Kyoto's famous sights at opening time

Fushimi Inari's torii gates and the Arashiyama bamboo grove are open around the clock and cost nothing, which is why they're packed by mid-morning. Walk them at 7 a.m. and you'll have long stretches to yourself; at Fushimi Inari, the crowds thin out quickly past the first kilometer of the climb. Use the saved daylight for temples that charge admission and close at 5, such as Kinkaku-ji or Ginkaku-ji.