Arashiyama, Kyoto

This was a last-minute plan. My girls wanted to see the bamboo forest, so many pictures were posted by visitors. It’s a tourist hotspot so I planned carefully where to park and how to move around the area. Upon reaching, it was really crowded (weekend), but surprisingly, there wasn’t any parking issue.

Togetsukyo Bridge

The Togetsukyo Bridge (Translated as “Moon Crossing” bridge) is Arashiyama’s most iconic landmark and just a couple of minutes walk from where we parked. The bridge looked attractive with the combination of forested mountainside in the background, especially in late autumn.

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Bamboo Groves

We walked through the walking paths that cut through the bamboo groves. Could have been a nice walk but the crowds were constant distractions. Need to stop for someone to take make their Instagram posts. But when the wind blows, the bamboo sways back and forth made very soothing sights and sounds.

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Kameyama Park

The “turtle hill” park, Kameyama park is accessible at the end of the Bamboo groves path. Instead of turning around to the main Arashiyama street, we head up the hill into the Kameyama Park. Again, I took my ever enthusiastic kids up the hill while the ladies walked the level park. There, we found beautiful sights over the Katsura River:

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Zhou Enlai Monument

A bit of recent history. Within the park, we found the monument commemorating the Sino-Japanese ties with inscribed poems written by the then Chinese Premier, Zhou En-lai. It was said that the poem was written when he studied in Japan and visited the scenic Arashiyama just before he left.

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Katsura River

We made a round trip from the Kameyama park to the Arashikyo valley, where the Katsura River flows. A very beautiful backdrop of the Arashiyama hill. We ended up sitting here and laze around. having snacks and simply enjoy and watch the people went by, in walks and in boats.

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Main street

We head back to the main street. Into the enormous crowds again. But we decided we would not join them, instead, we took our car and head somewhere quiet for dinner, but made a quick walkthrough to buy some street snacks and souvenirs.

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50 mins drive back home. Feeling contented.

gobassky.