My Mom has always been very passionate about nature and this has been her motivation to travel every season.
Among all of the seasons, autumn is her favorite. The multi-colored leaves and the mystifying colors of the sun bring about a scent of romance. As there is no autumn in Thailand (always summer!), the closest country for her to experience and admire autumn is Japan.
Her most recent visit to Japan was in November, a couple of years ago. As she had visited Tokyo and Osaka previously, she chose to explore Kyoto this time.
Kyoto was absolutely gorgeous during the foliage season, but was also very crowded. After spending 2 days in Kyoto, she began to search for new places to visit and came across Arashiyama, which was not far from Kyoto and accessible by train.
Arashiyama, which means storm mountain, is a district on the western part of Kyoto. The name also refers to the mountain across the main river. Arashiyama is a nationally designated historic site and place of scenic beauty.
The main walking street of Arashiyama was less touristy with small temples scattered along the base of the mountain.
There were ancient traditional houses, restaurants, confectionery stores and gift shops.
At the end of the main walking street (the northern part) lied the Togetsukyo Bridge (Moon Crossing Bridge), which was Arashiyama’s most iconic landmark.
The bridge looked particularly attractive with the combination of forested mountainside in the background.
There were many names given to the river flowing under the Togetsukyo Bridge. The upper course was called Oigawa River, middle course was known as Hozugawa River and the lower course, Katsuragawa River.
There were many options for visitors to explore and admire Arashiyama and its beauty:
The Saga Scenic railway ran for 7 km from Arashiyama to the nearby Kameoka along the Hozu Rivier. The train travelled at a maximum speed of approximately 25 km/h during its 25-minute journey, allowing passengers to enjoy the scenery.
The Hozu River Boat Tour was a 2-hour trip that took passengers down the winding Hozu River to the Togetsukyo Bridge.
There were millions of trees forming a beautiful gradient landscape of green, yellow, orange and red leaves.
On the way down the mountain, my Mom visited the Tenryuji temple which was the largest temple in Arashiyama.
The Tenryuji temple was one of Kyoto’s 5 greatest Zen temples and was a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to the temple, there were also beautiful gardens and walking paths.
Close to the Tenryuji temple was a bamboo grove. The walking path cut through the grove.
It was an alluring experience as tall bamboo stalks swayed back and forth from the gentle autumn wind.
The autumn experience in Arashiyama was beyond my Mom’s expectation.
