Exploring the World Famous Japanese Bamboo Forest
Japan has a bamboo forest that is exotic. Located in the popular Sagano District along the western edge of Kyoto, Arashiyama Park offers more than just the opportunity to explore bamboo forests for nature lovers. This forest is so photogenic with bamboo that thrives on the various sides of the trail.
Kyoto may not be as busy and lively as Tokyo. But this area saves various interesting natural attractions for you to visit. Like the beautiful and vast Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, it's like it's endless. Travelers also don't have to pay an entrance fee, aka free. (insidekyoto.com)
Arashiyama provides an opportunity for tourists to cruise the canal on a large boat, explore the tiny shops and amazing local restaurants, browse unique art installations, hike the Tenryuji Temple trails, and make friends with free-roaming Japanese monkeys, or snow monkeys.
From the front gate to the bamboo forest it is often crowded with tourists, and the streets are also beautiful with several cherry blossom trees in full bloom. From Asian tourists to Caucasians of all ages seemed to fill the area to the bamboo forest.
This bamboo forest is so well organized. There is a fairly wide path that tourists can pass on foot or by bicycle, while bamboo trees thrive on both sides of the road.
Arashiyama Park's beauty attracts travelers from season to season. Arashiyama is a popular destination for viewing cherry blossoms in the spring. Visitors continue to flock to the area throughout the autumn to watch the leaves begin to change color.
Winter is the time to welcome the Hanatoro Arashiyama Festival of Lights which is held in December and March. The light festival, held twice a year in Kyoto's Higashiyama District, is a spectacle that many people look forward to, and features thousands of lanterns set up throughout popular destinations, including ancient shrines, shrines, and the Arashiyama bamboo grove. For 10 days, the lanterns will illuminate the sides of the mountains and bamboo groves, giving visitors a new view of Arashiyama and Kyoto.
During the warmer season, Arashiyama is best accessed by boat on the scenic Hozugawa River for an adventurous experience. It takes about two hours by boat to travel along the Honzugawa river, between the cities of Kameoka and Arashiyama. Travelers can also visit by train via JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, or Arashiyama Station if using the Randen Tram. If you want to get away from the crowds, it's a good idea to start exploring Arashiyama in the morning. Make sure you take at least half a day to wander around to see all that Arashiyama has to offer.
How to Get to the Kyoto Bamboo Forest
From Kyoto Station, travelers can take a train that crosses the JR Sagano Line, and then get off at Saga Arashiyama Station. Get off the train, just leave the station and walk to the bamboo forest.
When you walk in the bamboo forest it feels like you have entered another world. The place is crowded, but the silence is still felt with the bamboos visible as far as the eye can see. When the wind blows, the sound of the bamboo leaves can be heard faintly and adds to the serene atmosphere.
The further you walk in, the thicker and denser the bamboo trees will be.
In the middle of the bamboo forest, there is a temple that is quite crowded with people to pray. In front of the shrine there is a shop selling Japanese souvenirs with prices starting from 100 Yen.
If you are satisfied walking in the bamboo forest and buy souvenirs, you can walk back to the entrance gate. For those who are hungry but don't bring lunch, don't worry, because there are several shops that sell cakes to sakura and matcha flavored ice cream, or green tea for 300 yen.
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