The western part of Kyoto is called Arashiyama District. I am pretty sure most of you saw the pictures of the bamboo grove all over social media, that were taken here. Arashiyama is a charming place, where you can spend the whole day or more. There are many temples around, astonishing views, and a pretty cool monkey park. It takes around 30 minutes to get there from the city center, so it is a good idea to make it a separate trip from the other parts of Kyoto.
Monkey Park Iwatayama
Monkey park was one of the places I wanted to see while in Japan. The park is located on a mountainside, and it takes only around 20 minutes to hike up the hill. On top, you can see a lot of Japanese macaques – snow monkeys. They roam freely in the park, but they are not domesticated. Many signs are saying that you should not stare at them or feed them as they might attack. There is a special hut, where visitors can go into and buy some peanuts or bananas and then feed them to the monkeys through the bars. But it is important to remember that those are wild animals, not pets.
I had so much fun watching them interact with each other that I have spent quite a lot of time in the park.
Tenryu-Ji Temple
It is one of the great Zen temples of Kyoto, and it is on UNESCO World Heritage List. After a marathon of the temples in Kyoto, most of the insides looked the same to me. However, the garden is another story. The garden is an excellent example of shakkei – borrowed scenery. Meaning that the mountains in the background are incorporated into the garden landscape. Magnificent. It doesn’t matter how many temples I go to, and how many gardens I see. Every one of them is fantastic.
I’ve been there both during cherry blossoms season and autumn foliage, and the garden looks breathtaking in both seasons.
Bamboo Grove
Right after exiting Tenryu- JI temple, the bamboo grove starts. As mentioned before, it is one of the most photographed places in Kyoto. And that means crowds… A lot of them. I was there early in the morning, and there were already quite a few people. When I came back in the afternoon, I could not squeeze through. Just take a look at the pictures.
It is far from those serene pictures with just you and bamboos. However, I have discovered another bamboo grove in one of the temples – Adashino Nenbutsu-Ji Temple. I was the only person there, and I took as many pictures of me and bamboos as I wanted.
So my advice to you, skip the main bamboo grove and continue to the temple.
Okochi-Sanso Villa
It is an old residence of a famous actor that is now open to the public. The entrance was quite expensive as it was 1000 Yen. But if you are a garden lover like me, then you would love it. The gardens were incredible. At the end of the tour, they gave me a hot matcha tea and some sweet things to eat — dunno what, most of the time in Japan I had no clue what I was eating. But it was good 🙂 It was gratifying, sitting in the sun and viewing great scenery while drinking tea.
Which version do you prefer? Spring or fall?
Jōjakkō-ji Temple
This Buddhist temple in a serene forest, and it is quite popular in fall when maples change color. It is peaceful with lots of little spots to rest and enjoy the scenery. It is not a must-see temple, however, if you have more time, consider paying it a visit.
Nison-in Temple
The temple is quite a popular destination during the autumn season. Nison-in originally dates from the mid-9th century. Its name means “two revered images” in Japanese, referring to the twin Buddhist statues in the main temple hall.
Take a look at the temple’s cemetery, which looks amazing surrounded by red leaves. Nison-in was one of the temples in Kyoto that administered Buddhist ceremonies for the Imperial court before the Emperor left for Tokyo, so it is a location in which the ashes of many emperors and nobles are interred.
Adashino-Nembutsu-Ji Temple
It was one of my favorite temples. The temple is dedicated to the souls of those who have died without families to remember them. There is a bamboo grove at the back of the temple, that you can enjoy all by yourself.
Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple
This temple was also on my favorite list. It is famous for its 1200 stone statues of Rakan, devoted followers of Buddhism, each with a different facial expression. I have spent there so much time! Those tiny little fellas looked so cute; I couldn’t stop taking pictures 😀
The Sagano Scenic Railway
It is a sightseeing train that runs along the river. I have tried it in autumn and the views of the mountain covered in red and yellow colors looked incredible. You can take the train one way and cruise down the river to get down the stream.
Remember to go get the tickets as fast as you can, there is quite the queue and we had to wait almost 2 hours to make it to the train.
If you want to know more, click on the link.
Hozugawa River Cruise
You can take a boat from the train station of the Sagano Scenic Railway back to Arashiyama. They use traditional style, flat-bottomed boats to row you down the stream. The ride takes around two hours and takes you through the incredible scenery of colored-covered mountains. At some point, you will even get a chance to buy some snacks from a boat seller operating in the vicinity.
