Arashiyama: the bamboo grove at sunrise, Tenryu-ji, monkeys and the Romantic Train

Kyoto's western day. The only secret is the hour: in the bamboo grove at 07:30 you are alone, at 10:00 it is a commuter train. Then a Zen garden, a tofu lunch, monkeys on the mountain, and an old train along the river.

Kyoto's western day, in Arashiyama. The only secret is the hour: in the bamboo grove at 07:30 it is still quiet, and at 10:00 it is full. You start on the bamboo path, pass through the garden of the Okochi Sanso villa and the Zen garden of Tenryu-ji, eat lunch by the temple, cross the river to the monkeys, and at four board the Romantic Train to Kameoka. From there you ride the train back to Kyoto, rest at the hotel, and eat dinner in Pontocho. In Arashiyama itself everything is on foot, plus a 20-minute climb to the monkey park. A day pass does not pay off: the rides are on JR, the Torokko train and the subway, and the city's day pass is not valid on JR.

This day is part of: The Golden Route in a week: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka, day by day · Tokyo and Kyoto in 5 days: two in Tokyo, three in Kyoto · Two weeks in Japan: Tokyo, Nikko, Hakone, the Alps, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka

Verified online, September 20269 stops · 07:30 to 20:30¥11,180 · ≈ $71 per personWalking between stops: 71 min · Transport: ¥460Must on a first tripGood with kidsEspecially beautiful in autumn foliage

The day on a map

9 stops, in order

Stops: 9
Walking minutes: 58

Stop number on the timelineWalkingTrain, metro or busBase map: © OpenStreetMap

Open this day in Google Maps

The same stops with the same numbers, and the way from stop to stop. On a phone it opens in the app, and that is what you navigate with in Japan. Pin names on the map are in Hebrew.

Getting there: From Kyoto Station: JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama Station, 7 stations, 17 minutes on the local train, ¥240. On weekdays the 06:55 train arrives at 07:12, and from the station it is about a 14-minute walk to the bamboo path. If you are staying near Shijo-Omiya, take the Randen tram from Shijo-Omiya to Arashiyama, 24 minutes, ¥250 (the 07:00 tram arrives at 07:24), and from there it is about 11 minutes on foot. If you are staying in Shijo-Kawaramachi or Gion, take the Hankyu Line from Kyoto-Kawaramachi to Arashiyama, changing at Katsura, 20 minutes, ¥240, and from there cross Togetsukyo Bridge on foot, about 22 minutes. Not the bus, it gets stuck in traffic.

