The pictures taken in this post were mostly captured in two of the gardens we visited while exploring the area from the Bamboo Forest walking path. Earlier in the day we visited Tenryu-ji Temple and the surrounding gardens, which took us nearly two hours to get through because we kept stopping every five steps to take photos!
ARASHIYAMA CITY GUIDE
Y’ALL. I have never in my life seen such magnificent autumn foliage! One of my favorite things we did in Japan was to visit Arashiyama. Just a short 45 minute train ride from Kyoto, Arashiyama packs a lot of fun into one easy day trip! Here you’ll find the Bamboo Forest, Monkey Park and a bunch of stunning gardens and temples. You’ll also find a pretty sizeable river and cute little town to explore, depending on how much time you have! We didn’t have time to participate, but there were a bunch of people out on the water in paddle boats, watching the various performances happening on boats by locals.
Our first stop in Arashiyama was to the Bamboo Forest. It’s definitely a tourist attraction – by the time we got there at 11, the crowds had arrived and it became difficult to take any kind of picture without other people in them, but it was worth the wait! On our way through the Bamboo Forest walking path, we stumbled upon the Tenryuji Temple and Gardens and decided to pop in. This was really where the magic happened. Brilliant fall color was all over the grounds and we took TONS of photos! We spent probably two hours walking through this particular garden, before taking a break for lunch. After a quick bite, we made our way back through the walking path to Okochi Sanso – A second garden which featured sweeping views of the city, several beautiful gardens, a few examples of traditional Japanese residential architecture and even a free cup of green tea with your ticket at the end of your visit! It wasn’t the best matcha I’ve had, but it was a nice touch.
Our final activity on the docket was to visit the Monkey Park. Little did we know, it was a legitimate hike going up the the viewing spot. Twenty minutes, all uphill and we were sweating by the end of it. If you plan to visit the Monkey Park in Arashiyama, do it last (and wear athletic shoes), so you don’t feel sweaty and gross the entire day! While the intensity of the hike was sort of a surprise, it was worth it. Sure, the monkeys are cute, but the city views from the top of the mountain are incredible! We also captured a bunch of gorgeous changing leaves on our way back down the mountain.
I hope you enjoy my photos from our day in Arashiyama as much as I enjoyed taking them! It was truly unbelievable. Click here to check out more of my travel content from Japan!
