	39/100	Busy
Gion District	36/100	Moderate
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove	34/100	Moderate
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)	34/100	Moderate
Nijo Castle	33/100	Moderate
Philosopher's Path	22/100	Uncrowded

Quietest days in Kyoto

Mon 15 Feb 2027Moderate
Tue 16 Feb 2027Moderate
Mon 8 Feb 2027Moderate
Tue 9 Feb 2027Moderate
Wed 10 Feb 2027Moderate

Busiest days in Kyoto

Sun 15 Nov 2026Very BusyAutumn foliage illumination
Mon 23 Nov 2026Very BusyAutumn foliage illumination
Sat 21 Nov 2026BusyAutumn foliage illumination
Sun 22 Nov 2026BusyAutumn foliage illumination
Tue 3 Nov 2026Busy

Month by month

Month	Typical crowd	Verdict
October 2026	46/100	About average
November 2026	52/100	Busier than average
December 2026	44/100	About average
January 2027	35/100	Slightly quieter than average
February 2027	30/100	A good month to visit

Every month in Kyoto: January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

Common questions

When is the least crowded time to visit Kyoto?

Averaged across 8 major landmarks, the quietest day in the next six months is Mon 15 Feb 2027 at 27/100 on the crowd index, against a 41/100 average. Weekdays run 40/100 versus 44/100 at weekends and on public holidays.

How crowded is Kyoto today?

Across its main sights Kyoto is averaging 35/100 today — "Moderate". The busiest single spot right now is Fushimi Inari Taisha and the calmest is Philosopher's Path.

Which Kyoto landmark is busiest?

Over the whole forecast window the consistently busiest is Kiyomizu-dera (50/100 average). If you want the same city with fewer people, the quieter end is Philosopher's Path (28/100 average).

Crowd alerts

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How this forecast is built

Each day's crowd level combines the landmark's baseline popularity, Japanese national holidays (computed from the official rules, including substitute holidays), curated local festival and season windows, a national tourism seasonality curve derived from published visitor-arrival patterns, and live rain probability from the Japan Meteorological Agency — weighted by how much that specific place actually empties out in the rain.

It's a model, not a measurement. It's good at "this weekend will be much worse than the following Tuesday" and it is not a headcount. Days beyond the JMA's ~7-day window use seasonal rain climatology.