World Famous Arashiyama Bamboo Forest & Surrounding Area

An experience not to be missed.

Bamboo Forest

On the top of almost every Kyoto to-do list is the world-famous Bamboo Forest.

Standing in the center, just outside of Kyoto, is a peaceful and unique experience. A slight wind rustles the long, wispy leaves, making the giant stalks sway and creak. This creates a soft, serene sound so peaceful and rare that it was listed as one of the official soundscapes of Japan.

The ground is dappled with a soft green light. The smooth, tubular stalks tower 92 feet overhead, giving a rare feeling of calm, different from other types of forests.

Over 500 varieties of bamboo grow in Japan, but this particular one is called Moso Bamboo. It’s originally from China and Taiwan and has been enjoyed in Japan since 700 BC, when nobles would bring their families to vacation here and float down the Hozu River.

The forest is a short, narrow walk and covers only a little over 540 yards in one direction. This small space is magical enough to draw millions of visitors each year. Local tourists have been coming here for hundreds of years, but it’s not the little-known secret it once was. It can get quite crowded during the high spring and fall seasons.

The forest is best appreciated in the mornings or evenings when you can avoid the crowds and fully enjoy the sounds of the bamboo and the tranquility it brings being in such a unique space.

If you have flexibility in your schedule, try to avoid traveling in Japan during Golden Week, which occurs during the last weekend of April and the first week of May. Golden week is when 4 of Japan’s biggest holidays fall between seven days. Almost everyone in the country is off work and out of school this week, many restaurants are closed, and beautiful places like these get incredibly crowded.

Outside of the busiest times of day and most popular holidays, it is still easy to find a quiet moment amongst the bamboo. The forest is always open, and no tickets are needed to enter.

One popular and traditional option is to hire a local rickshaw. Handcart drivers give personal experiences, answering questions, taking photos, and pulling buggies through private areas reserved only for their carts and guests.

Finding the bamboo forest is simple, take the JR train from the main Kyoto Station to the Saga-Arashiyama Station, it’s a short, 15-minute train ride through neighborhoods. From there, it’s only a 12-minute walk to the forest and is well marked, or just follow the crowds.

Delicious Food Stalls

Kyoto is well known for its unique food. One of the particularly special things about the area between the train station and the bamboo forest is the food stalls selling street food. Just off the train, there are a series of small huts. To the left, the third stall down sells delicious, savory marinated cakes on a stick. One that stood out as particularly good was a rectangular, dark soy glazed potato and octopus cake and a round, wild spring garlic and fish cake on a stick.

French bakery names are popular in Japan. Many are also styled after their French counterparts. Marche, however, is completely Japanese, from its light fluffy buns to its delicately flavored cream fillings. This darling little hole in the wall only seats eight on small wooden chairs carved out of tree trunks. An incredible, unique array of sweet and savory pastries comes out continually warm, by the pan full from the ovens in the back by ladies in little cloth hats. It feels like a tiny factory made perfect by the warm smell of baking bread and the fresh, strong coffee with a delightfully subtle flavor only found in Japanese brews.

My party and I had a hard time leaving this space for fear we would miss out on more special treats continually moving in and out of the ovens. My favorite was a pink bread bun with a soft, white bean, cherry blossom filling. Each bun is only about ¥220, currently the equivalent of $1.50. Everyone in my party got seconds. I bought several to try later and ate out of the bag for small impulsive picnics the entire day. We returned and did it all over again two days later.

Togetsu-kyo Bridge

The area around the forest is fun to wander around, with lots of street food and touristy shops selling local snacks and bamboo products. Don’t miss the Togetsu-kyo Bridge, a long, 400-year-old wooden bridge over the Katsura River. Down below the structure, next to the river’s edge, is a lovely, wide picnic spot. Tourists can rent row boats to paddle around the river, which is blocked off with a wooden fence to stop them from flowing too far.

Sagano Scenic Railway

While you’re in the area, another popular attraction is the Sagano Scenic Railway, also known as the Sagano Romantic Train. The old-fashioned, scenic train follows the Hozugawa River Valley and cuts through the gorge flanked by colorful backdrops. The ride is particularly popular during the spring cherry blossom season and during the autumn colors.

Tickets for the train can be bought here for only ¥620 ($4.36) each way. The platform is found at Saga Torokko Station, right next to the JR Saga-Arashiyama Station.

At the end of the train ride, passengers are deposited at Kameoka Torokko Station, where they have the option of taking the romantic train back through the gorge or taking a shuttle bus to a boat departure area where after purchasing tickets for ¥4100 ($27.75) you may take the Hozugawa-kudari River Boat Ride.

Hozugawa-kudari River Boat Ride

This beautiful two-hour boat ride down through the river gorge on a wooden boat with two guides carrying long bamboo poles will very likely be the highlight of your trip. The scenery and river are gorgeous, and the boat floats down exciting rapids. If you’re lucky, you’ll see wildlife, including birds and monkeys! At the end of the ride, a snack boat pulls alongside the boat and sells riders a warm local lunch and drinks.

The buzz is warranted; the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and surrounding area are must-see spots to spend an unforgettable day in Kyoto. Make sure to come hungry.