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Toriimoto walking tour & secret waterfall ( hidden course of Kyoto north of Arashiyama )
Joined 2024
We will take a walking tour of northern part of Arashiyama district called Toriimoto which has a historical landscape. This tour involves a small hiking to visit a sacred training ground of Buddhism where monks practice Takigyo which is a practice of meditation to stand under a waterfall. We'll also make a stop at a real hidden spot even many locals do not know of.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
JR Saga-Arashiyama station
- First we'll meet you at the north exit of Saga Arashiyama Station of JR. Please do not mix the gate with its south. This is a very important point that I have to emphasize. Make sure you come out from its north gate on the side of Marutamachi street. Check the schedule of the train service before you come here. In case you are coming late, please contact me and let me know.
Bamboo Forest
This Sagano Arashioyama Bamboo Forest is a natural bamboo forest and one of the most photographed sights of Kyoto. We will walk through this area toward Toriimoto.
Adashino-Mayumura
The first stop we are going to make is Adashino-Mayumura. This is a shop selling craft items made of cocoons. They are selling them as souvenir items for visitors. There is another Mayumura located right next to Arashiyama station, but this one in toriimoto is the original. Staffs you will meet at the shop are very friendly. You can expect warm welcome from those people. You can relax and have a little shopping on your way. The items here are not heavy or bulky. You can just pack in your tiny bag to carry around.
Saga Toriimoto Town-scape Archive Hall
Go on our way up the hill you come to an old house with thatched roof called Saga Toriimoto Town-scape Archive Hall. The function of this house is to work on the project of preserving a historical landscape of this area. This place is open to public to casually visit and have look around inside the ancient house constructed in 1890's. In this place, I would like to explain how things were and how they stay the way they are today. The structure of this house desplays well-preserved architectural style commonly seen from early Meiji Period in Japan. I hope that my explanation will give you a new perspective to the landscape of this area.
First torii gate of Atago Shrine
After visiting the Archive Hall, soon you will come to the 1st gate of Atago Shrine. Here is a great spot for taking photos. Let's take some beak for some photo shooting. The best time for this spot is autumn. It is also great with green leaves of momiji maple.
Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple
The next stop is Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. Just go along the way up the hill. You will come to this temple. The temple displays a huge collection of stone statues. Every one of them have different impression on their face. It is said there are 1200 of them in this one place. You will surely find this fascinating. The entire ground of this temple is mostly covered in thick moss due the high humidity of this area. The atmosphere of this temple is something unique despite many other temples you see in the city are quite similar to one another. It requires entrance charge of 300 yen per person. This is the only place in this course which requires additional fee. All the rests are free of charge.
Village of Kiyotaki
Now, let's move on toward west to the tunnel. Now you came to a road splitting in three ways right before the tunnel of Kiyotaki. This is the end of Atago Kaido where it meets Kiyotaki-michi " the road to Kiyotaki ". Even though it is said that this tunnel is a scary ghostly spot, I don't think it is such a place. It might look creepy when you look at it with such idea because of the lights in the tunnel and its surroundings. There is a beautiful village called Kiyotaki after passing this tunnel. You don't have to worry because people are living in that village and it is the only way to access Mt. Atago from the city.
Lunch Break
We'll have a lunch break in an atmospheric space in Kiyotaki village for unique experience. In case all the places are closed on that day, likely to be on Friday, we will have a lunch in Toriimoto area.
Water fall of Kuya
This water fall is a training ground of monks where you might come across a rare scene of training called Takigyo. It is the biggest waterfall in Kyoto city. Takigyo is a practice of meditation of standing under a water fall. Let's light up candles on all the alters surrounding this sacred ground. We'll make a wish all together. Let's get a bottle of water inside the village before we go on a hike.
In case, you start your tour at earliest time available for the tour. We'll take a lunch break in this village. I'll check with the schedule of restaurants before the tour. The estimated time for arrival will change for the next destination if we took a lunch break in the middle of the tour.
If you wish to visit Atago Shrine by hiking, this is the main access to the top. It takes about 6 hours to go up and down. Another purpose of this tour is to show you how to get there.
