Arashiyama
Tenryu Ji Is Part Of The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments Of Ancient Kyoto (1994); Arashiyama Is A Historic Site And Place Of Scenic Beauty · Kyoto, Kyoto
A district on the western edge of Kyoto where the Hozu river leaves the mountains, a place of retreat for the aristocracy since the Heian period, and now one of the most visited parts of the city. Its most famous sight is the bamboo grove, a path through towering stalks of bamboo that creak and rustle in the wind, which is almost impossibly crowded by mid-morning. Beside it, Tenryu-ji, a great Zen temple founded in 1339 and part of the World Heritage listing, has a fourteenth-century garden of pond and borrowed mountain scenery. The Togetsukyo bridge, the Moon Crossing Bridge, spans the river against wooded hills that are famous for cherry blossom and maples. Up the hill across the river, the Iwatayama Monkey Park has wild macaques and a view over the city. North of the grove, the Okochi Sanso villa, Gio-ji's moss garden and the preserved street of Saga-Toriimoto are quieter. Boats run down the Hozu gorge from Kameoka, and the Sagano scenic railway follows the river. Arashiyama is twenty minutes by train from central Kyoto; the key to enjoying it is to arrive at dawn.
Sagaogurayama Tabuchiyamacho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto, 616-8394, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED - CONFIRM BEFORE GOING. The typical pattern: the bamboo grove and the riverside are open at all hours. Tenryu-ji opens daily at about 8:30 and closes around 5pm. Okochi Sanso and the monkey park open around 9am and close by 4 or 5pm, with the monkey park's last entry earlier and closures in bad weather. The Sagano train runs from March to December and usually not on Wednesdays; the Hozu boats keep a seasonal timetable and stop when the river is high. The traps: arriving after 9am, an unbooked Sagano train in autumn, and restaurants closing by 5pm. Confirm times before relying on them.