We got up early and got ready, it was too early for breakfast. The plan was to go and see the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest as early as possible to avoid the crowds. We walked from Piece Hostel Kyoto to Kyoto Station. We used our Japan Rail Pass 🔗 for the 6:04 AM train on the JR Sagano Line towards Sonobe. It took a little more than 15 minutes and we reached Saga-Arashiyama Station station.

We first went to see the Kimono Forest at Arashiyama Station. The Kimono Forest is a train-stop art installation with 600 backlit pillars adorned with vibrant kimono textiles. We reached there before sunrise and so could get a chance to see the Kimono Forest lit up and also without the lights. This is off the beaten track but worth a quick visit.

Next we walked to the Togetsukyo Bridge, a 155-meter bridge built across the Katsura River that flows through Saga Arashiyama. A small dam and the tree-covered slopes of the Arashiyama mountain were just south of the bridge. It was wonderful to see this in the early morning light.

From there we headed to the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove also known as the Sagano Bamboo Forest. It was a natural forest of bamboo with various paths and walkways. Of course, there were a few other visitors who had the same plan as us and had got there early to enjoy the place without the crowds and get great photographs. And it was absolutely worth it.

Around 8:15 AM we took the train on the JR Sagano Line back to Kyoto. From Kyoyo Station we bought the Kyoto City Bus & Kyoto Bus One-Day Pass (¥600 per person) and took the bus at around 8:40 AM for the 15 minute ride from Kyoto Station to Horikawa Nakadachiuri. From there walked about 15 minutes to the Nakadachiuri-Gomon Gate. We went to the Imperial Household Agency Kyoto Office and singed up for the 10:00 AM Guided Tour of the Kyoto Imperial Palace in English.

We srtarted off passing the Gishumon Gate and saw the Carriage Porch next. Passing through the Gekkamon Gate we saw the Seiryō-den Hall and the Shishin-den Hall. The Kenshunmon Gate was also seen on the way to Kogosho and then to the beautiful Oike Garden and Pond. Our guide told us about the significance of each of the buildings and also told us about the related history of Kyoto and Japan.

We walked to the bus stop at the north west corner of the Imperial Palace grounds and from there boarded the bus from Karasuma Imadegawa to Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion which was about 15 minutes away. After reaching there we stood in line to buy the entrance tickets and entered the temple compound. The temple was set in a Japanese strolling garden overlooking a pond. It was a nice walked around but there were a lot of visitors here.

We took the bus back from Kinkaku-ji to Kyoto Station. On the north side of the station is an underground shopping mall, Porta and it has a section called ‘Porta Dining’ which had a variety of reasonable priced eating options. We settled in at Marumo Kitchen, Japanese Bowl Cafe for lunch.

The plan for the afternoon was to visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine. We used our Japan Rail Pass 🔗 and took the train on the Nara Line to Inari Station. It was a quick five minute ride and the Fushimi Inari Shrine was a couple of minutes by walk from the station. The Shinto shrine is dedicated to Inari, the god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari’s messengers and there were many fox statues across the shrine grounds.

The highlight of this shrine was the rows of Torii gates, known as Senbon Torii. At the back of the shrine’s main grounds was the entrance to the Torii gate-covered hiking trail, leading up Mt. Inari. There were lots of people in the sections closer to the starting point. But as we moved further and further from the entrance the crowds start to thin. After walking along for just about 15 minutes, there were long spans of the trail where there was no one else around. It was a wonderful experience and presented fantastic photo opportunities. There were many smaller shrines along with way and the Yotsutsuji intersection offered nice views of Kyoto.


We took the train on the Nara Line back to Kyoto Station at around 5:00 PM. Kyoto Station is Japan’s second-largest station building and one of the country’s largest buildings with a huge atrium. The “Daikaidan” or Grand Stairway ram from the 4th floor of the west wing of the station all the way up to the Sky Garden on the 15th floor. There was a stage on the 4th floor at the base of the stairs for concerts, shows or performances are given which people could view from the stairway like an amphitheater.

We then went to The Cube Gourmet Street situated on the 11th floor on the west side of the station building. But almost all of the restaurants were really popular and had lines and significant wait times to get in. So we went back to Porta Dining and settled in at Shijan Korean Kitchen for dinner.

Opposite the Kyoto Station we saw the the Kyoto Tower, the tallest structure in Kyoto at 131m and standing on top a building. It was beautifully lit up at night. It had been a long and tiring day and so we headed back to Piece Hostel Kyoto and retired for the night.

🚍 Kyoto Station to Horikawa Nakadachiuri
🚍 Karasuma Imadegawa to Kinkaku-ji
🚍 Kinkaku-ji to Kyoto Station
🍽️ Marumo Kitchen, Japanese Bowl Cafe
🍽️ Shijan Korean Kitchen