A Symphony of Colors –Touring Arashiyama and Its Famous Bamboo Grove

In my original planning, I envisioned spending one full day in Arashiyama’s most famous sites, including the bamboo grove, the Tenryu-ji Temple, Jojakko-ji Temple, Nison-in Temple and the Okochi-Sanso Villa. Those I have done on the first day indeed (and more).

As it turned out, I visited Arashiyama on the next day again and saw the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple, the Adashino Nenbutsu Temple, Gio-ji Temple and Danrin-ji Temple as well.

Some Preliminaries on Touring Arashiyama

In my humble opinion, Arashiyama (and Sagano) is worth two days of visit. As such, perhaps it is wise to stay one night in a hotel close to this area. That way, you might be able to see the bamboo grove very early in the morning, before enormous crowds (both foreigners and locals) flock to the area in the fall’s high season for sightseeing.

In the autumn, the mountains show beautiful, lush crimson foliage. On both days of my visit, I was blessed with generous sunshine, and as such I really enjoyed the scenery there. For nature lovers, I also recommend hiking from Mount Takao to Arashiyama. That was my original plan as well, but I had to scrap it due to work. In fact, I had not even managed to see the famous Togetsu-kyo Bridge.

Those who have not been to Kyoto might question my decision to visit Arashiyama for two days. This itinerary suggests seeing temple after temple. But the temples of Kyoto are unique and I mean it literally. Surely, there are thousands of them in one city alone, but each of them offers different sceneries at this time of the year, let alone the individual history and Buddhist practices in them. For the cultural and heritage tourist, Kyoto has so much to offer that one trip alone would not suffice.

There are a few notable must-do things in Arashiyama. Besides the temples that I did visit above, you can consider doing a hot springs session there (and perhaps book in advance). You can hike from Mount Takao to Arashiyama. For lunch, I made a booking at a unagi (grilled eel) specialist restaurant, Unagiya Hirokawa, about three weeks before my trip. Unagiya Hirokawa is by reservation only and they will turn away all walk-in.

Close to the Togetsu-kyo Bridge you will find the boat pier and a ride on the river cruise will show you the grand beauty of Kyoto’s nature. Similarly, there is the Sagano Scenic Train station close to the JR Saga Arashiyama Station, and it will drop you off quite close to the bamboo groves area.

Photo above: The scenic train will drop you off in the vicinity of the bamboo grove and the Okochi-Sanso Villa.

Finally, within the town area of Arashiyama (technically, Sagano) there is a very famous shop selling tofu and other soy products, a supplier for top tofu cuisine in Kyoto. Just on that business street alone there is an incredible array of light refreshments, coffee shops, proper restaurants, souvenirs and arts and crafts for you to try and see.

For a comprehensive list, please visit this website.

Day 1 in Arashiyama

Despite my best intentions, I was not able to arrive at Arashiyama’s bamboo grove before 8am. I had wanted to beat the crowd to the bamboo grove. It is one of the most-photographed sites in Kyoto, and I had wanted to see it without too many tourists. From Kyoto Station I took the JR line and got off at the JR Saga Arashiyama Station after a 20-minute ride.

It was a short walk to the bamboo grove. I arrived at 9am, perhaps good enough for a start. There were certainly tourists there but not too many.

Arashiyama, meaning “Storm Mountain,” is a picturesque, scenic area in the southwestern section of Kyoto. It is famous for both highest seasons for travelling, namely the springtime cherry blossom and the fall time autumn foliage. The Hozu River runs on the east-west direction and separates what is technically Arashiyama in the southern mountains with Sagano in the north.

For navigating in the area, Google Map will do the job. My suggestion is certainly to see the bamboo groves first. As you go through the rather long way of the bamboo-lined path (about half a kilometer), you will pass by the Tenryu-ji Temple and the Okochi-Sanso Villa toward the end.

Bamboo Grove

One reminder to travelers is that the section of the bamboo grove that is the most-photographed actually takes a little while to get to. When you enter the pathway coming from the JR Station, you may think that the bamboo grove has ended, and the first section did not look so pretty.

Something in my heart edged me to go forward, despite the initial disappointment. My instincts were right. The most-photographed section came later, and it was a whole lot more beautiful. Featuring a grayish-green panel of enormously tall bamboo stilts, with thatched lining at the base. The grove was dense, full and vibrant. That is where you can take instgrammable pictures.

As one of the most-photographed sites in Kyoto, the bamboo groves must come with some sort of story. Inside Kyoto gives a very good account of why such a beautiful pathway lined with thousands of bamboo is in this area. The quick answer is, these bamboo groves served mostly aesthetic purposes originally. During the Heian period, Arashiyama was a very popular location for imperial and noble villas. The bamboo groves took up a much larger area then, and they featured prominently in the gardens of these villas. During the Edo period, bamboo was a raw material for Japanese crafts, and bamboo shoots were a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine. This combination of factors has resulted in an extremely large area of bamboo in Arashiyama.

The bamboo grove that we see now is already a much smaller version compared to what it was in the classic era. In 1967, the government took official actions to protect the bamboo groves.

If you did not manage to visit the bamboo grove at a photograph-friendly time because of the overwhelming presence of tourists, there is an alternative. There is a much shorter bamboo alley in the Adashino Nenbutsu Temple too. Significantly less number of tourists visit the Adashino Nenbutsu Temple, and you will be able to enjoy a near-solitude in that bamboo alley.

Photo above: The bamboo path at the Adashino Nenbutsu Temple

Sources

Insidekyoto.com, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Walking Tour.

Japan-guide.com, Arashiyama and Sagano.