Arashiyama Guide: Bamboo Grove and Beyond

Arashiyama, on Kyoto's western edge, is where the Heian court came to look at the mountains and the river. Today it's best known for its bamboo grove, which is beautiful and also very short: the famous stretch takes about five minutes to walk. Come for the grove, stay for everything around it.

The JR Sagano line runs from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama in about 15 minutes. The Randen tram from Shijo-Omiya is slower but more fun, and the Hankyu line arrives on the south side of the river.

A morning in Arashiyama

• Early morning: walk straight to the bamboo grove (Chikurin-no-michi) and arrive soon after sunrise. Before tour groups arrive, you hear the stalks creak in the wind. By 9am it's shoulder to shoulder.
• Next: at the top of the grove, visit Okochi Sanso, the hillside villa and garden of a silent film star. The ticket has traditionally included matcha and a small sweet, and the views towards the city are some of the best in the area. Most people walk straight past it.
• Mid-morning: walk north through Sagano, a quieter area of small temples. Jojakko-ji sits on a mossy slope, and Gio-ji is a tiny thatched hermitage surrounded by moss and maples. Further on, the preserved street of Saga-Toriimoto has thatched houses and hardly any crowds.
• Late morning: head back to Tenryu-ji, a major Zen temple whose 14th-century pond garden uses the mountains behind it as part of the view. Enter through the north gate, from the bamboo side.
• Lunch: yudofu, simmered tofu, is the local speciality, served in several restaurants near Tenryu-ji.
• Afternoon: cross the Togetsukyo Bridge. On the south bank, Iwatayama Monkey Park is a steep 20 minute climb to a hilltop where Japanese macaques roam freely and the city spreads below you.

The train and the boat

The Sagano Romantic Train runs through the Hozu River gorge to Kameoka in open-sided carriages, and in autumn it's one of the loveliest rides in Japan. Seats sell out, so book ahead. From Kameoka you can ride the Hozugawa river boat back to Arashiyama, steered by boatmen with long poles. The two together take most of a day.

What we'd skip

The main street between the station and the bridge is a strip of souvenir shops and snack stalls. Fine for an ice cream, not for an afternoon.

Timing

Weekday mornings are much calmer than weekends. Autumn leaves peak in late November, the busiest time of the year here. If you only have one morning for either Arashiyama or Fushimi Inari, do the other one first thing and this one second, since Arashiyama's temples need daylight. To stay close by, see our where to stay guide.