Gohodo Benzaiten
After visiting Kiyotaki, make your way back to the tunnel on Kiyotaki-michi. Soon you will arrive to a hidden temple called Gohodo Benzaiten. It is really hidden in the woods right behind a bus stop called " Gohodo Benzaiten ". You would definitely miss it without a guide. The temple enshrines a goddess called Benzaiten. Benzaiten is a symbol of eloquence ( art of speech to influence people ) . Gohodo Benzaiten is a temple at the hill of Mt. Toriigata. The mountain holds one of 5 symbols of our traditional summer event of building a huge formation of bonefire among 5 mountains located in different directions surrounding the city. This event is called " Gozan Okuribi " which is held to send off spirits of deceased. And this one makes a shape of toirii gate. This is the name origin of this area Toriimoto. The place is scarcely known by some people who come here to make wishes to its Benzaiten. This Benzaiten is enshrined in here as a guardian of Mt. Toriigata. This place is a real hidden treasure for viewing autumn beauty of sacred momiji.
Please note that the estimated time for arrival would be different by 30 minutes for this spot in case we take a lunch beak in the village.
After the visit of Gohodo Benzaiten, let's make our way back to the station. It is about another 20 minutes of walk.
It would be nice to visit nearby Daikakuji Temple before you leave this area. It is only an extra 5 to 10 minutes walk from the station. We can guide its direction.
Daikakuji Temple
Visit Daikakuji Temple which is one of the biggest temples in entire Saga Arashiyama area. For its location being little remote from the central part of its tourism the temple is much lesser visited. This is the point of visiting this one.
Ending Point
JR Saga Arashiyama Station
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Total guide fee in professional English.
The cost for the food and entrance fee ( 300 yen per person ) are not included for the tour. I advise you to bring small amount of cash for your food and drink for the tour.
Tour Important Information
Since this tour involves quite a lot of walking up and down, please wear comfortable clothes and shoes. In case you are coming for the tour in the morning hours, the estimated ending time of the tour would be different by 30 minutes for our lunch break. In case you are starting your tour from the morning, we will visit Gohodo Benzaiten first.
Important message from the supplier
In case of a bad weather condition, I can arrange back-up tour for you. I will ensure that you will not regret about your booking. And, please contact in advance so I can check my availability with other things. Since, 1-day booking notice was making my schedule all messed up, I can only accept with those who properly replies and confirm the booking in advance enough to keep it decent. I recently changed to at least 2-days notice, but we can still discuss.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2024
About Tour Guide Masayuki I.
My name is Masayuki currently living in Kyoto. Everyone casually calls me Massy. I grew up in a bilingual ( English / Japanese ) background. I am a new entry in here, but I am already very well experienced in hosting and guiding. I like to explore things to discover all the hidden beauties and treasures off the beaten path and share with others. I would only show you to the places you really need a guide with no information in English. If you are interested in things truly unique known only to some locals, I am the one. I like to explore in nature and show my footsteps to everyone to discover new hidden ground. It is almost my natural instinct to avoid crowd. I am not into ordinary tourism of Kyoto because I don't want to be another one of them doing the same guide in Kyoto. I want to show you to a true state of sacred and beauty which is unharmed by commercialization and over-tourism. My itinerary cuts off overrated attractions from the view point of a local. In Kyoto I mostly write about places never been introduced in English. I am not a licensed tour guide interpreter, but I have different field of knowledge to introduce things. I am more of an English-hosting guide without strict business manner. I am a professional in writing introduction pages mainly for north parts of Kyoto in English. The courses are my own creation since I am the original one to write in English. I am a very open and friendly person who can communicate in English nearly as good as a native speaker. I was in Canada and U.S. I once took a leading role of an international community as well as being an English teacher. My wife is from Ukraine often assisting me to host my guests.
Reviews
“Hike in Hozukyo Gorge”
Great day hiking by the river. We liked the nature and beautiful views of the pristine water. Masayuki and his wife were great hosts and very attentive to our needs, especially in some of the most difficult areas of the hike. Definitely very beautiful, off-the-beaten path and cool in the summer months!
Masayuki I.
Thank you very much for taking a tour with us, Myriam. Again, we are so glad that all of you could enjoy the day. We both enjoyed your wonderful company during the tour. I hope that you could rest well and refresh yourselves after the tour and enjoy your activities for later. We were so glad to have met you. Good luck with your trip for the rest of your days in Japan. Feel free to contact us if you need to know about anything.
Peter K.
Walking Tour of Kiyotaki to Takao ( hidden course Kyoto Arashiyama to north : Nature Tourism )
“Masayuki is just the best”
We had the best time with Masayuki! He is local grew up in Kyoto and took us to a beautiful river for an all day hike with a stop for lunch at a restaurant that sat over the river. if you are looking for a guy, you will not be disappointed. He is just a loveliest individual.
Masayuki I.
Thank you so much, Peter. We also enjoyed your company during the tour. It was great that we could share a lot of stories while dining at the restaurant. The time we spent together is a wonderful memory for us as well. You are great people.
$357/ per group
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