The Togetsukyō Bridge is instantly recognizable by the contrast between its reinforced concrete frame and its traditional cypress railings, which maintain the appearance of a classic wooden structure spanning the Katsura River. Stretching…
Arashiyama and Sagano Walk
This walk leads you from the iconic riverfront bridge through Arashiyama's famous bamboo groves and up into the tranquil, temple-lined hillsides of Sagano.
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1. Togetsukyō Bridge
2. Tenryu-ji
Tenryu-ji stands in the Arashiyama district as a sprawling Zen complex defined by its fourteenth-century landscape garden, which retains its original design despite the repeated fires that have leveled the temple buildings over the…
3. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is defined by its towering stalks of Moso bamboo, which reach heights of up to twenty meters and create a dense, emerald canopy over the walking paths. This grove is part of the broader Sagano landscape, a…
4. Okochi Sanso Garden
Okochi Sanso Garden is defined by a large black entrance gate that marks the transition from the bustling bamboo forest of Arashiyama into a quiet, twenty-thousand-square-meter hillside estate. This garden was the private residence of…
5. Jōjakkōji Temple
Jojakko-ji Temple is marked by a thatched-roof gate, the Niomon, which stands at the base of the forested slopes of Mount Ogura. This structure dates back to the fourteenth century and serves as the entrance to a temple complex established…
6. Giōji Temple
Giōji Temple is defined by its deep, vibrant moss garden that carpets the ground beneath a canopy of maple trees and bamboo. This small, secluded site in the Arashiyama district is known as the nunnery of tragic love, once serving as a…
7. Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street
Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street is marked by a distinctive architectural mix of traditional thatched-roof farmhouses and wooden machiya townhouses lining the road. Designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional…
8. Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple
Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple is defined by the sight of approximately eight thousand stone statues and pagodas packed into a dedicated area of its grounds known as Sai no Kawara. These weathered markers were once scattered across the…
9. Otagi Nenbutsuji
Otagi Nenbutsuji is defined by a hillside crowded with twelve hundred stone figures known as rakan. These statues, which represent the disciples of Buddha, appear in an astonishing variety of poses and expressions, ranging from figures…