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
I am available for doing tours in Osaka, Nara, Kyoto and Kobe at least three days in a week.
I usually know my schedule a month in advance.
Please check my schedule before booking.
I can also do tours until 8 pm (finish time) in Osaka and Nara, 7 pm (finish time) in Kyoto and Kobe.
My transportation fees and lunch costs are not included in the tour price so I respectfully request you pay these costs in cash at the end of the tour.
I will tailor your tours according to your requirements.
Please feel free to contact me at anytime.
I look forward to meeting you and showing you the beauty of Japan.
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 was so flexible with us. We had a couple of injuries that occurred just before we left for a Kyoto and she adjusted the tour and day around our needs. Very flexible and caring and nothing was to much trouble. Highly recommend Atsuko
Hello Ms. Louise, Thank you for your kind review and comment. I was very happy to join your trip in Kyoto. It rained all day long yesterday but all of you enjoyed this tour. I appreciate your passion for Japan. I am heading to Kyoto now. Please enjoy strolling around the Philosopher’s Path today and Nara tomorrow. Thank you. Best regards, Atsuko
Atsuko-San was absolutely amazing! She is very knowledgeable and is very easy to talk to too. She taught us a lot about Kyoto and she taught me a lot about the culture which is very important to me as a Japanese American. I do plan on coming back with my sister and mother and would love to use her services again. Thank you so much Atsuko-San!
Hello Mr. Sharla S, Thank you for your kind review for my tour. I appreciate your comment for me too. I really enjoyed talking with you. I understand you really like Japan and its culture. I wanted to show you Japan as long as I know. I am happy to hear you plan to come to Japan with your family. Looking forward to seeing you again!! Thank you. Best regards, Atsuko
Atsuko was great from the beginning, from emails to meeting us at the train and riding with us from tennoji, to a wonderful tour of the town. Her knowledge of the temples was excellent, and she was very attentive of me and my back issues. It was out best tour with your company. We will recommend GoWithGuide to others.
Hello Ms. Caroline P, Thank you for your kind review and comment to me. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I enjoyed your tour with your group. All of you were interested in Nara, religions in Japan and history of Japan. I was happy to show you all of them. Thank you. Best regards, Atsuko
We had a beautiful day being taken to Osaka Castle with Atsuko. She is very kind and friendly and introduced us to some traditional Japanese food. The tour was approximately 5 hours and the weather was beautiful which made is so much more enjoyable
Hello Ms. Clare, Thank you for your kind review and comment for me. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I really enjoyed doing the tour with your family group. Your tour was special because you booked my tour last April, when nobody thought Japan was open. You were the 1st person who booked my tour. Finally our dream came true. We could meet in face to face. Thank you for joining me. Please say hello to all of your family. Thank you. Best regards, Atsuko