07:3008:50
Stop 1NatureMust
The Sagano Bamboo Grove before everyone else
You start on the bamboo path while it is still quiet: 400 meters between bamboo stalks 20 meters tall, always open and free. At this hour you can hear the wind in the stalks, and at 10:00 the path is packed. There is no reason to rush: walk slowly to the end of the path, to the Okochi Sanso villa.
FreeOpen in Maps About this place
On to Okochi Sanso
- Walk · 2 minThe villa is at the western end of the bamboo path, about 150 meters.
09:0009:40
Stop 2Villa and gardenRecommended
Okochi Sanso Villa: the movie star's garden
The villa of a samurai film actor from the 30s, with a garden on the mountain and a view over Kyoto. It opens at 09:00, and admission includes matcha and a sweet in the tea house. Relatively expensive, but even in the middle of the day it has a quiet that the rest of Arashiyama does not.
¥1,000 · ≈ $6Open in Maps About this place
Back along the path to Tenryu-ji
- Walk · 7 minWalk back east along the bamboo path, about 500 meters, to the north gate of Tenryu-ji, which is halfway along the path and has a ticket office.
On the way you can stop at:
Nonomiya Shrine: At the eastern end of the path, a two-minute detour north. A small shrine with a torii gate of unpeeled wood, which according to the shrine is the ancient style of torii gate. Free.
09:4511:00
Stop 3Temple and gardenMust
Tenryu-ji: the 14th-century Zen garden
Enter by the north gate, which opens straight onto the bamboo grove. Tenryu-ji is a World Heritage site and the main temple of Arashiyama. The Sogenchi garden, with its pond and the mountain behind, is preserved as it was designed in 1339. A ticket for the garden is ¥500, and the buildings are an extra ¥300. Most people make do with the garden.
¥500 · ≈ $3Open in Maps About this place
Down to lunch
- Walk · 5 minShigetsu is inside the temple grounds. The soba and the eel are outside the temple, near the main street, on the way to the river.
11:1512:30
Stop 4LunchRecommended
Lunch break in Arashiyama
You eat by the temple, between the Zen garden and the river. Tenryu-ji's monastic cuisine is the option that fits the day, but there is also soba facing the bridge and eel by reservation:
- Shigetsu, inside Tenryu-jiVegan, not kosher¥3,800 for the basic meal
  Shojin ryori, the vegetarian cuisine of Zen monks: yudofu, sesame tofu and seasonal vegetables, on lacquer trays in a tatami room. According to the temple there is no animal ingredient at all, but ask about the dashi anyway. 11:00 to 14:00, and book ahead, at least two days, especially in autumn foliage season.
- Arashiyama Yoshimura
  Handmade soba, in the second building west of the northern end of Togetsukyo Bridge, with a view of the bridge. 11:00 to 16:00, until 17:00 on weekends and holidays, and 10:30 to 17:00 in the tourist season. Open all year except 1 January.
- Hirokawa¥3,900 for unaju, before tax
  Eel grilled over charcoal, 4 minutes from Tenryu-ji. By reservation only, which opens a month ahead. 11:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 21:00, closed on Mondays.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥3,800 · ≈ $24Booking recommended, especially in autumn foliage seasonOpen in Maps
Down to the river
- Walk · 10 minLeave by the temple's main gate and walk south along Arashiyama's main street to the river, about 750 meters.
12:4513:30
Stop 5Bridge and riverMust
Togetsukyo Bridge and the Katsura River
Togetsukyo Bridge crosses the Katsura River with the mountain behind it, and this is the familiar photo of Arashiyama. Next to the bridge you can rent rowing boats, ¥1,500 an hour. In autumn foliage season the mountain turns red and orange.
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Across to the monkey park
- Walk · 4 minCross the bridge to the south and turn right along the river. The park entrance is up the steps that climb from the bank, about 260 meters from the bridge.
13:4514:45
Stop 6Nature and animalsRecommended
Iwatayama Monkey Park: 120 macaques and a viewpoint
From the entrance you climb 20 minutes on a forest trail, up steps, so not with a stroller, to a summit with free-roaming monkeys and a view over Kyoto. You feed them only from inside the hut. Do not look a monkey in the eye and do not hold food outside. Children especially love it.
¥800 · ≈ $5Open in Maps
Down to the cafe
- Walk · 15 minWalk down the same trail to the bank, cross Togetsukyo Bridge again and turn left along the north bank. From the park entrance to the cafe it is about 500 meters.
15:0015:30
Stop 7BreakIf there is time
% Arabica: the coffee with the queue and the view
A short break, if you have time. The small cafe on the riverbank has become an Instagram icon: a good latte, a 20-minute queue, and the river steps to sit on. An alternative without a queue: the Kimono Forest at Randen Arashiyama Station, 600 pillars wrapped in fabric, free, and lit from sunset.
¥700 · ≈ $4Open in Maps
Walk to the Romantic Train
