Saga Arashiyama is located in the northwest of Kyoto city, which was an ancient capital of Japan.
It is famous for its scenic beauty.
There are many picturesque places such as bamboo groves, mountain ranges, bridges, rivers, historical temples and shrines , scenic trains, and a 'Kimono Forest'.
On this tour we will walk down the mountainside, visit some peaceful temples, see the beautiful bamboo groves and attractive gifts (pottery, cocoon dolls, handmade bamboo products) there.
9:30
You can choose any hotel or train station near your accommodation.
If you stay at a hotel in Osaka, we will start the tour earlier.
Walking in a local area
Reaching the bus stop
The Toriimoto area is located at the foot of Mt. Atago, which is the highest sacred mountain in Kyoto city.
Toriimoto literally means the foot of the gate called 'Torii'.
The area was designated as an Important Traditional Cultural Property.
We can find traditional houses, town houses, visit a beautiful temple and see lovely products made in this area when we descend from the first gate.
There are some local restaurants. You can find your favorite food.
The unique pottery store is located when we descend the mountain.
In the store, there is handmade pottery, from earthenware and ceramics.
The owner makes all of them onsite in the store so each item is unique.
We can enjoy seeing different kinds of pottery, bonsai, miniature potted trees, and a beautiful garden in the shop.
Bamboo groves in Sagano and Arashiyama are very popular at home and abroad.
They have tremendous appeal at all times of the day.
You can enjoy the majestic view of bamboos in a quiet forest with cool air in the morning and the sunshine filtering through the branches of the trees during the daytime.
You can feel the serene beauty there.
Nonomiya Shrine is located on the bamboo grove path in Sagano.
This shrine enshrines the god for matchmaking.
In ancient times, a princess visited this shrine to purify herself before going to the main shrine in Ise.
The shrine was carefully chosen as a serene and sacred place.
The shrine was also used in the Tale of Genji, which is a Japanese famous tale about romance, so it reminds us of the romantic and beautiful scene.
You can enjoy some attractions in the shrine as well.
After visiting the shrine, we will visit another bamboo grove.
Let's walk this romantic path together.
Tenryuji Temple is a Zen Buddhist temple and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was built during the Warring State Period and experienced fire damage eight times.
Now we can sit down in the hall and enjoy the great view of the garden and Arashiyama.
This garden is designed beautifully so that the scenery of Arashiyama could be adopted in the garden.
We can relax in the hall and stroll around the garden.
Togetsu bridge is the iconic symbol of Arashiyama.
We will walk along the riverside.
You can enjoy the harmony of mountains, rivers and bridges from the riverside.
You can also enjoy the alluring scenery with beautiful cherry blossom in spring, bright greenery in summer, the flaming colors of leaves in autumn, and a majestic blanket of snow in winter.
Let's enjoy walking in the peaceful riverside and its picturesque scenery .
Arashiyama is famous for bamboo forests but this area is not a bamboo forest !
It is a 'Kimono Forest' !
Kimono fabrics are inside of the poles placed at the tram station. They look like a forest because they are closed together.
We can see 32 different kimono patterns which are made in Kyoto. As well as bamboo forests, we can enjoy the sunshine filtering through the poles during the daytime and the flash of brilliant golden colored poles at night.
Let's walk in the Kimono Forest together !
At your hotel or other places that you will choose.
If you stay in Osaka, we will finish the tour later.
If the finishing time is too late for you, I will change this itinerary.
I will tailor the tour for you.
17:30
Guide fee, hotel pick-up
transportation fee for you and guide
admission fee for you and your guide ( Guides don't need admission fees for some temples.)
lunch costs for you and your guide
On this tour we'll enjoy tranquil walk, the beautiful nature, the picturesque scenery and historical places. If you want to visit other places, please feel free to let me know. I will arrange the tour according to your request.
Also, if you want to change the meeting time and finishing time, please feel free to ask me.
We'll be able to finish the tour at shopping district in Kyoto or Osaka if you want.
You will be able to enjoy the local food there.
This tour will show you the following;
・The tranquil places on the bamboo grove path
・The picturesque scenery
・ The history of Kyoto
・The correlation between Shinto and Buddhism for Japanese people.
・The traditional and beautiful gardens
・Special foods in Kyoto
Atsuko-san has delivered an excellent Osaka overview tour for us. She has been very communicative through the trip even before confirmating the reservation asking about customizing, answering general questions about Japan, providing helpful hints about sights for helping us choose. On the day of the trip, she arrived at our hotel on time and took us around to the different spots by metro, rearranging schedule as needed, took us to a nice restaurant for lunch and overall very caring. Just FYI be prepared for a good amount of walking as part of the tour Would highly recommend Atsuko-san.
Hello Mr. Suresh N, Thank you for your kind review and comment for me. I am happy to hear you enjoyed the tour yesterday. I wondered you would enjoy walking in the heat on the tour. I also enjoyed showing you especially the temple. It was fun to share Buddhism with all of you. You must be in Kyoto now. Please enjoy the Kyoto tour today and your Nara tour tomorrow. Thank you for joining my tour. Best regards, Atsuko
Atsuko was a wonderful guide, she was so helpful with information leading up to the day. She was exactly where she had explained she would be on arrival and at the time she said. It was extremely hot in Osaka and Kyoto, Atsuko helped us around and altered the itinerary to suit our children and elderly family members who were struggling with the heat. Would highly recommend at Atsuko
Hello Ms. Natasha, Thank you for your wonderful revies and comment for me. I had a great time with your family yesterday. It was very hot and humid, so everyone was tired walking around Arashiyama. I think it was good to skip the shrine and change to the market. I enjoyed talking and playing with your three little cute girls. Thank you for joining my tour. Please say hello to everyone and enjoy Hiroshima today. Best regards, Atsuko
We were a family of 4 adults and 1 child. Atsuko was really accommodating and adjusted all the times considering a 4 year old. We saw what we planned and couldn't be happier.
Hello Ms. Elizabeth H, Thank you for your kind review and comment for me. I really enjoyed showing my home town to you. It was fun to talk with you and your family. Dahlia is very cute. I am happy I could join your family trip. Please let me know if you have any chance to visit Osaka again. Thank you for joining my tour. Best regards, Atsuko
Thanks to Atsuko we had a perfect day exploring Nara and Osaka with our two kids! She picked a great Sushi Restaurant for lunch and we learned so much about the Japanese history and Culture. 100% recommendations :)
Hello Ms. Anke, Thank you for your kind comment and review for me. It was great that we could visit both Nara and Osaka Castle today. I was worried if we could do this tour or not when I saw the pouring rain this morning. I really enjoyed talking with you and showing my favorite place, Nara. If you have another chance, please visit Nara again. Please say hello to everyone. Enjoy the Universal Studio tomorrow. Thank you. Best regards, Atsuko