Arashiyama bamboo forest: how to see it without the crowd

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove lines a 400 meter path that runs between Nonomiya Shrine and Okochi Sanso Villa.¹ Walking from Nonomiya toward Okochi Sanso is uphill, so the gentlest direction is the other way.⁶ The Tenryu-ji north gate opens onto the same road, which also leads on to Okochi Sanso Villa, Jojakko-ji and Rakushisha.⁷

The Sagano Scenic Railway writes that especially in the morning and evening, when the light streams in, the atmosphere is so magical and beautiful that it is tempting to capture it in a photograph or painting.⁵ That is the reason to spend the early hours here rather than the lunch hour. The Kyoto City Tourism Association lists the grove among its places for a calm early-morning visit.⁸

Be realistic about how short the path is. It takes minutes to cross at a walking pace, and the place only becomes a forest if you arrive when others have not. Pair it with the temple, the villa and the bridge, and the visit stretches to a half day without feeling padded. Treat the Arashiyama bamboo forest Kyoto draws visitors to as a short stop inside a longer Arashiyama day.

The direct train is the JR Sagano Line, rapid or local, which takes about 11 minutes from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama Station, although JNTO describes it as a 15-minute ride.^3,29 The Sagano platform is further away than other lines at Kyoto Station and the front cars are crowded, so boarding from the back of the platform is advised.³⁰ The grove is a 10-minute walk from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station.⁴

A less crowded route uses the subway and the tram. The Karasuma Line to Karasuma Oike and the Tozai Line to Uzumasa Tenjingawa takes about 20 minutes and costs 260 yen for adults, and the Randen ride from Randen-Tenjingawa to Arashiyama takes about 15 minutes and costs 250 yen.^21,22 The Kyoto Subway & Randen 1-Day Ticket costs 1,300 yen, adult only.³¹ From the Keifuku Arashiyama terminal it is about a 4-minute walk to Togetsukyo Bridge.³²

By Hankyu, change at Katsura Station to the Hankyu Arashiyama Line and ride to the last stop, Arashiyama Station.²⁴ City buses 11, 28 and 93 and Kyoto Bus 61, 72 and 83 stop at Arashiyama Tenryu-ji Mae, and the tourism association suggests avoiding bus 11 from Shijo Kawaramachi because Shijo-dori is often congested.^25,33

Graffiti carved with a knife has been discovered on some of the bamboo stalks; damaged stalks cannot be repaired and must be cut down, so visitors are asked not to carve them.⁸⁰ Kyoto City designates 43 areas, including Arashiyama, as Beautification Promotion Areas, and littering there can bring fines of up to 30,000 yen.⁸¹

Light-up evenings add rules of their own, set by the organizers: check them before you carry a tripod, a drink or a drone into the paid area. Strollers and wheelchairs need a look at the route first, since some paths in an evening venue can be uneven. By day, the same politeness applies to the lane.

The same politeness applies by day. The path is narrow, so step to the side before you take a photo, and keep to the surface of the path instead of the bamboo edges. A quiet pace is part of the atmosphere the light is famous for, and a shout carries a long way between the canes.