Day 1: Higashiyama slope
After nine, climb from Kiyomizu-dera → Ninen/Sannen-zaka → Yasaka, close on Hanamikoji. Keihan Kiyomizu-Gojo is ~20 minutes uphill; the city bus to Kiyomizu-michi is nearer but queues in maple weeks. Stop in Gion — not Fushimi or Arashiyama.
Day 2: Arashiyama or Fushimi — pick one
Arashiyama: JR Sagano to Saga-Arashiyama or Hankyu Arashiyama; bridge → bamboo → Tenryu-ji, one yudofu lunch. Fushimi: JR Inari at the gate or Keihan Fushimi-Inari; climb by legs, then maybe the brewery walk. Never both axes one day.
Day 3: Kinkaku or Ginkaku — pick one
Kinkaku: city bus to Kinkakuji-michi, optional Ryoan-ji, Kitano ramen to close — not Arashiyama. Ginkaku: Philosopher’s Path to Nanzen-ji, tofu lunch — not Kiyomizu again. Osaka’s day-trip is a sample; full axes live here.