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 and 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 to reach Saga-Arashiyama 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, so we had a chance to see the Kimono Forest both lit up and without the lights. This is off the beaten track but worth a quick visit.
Next, we walked to the Togetsukyō 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 arrived early to enjoy the place without the crowds and get great photographs. It was absolutely worth it.
Around 8:15 AM, we took the train on the JR Sagano Line back to Kyoto. At Kyoto Station, we bought the Kyoto City Bus & Kyoto Bus One-Day Pass (¥600 per person) and took the bus around 8:40 AM for the 15-minute ride from Kyoto Station to Horikawa Nakadachiuri. From there, we walked about 15 minutes to the Nakadachiuri Gomon Gate. We went to the Imperial Household Agency - Kyoto Office and signed up for the 10:00 AM guided tour of the Kyoto Imperial Palace in English.
We started off passing the Gishu-mon Gate and saw Okurumayose, the Carriage Porch for the Nobles. Passing through the Gekka-mon Gate (Gate of the Moon), we saw the Seiryo-den (Inner Palace) and the Shishin-den (Ceremonial Palace). The Kenshunmon Gate was also visible on the way to Kogosho and then to the beautiful Oike-niwa (Pond Garden). Our guide told us about the significance of each of the buildings and the related history of Kyoto and Japan.
We walked to the bus stop at the northwest corner of the Imperial Palace grounds and boarded the bus from Karasuma Imadegawa to Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, which was about 15 minutes away. After reaching the temple, we stood in line to buy entrance tickets and entered the compound. The temple was set in a Japanese strolling garden overlooking a pond. It was a nice walk, though there were many visitors there.
We took the bus back from Kinkaku-ji to Kyoto Station. On the north side of the station is an underground shopping mall, Porta, which has a section called ‘Porta Dining’ featuring a variety of reasonably priced eating options. We settled in at Marumo Kitchen, a 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’ 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 many people in the sections closer to the starting point, but as we moved further from the entrance, the crowds started to thin. After walking for just about 15 minutes, there were long spans of the trail where no one else was around. It was a wonderful experience and presented fantastic photo opportunities. There were many smaller shrines along the 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, featuring a huge atrium. The “Daikaidan,” or Grand Stairway, ran from the 4th floor of the west wing 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, 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. However, almost all of the restaurants were popular and had significant wait times. So, we went back to Porta Dining and settled in at Shijan Korean Kitchen for dinner.
Opposite Kyoto Station, we saw the Kyoto Tower, the tallest structure in Kyoto at 131m, standing on top of a building. It was beautifully lit up at night. It had been a long and tiring day, 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