The Arashiyama neighborhood of Kyoto is famous for a reason. It’s a cool area with a lot of history… but to be honest, I had never heard of it before I started researching Kyoto and Japan! I’m sure glad I found out about it because there are tons of cool things to see in this district. Arashiyama is located a 30-40 minute train ride from Kyoto station. Read on to hear all about our Arashiyama itinerary, and make sure to scroll to the logistics section for some extra tips based on our experience!
Arashiyama/Kyoto Itinerary
- Arrive at Arashiyama Station
- Monkey Park Iwatayama
- Togetsukyo Bridge
- Tenryuji Temple
- Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
- Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street
- Otagi Nenbutsu-ji
How to Get There
Our hotel was located close to Shijō Station so we were able to easily jump on the Hankyu-Kyoto Line heading towards Osaka and then transfer at Katsura Station to the Hankyu-Arashiyama Line towards Arashiyama.
If you’re staying closer to the Kyoto Station you can take a bus directly to Arashiyama, though it will be a bit slower. Or, take the faster train up to JR San-In Line to the Saga-Arashiyama station on the north side of the bridge. If you take the JR train, you will have to backtrack a bit to follow my itinerary, but it’s only a few minutes out of the way!
What To Do
Start your day by making your way to Arashiyama Station. Your first stop will be Monkey Park Iwatayama, a park literally crawling with wild monkeys! Exit Arashiyama station and head west towards the base of Togetsukyo Bridge. Instead of crossing the bridge, continue along the south side of the river and follow signs up the staircase to Monkey Park Iwatayama. For more information about Monkey Park Iwatayama check out my post with all the details!
After you get your fill of the monkeys, head back down the hill and cross Togetsukyo Bridge. Togetsukyo Bridge is a touchstone for Arashiyama; it has beautiful views of the river and mountains on both sides. After you cross the bridge continue straight along the main street, browsing the stores and grabbing a snack.
Eventually, you will make your way to Tenryuji Temple, originally built in 1339. This is the most important Buddhist temple in Arashiyama, and while the buildings have had to be rebuilt over the years, the original garden structure remains intact. You can choose to wander the gardens (500 yen) or pay extra to enter the buildings (an additional 300 yen). We chose to just stroll through the gardens, and were able to get some good pictures of the temple grounds!
Follow the Tenryuji gardens to the north exit, take a left and head straight into the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Groves. WIdn your way through the bamboo forest on the uphill path. If you go midday as we did it will probably be fairly crowded, so if you’re hoping to get good pictures you will need to go early. If you happen to be traveling in December make sure to check your dates; there is a 10-day period in the winter where the whole garden (and much of Arashiyama) are illuminated with lanterns!
After you exit the bamboo forest make your way through the rural backroads to Saga-Toriimoto, a preserved street on the Northside of Arashiyama. If you’re going to rent a bike (more info about this in the Tips section below) this is when you might want to do that (or, bike through the bamboo forest to Saga-Toriimoto).
The Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street is just that… a street preserved in time! It’s been preserved in the style of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), with many of the buildings (which used to be homes/townhouses) converted into stores or restaurants. Saga-Toriimoto was virtually abandoned when we visited, so everything got very quiet and sacred. It literally felt like we just stepped out of time!
This area was one of the less tourist-friendly areas we visited in Japan. We needed to get lunch but were a bit intimidated. That said, I think it was mostly in our heads. There are plenty of restaurants, they just seem intimidating because everything about the area felt so austere! If you’re less comfortable with that, make sure to get your lunch back in the downtown area before heading over to the bamboo forest and Saga-Toriimoto.
Keep heading north through Saga-Toriimoto until you come to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, famous for its 1200 stone statues. Unlike others you will see in Japan, this is not an ancient temple – it was actually built in the 1980s! Despite that fact it was still one of the most special places we visited in Japan and a total highlight. Otagi Nenbutsu-ji was completely empty when we visited, which added to the sacred vibe of the whole place. A must see! For more details about Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, check out my post for all the details!
Once you finish Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, retrace your steps through Saga-Toriimoto and head back to the downtown area. Grab a couple of snacks if you wish, and then grab a train back to your hotel. We took a short break before dinner in downtown Kyoto.
Logistics & Tips
- There are two Arashiyama stations, so make sure you know which one you’re heading to! This itinerary assumes you’re arriving at Arashiyama station south of the river, but both stations are relatively close, so if you end up at the other one, it’s not a big deal. When you’re leaving Arashiyama, take whichever station gets you to where you want to be!
- Arashiyama and Sagano are very popular tourism areas, especially during cherry blossom and fall foliage seasons. Expect a lot of people!
- The area north of the bridge is technically Sagano, but is often referred to as Arashiyama.
- When we visited there were a lot of street vendors in the Arashiyama Park Nakanoshima Area. We chowed down on dumplings and other street food. Street vendors tend to open around lunch time and stay through the afternoon.
- A common recommendation is to bike through the bamboo groves to Saga-Toriimoto. We didn’t try this ourselves, but I wish we had! The bamboo grove trail is uphill, but you’ll probably walk your bike through that section as there are a lot of people. Once you exit the grove, the trail opens up and there is a stretch where there isn’t much to see. If we were to do this trip again, I would definitely try renting bikes! Checkout JapanTravel for more information on renting bikes in Arashiyama. You can do it directly at the train station!
- I recommend having an early lunch near the downtown section of Arashiyama. We waited to eat until we were in Saga-Toriimoto, which had less options than we expected.
**Featured image by Matteo Ferrero
