I had a morning free before I headed off to explore another area of Japan, so I decided to jump on a JR train and do the short trip across to Arashiyama. The photographs of Arashiyama make it look miles from anywhere, when in reality it is only a 20 minute train ride from Kyoto station and it is covered by the JR pass. The western outskirts of Kyoto are a green, touristy location but are definitely worth visiting. I’m unsure why the guide books refer to this area as a tourist location because I thought it felt rather residential and relaxed in comparison to some other parts of Japan. Sadly, the weather was overcast and drizzling but I was pleased that the temperature had cooled to a more manageable 31 degrees.
The town is bigger than I anticipated and it is filled with cute shops and restaurants. It is an area where you could easily spend a few days rather than a morning. I was pleased to find the main tourist sites are signposted so I didn’t worry about getting lost (and we all know my track record for getting lost).
I made it to the bamboo forest and to my delight found it is totally free to enter (hooray!). I thought it would be a really small area where you stand and take a few photos then leave. The bamboo grove is surprisingly big, with a beautiful trail leading through the greenery. Bamboo is magical and seemed to go on forever, I felt tiny wandering through the forest. Rain made the area seem more ethereal and it was strangely quiet, the sound of bamboo creaking in the wind turned into relaxing background noise. I took about 45 minutes to walk through the whole bamboo forest, it isn’t that big but it is up hill and I kept stopping to enjoy the scenery on the way.
The bamboo forest ended and I headed into Arashiyama Park Kameyama area, a huge park which is rumoured to have a few monkey residents. Luckily, I didn’t spot any during my trip because I am still slightly nervous of the creatures after my experience in Kuala Lumpur. There are two viewing platforms in the park which overlook the Rankyo gorge which is absolutely stunning. I’d love to return in autumn to see all of the leaves painting the hills orange. The park is also known for the cherry blossoms, another beautiful act of nature that I would love to experience in Japan.
I walked down to the riverside and felt like I had been transported into the middle of nowhere. All of the humans had disappeared and I was alone with some of the local wildlife who were fishing for lunch in the river. The riverside is so beautiful and I enjoyed sitting and doing nothing for a short while, until the rain started to come down very heavily. Unfortunately, I had to admit defeat because the rain was torrential and had to do a mad dash to hide in a shop until it eased.
Luckily the rain didn’t last too long and I managed to wander around the town and take in the huge Togetsukyo bridge which takes you to the monkey park. After a final loop around the shops I headed back to the train station to go back to Kyoto to prepare for the craziest journey I have ever been on. But first I decided to treat myself to a huge bowl of vegan ramen (and help my photographer eat theirs as well).
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