- Walk · 15 minGo back to the main street, walk north past Tenryu-ji and the Randen station, and continue to Torokko Saga Station, right next to JR Saga-Arashiyama Station. About 900 meters.
15:4516:30
Stop 8Scenic trainRecommended
The Sagano Romantic Train: the 16:02, the last train of the day
You board an old train on a disused line along the Hozu gorge, from Torokko Saga Station to Kameoka. The fifth car is open to the wind. Trains leave Saga from 09:02 to 16:02, and the 16:02 is the last regular train and reaches Kameoka at 16:25, so be at the station by a quarter to four. In autumn foliage season tickets sell out, so buy them in advance at JR stations. It usually does not run on Wednesdays, except some Wednesdays in high season. The current train retires after 29 December 2026. From 1 March 2027 a new 4-car train runs: a seat is ¥1,500 (¥880 fare plus a ¥620 seat fee), the semi-open deck is ¥880, and sales are only on the official site from 30 days ahead. From Kameoka you return to Kyoto by JR train.
¥880 · ≈ $6In autumn foliage and cherry blossom seasons, buy tickets days aheadOpen in Maps
17:0518:10
Break
Back to the hotel before the evening
The day starts at 07:30 and ends at 20:30, and there is a gap between the Romantic Train and dinner. From Torokko Kameoka Station walk about 7 minutes to JR Umahori Station. If you are staying near Kyoto Station, ride straight there: the 16:38 train reaches Kyoto at 17:04, 26 minutes, ¥320, and you get almost an hour at the hotel. Head out to Pontocho at around 18:05: the subway Karasuma Line, changing at Karasuma-Oike to the Tozai Line, to Kyoto-Shiyakusho-mae, 11 minutes, ¥260, plus about 6 minutes on foot. If you are staying in Shijo-Kawaramachi or Gion, get off the same train at Nijo, change to the Tozai Line, arrive at Kyoto-Shiyakusho-mae at 17:12, walk to the hotel and walk back for dinner. If you are not going back to the hotel, reach Pontocho before 17:30 and rest at a cafe near the river: Francois Kissashitsu, a cafe from 1934, open until 22:00, 4 minutes from the alley.
Back to Kyoto, to Pontocho
- Train · 50 min · ¥460From Torokko Kameoka walk about 7 minutes to JR Umahori Station. JR Sagano Line to Nijo, 6 stations, 18 minutes, ¥240, and there change to the subway Tozai Line to Kyoto-Shiyakusho-mae, 3 stations, 6 minutes, ¥220. From the station it is about 6 minutes on foot to the northern end of Pontocho.
- or: Train · 55 min · ¥580Via Kyoto Station, if you are stopping at a hotel there: JR Sagano Line from Umahori to Kyoto, 9 stations, 26 minutes, ¥320, then the subway Karasuma Line, changing at Karasuma-Oike to the Tozai Line, to Kyoto-Shiyakusho-mae, 11 minutes, ¥260.
18:3020:30
Stop 9DinnerRecommended
Dinner in Pontocho
After a day in nature, you come back to the city. Pontocho alley along the Kamo River is full of izakaya and yakitori, and in summer there are wooden terraces above the river. Choose a place with a price menu outside. The alley itself, with its lanterns, is the attraction. After dinner you head back from Keihan's Gion-Shijo Station or Hankyu's Kyoto-Kawaramachi, 3 minutes on foot, and to Kyoto Station by subway from Kyoto-Shiyakusho-mae, 11 minutes, ¥260. Eat okonomiyaki, udon or vegan:
- Yasubee¥1,000 to ¥1,500
  Okonomiyaki in Pontocho since 1982: made on the griddle in the kitchen and brought to a hot plate on your table. On weekdays 16:00 to 21:00 (last order), closed on Tuesdays, no reservations.
- Omen, Pontocho branch
  A branch of the udon restaurant from Ginkaku-ji, at the southern end of the alley: thick udon you dip in broth, with seasonal vegetables, crispy burdock and sesame. 17:00 to 21:00 in the evening, closed on some Thursdays.
- ChoiceVegan, not kosher
  A vegan, gluten-free cafe across Sanjo Bridge, about 9 minutes on foot: burgers, brown rice risotto and pancakes. Dinner 17:00 to 20:00 (last food order), closed on Wednesdays.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥3,500 · ≈ $22Open in Maps About this place

Arashiyama: the bamboo grove at sunrise, Tenryu-ji, monkeys and the Romantic Train

9 stops, in order

The Sagano Bamboo Grove before everyone else

Okochi Sanso Villa: the movie star's garden

Tenryu-ji: the 14th-century Zen garden

Lunch break in Arashiyama

Togetsukyo Bridge and the Katsura River

Iwatayama Monkey Park: 120 macaques and a viewpoint

% Arabica: the coffee with the queue and the view

The Sagano Romantic Train: the 16:02, the last train of the day

Back to the hotel before the evening

Dinner in Pontocho

Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Nijo Castle and Nishiki Market: the north and the center

Ginkaku-ji, the Philosopher's Path and Nanzen-ji: northern Higashiyama on foot

Kurama and Kibune: a walk on the tengu's mountain, the water shrine, and a meal above the stream

Kids' day in Kyoto: the Railway Museum, the Aquarium, To-ji and Kyoto Tower

Walking Kyoto's eastern hills: from Ginkaku-ji to Gion via the Philosopher's Path

Fushimi Inari: the torii gates at sunrise, Tofuku-ji and the sake district