That will be so much fun, it would be super busy but I would love to do a New Years day shrine visit to Fushimi Inari or Yasaka. We've travelled in Japan in winter but haven't been to either Enryakuji or Koyasan on those trips. I understand both have a chance of some snow in late December which is so pretty if you do catch it. We did find walking distance in heavy snow and icy paths, like in Sapporo and Otaru right up north, quite slow going and difficult. We aren't use to it and didn't really have the best footwear for the conditions but my understanding is that you aren't likely to hit that. We enjoyed Enryakuji and it is definitely possible to do in winter but if I had the time I think Koyasan would be be my choice with crossed fingers and hoping for snow.

Soemthing we did find being in Kyoto in winter was to take layers of clothes. Kyoto is usually a bit warmer than surrounding areas and we made the mistake of judging what we wore in the morning then heading out on a daytrip. So for example a 12 degree day in Kyoto was reasonably comfortable in a warm top and jacket but was a whole lot colder and had snow on the ground when we got to Nagahama. The town and train ride was beautiful but I hadn't bothered with my scarf or an under layer.

Hi Erika, Have a fabulous trip, I'm sure your daughter will love ringing the peace bell at Enryakuji it will be a lovely memory for her as she grows up.

Thank you for your response! We ended up booking a night in Koyasan so now we just need to decide on the day trip. Nara is actually a place I'm considering instead of Enryakuji but I have a feeling it might be too touristy. Is this true or do I have a wrong feeling about it?

Your trip sounds fabulous. If you have space in your itinerary to spend the night at Koyasan I'd absolutely do that, the experience would be fabulous, it's just a bit more time consuming to get to as it's not accessed as directly from the Tokaido/Sanyo bullet train line as the other locations are. As you have seen on the sight we love Japan so no trip is ever long enough to fit in everything, Nara would be an alternate side trip from Kyoto to consider in place of Enryakuji, it depends so much on your personal interests.

Thanks Danielle, yeah the steps helped work off a bit of the excess consumption of yummy Japanese food

I have an interest in both Japanese and Buddhist history so I love to find places like this that aren't in the guide books. A bit of time in nature doesn't go amiss either, while I enjoy the cities I need to escape after a while.