After exploring Fushimi Inari Shrine, we set off to Arashiyama to see the famous bamboo forest. Once at the train station we decided to rent bikes for the afternoon. The forest is a bit of a walk and we didn’t have anymore plans for the day, so bikes were the perfect way to see as much of the area as we could.
We parked our bikes close to the entrance and walked to the main part of the forest. We went midday, instead of first thing in the morning, it was insanely busy. Once at the main part we took some photos… looked at the huge crowd and decided to just turn around, lol! The crowd was over whelming and the forest was very under whelming in my opinion… but I’m glad I saw it. We had a wild bamboo forest to ourselves in Higashiyama, so we don’t feel like we missed out on the experience.
Anyways, we really enjoyed our time biking around Arashiyama and I’m so happy we got to see more of it in a very relaxed way. We were able to stop every time we saw a bloomed cherry blossom tree, and just get lost.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
^^ Loved spotting this peace pole inside the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest! ^^
^^ I got this photo of a carving I noticed on a bamboo tree… a year later this article came out. ^^
After leaving the bamboo forest we biked straight to % Arabica, a hipster Japanese coffee shop that has 3 locations in Kyoto and new ones are popping up all over the world. We also visited their Kiyomizudera location while in Higashiyama. This time we tried their iced coffee and sandwiches, then ate overlooking the historical Togetsukyo Bridge and the Ooi River.
We rode our bikes over the bridge and spent some time at Arashiyama Park. This mikan (orange) tree caught our eye. Next stop was Gioji Temple and we finally spotted a fully bloomed weeping cherry blossom tree on the way!!
Gioji Temple
^^ This place was simply a magical mossy mess! ^^
Tenryu-ji Temple
^^ We stumbled upon two fun things! First of all a traditional Japanese wedding and then filming of a movie!! ^^
MORE SPRING IN JAPAN POSTS:
Osaka Castle Park | Kimonos in Higashiyama | Why You Should Rent A Kimono | Nara Park | Todai-ji + Kofuku-ji | The Silver Pavilion| Kyoto Gyoen | Fushimi Inari Taisha |
Not sure how/why… but we missed the kimono forest!! Wish we had made it there, as well as the Monkey Park. Here’s a map with my list:
