lets just say X= hometown
take this destination, it will say you time
X = KIX ( Kansai International Airport )
Narita (Tokyo) = X
when you land at Kansai, take the train for Kyoto, that will take you around 1.5hours - 2 hours travel
actually you don't need to transfer hotel from osaka and kyoto , this 2 cities are just 30-40 minutes away from each other by express train. I recommend staying in Osaka cause its in the middle of everything, like if you feel to go to Kobe, nara or wakayama
if you dont have the jr pass, use hankyu line going to kyoto ( kawaramachi ) cause its the cheapest ( 390 yen ) compared to 600++yen of JR. And the Kawaramachi station of hankyu is already in GION, so you will be in the middle of everything Kyoto unlike in JR Kyoto, its in the middle of nowhere
when in kyoto used the one-day ticket bus ( 500yen ) you will be able to use all the city for the whole day this will get you anywhere in kyoto. you can get the map at the station ( JR or Hankyu )
if you are planning to tour osaka for a day, i recommend getting the 800yen one-day ticket for all the subway system, this will get you anywhere in osaka. subways are expensive so this is the cheapest way getting around the city. there are also 2000yen or 3000yen ticket which would allow you to visit some establishment and get discount on selected restaurant.. but nahh i don't recommend it...
enjoy your trip