Kyoto district
The place
On the western edge of the city, Arashiyama is where Kyoto meets the mountains: the Katsura River runs out of the Hozu gorge under the Togetsukyo Bridge, and the bamboo grove, the Zen garden of Tenryu-ji and the hillside villa of Okochi Sanso sit within a ten-minute walk of each other. Unlike Gion, almost everything here is open land rather than lanes, so the frames are wider and greener, and there is space for a family or a group.
The bamboo grove has no gates and no fee, which is exactly why it fills: from about 8:30 the path is shoulder to shoulder until dusk. At 6:30 it is nearly empty and the light filters down green through the stalks. The base 30 minutes is the grove; with extra hours, the session follows the opening times — Tenryu-ji at 8:30, Okochi Sanso at 9 — and the bridge comes last, when the day trippers are only just arriving from the station.
Before you go
Seasonal calendar
Typical peak windows. They move by a week or more from year to year; we check the forecast when you book.
About a dozen rental shops sit around the Randen Arashiyama and Saga-Arashiyama stations, so you can dress on arrival. For the 6:30 bamboo session they are not yet open, so we rent the day before in central Kyoto with next-day return; a dresser at your hotel can be quoted separately. The paths are gravel and flat, comfortable in zori; leave an hour for the walk from the grove to the bridge.
Do not touch, lean on or carve into the bamboo — the city has fenced sections after damage, and carving is vandalism. Tripods are impractical on the narrow path and refused in the temples. Give way to rickshaws, which use the same path. Tenryu-ji’s and Okochi Sanso’s gardens are for walking, not staging; pre-wedding shoots inside need the temple’s permission.
JR Sagano line from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama takes about 15 minutes; the first trains leave before six. The Randen tram runs from Shijo-Omiya to Arashiyama in about 22 minutes, and the Hankyu line reaches Arashiyama Station on the south bank. A taxi from Kyoto Station takes 25–30 minutes.
The spots
Here is where to shoot in Arashiyama, with the hours that work and the venue rules.
A path between walls of moso bamboo, rising from the Nonomiya Shrine end towards Okochi Sanso. The tallest, densest section is just above the Tenryu-ji north gate; with a longer lens and the path empty, the bamboo fills the frame on both sides.
Light through the year
Sun over the ridge by six; the canopy turns bright green and the path stays cool until nine.
Sunrise after seven; the grove is dim and blue-green at first light, warming as the sun clears the hill.
A 155-metre bridge across the Katsura River with the forested slope of Mt Arashiyama behind. The riverbank downstream gives the classic long view; the weir below adds moving water to a slow exposure.
Light through the year
The whole mountainside behind the bridge colours; it faces north-east, so it is lit in the morning.
Cherries dot the slope between the pines, and Nakanoshima Park fills with picnics by eleven.
A UNESCO-listed Zen temple whose Sogenchi pond garden borrows the Arashiyama hills as its backdrop. Its north gate opens directly onto the bamboo grove, so a session can move from one to the other without going back to the street.
A sub-temple of Tenryu-ji with a moss-and-rock garden, the Lion’s Roar Garden, under a dense canopy of maples. In late November it is one of the most saturated reds in Arashiyama, and it is closed the rest of the year.
The hillside villa and garden of the silent-film actor Denjiro Okochi, at the top of the bamboo grove. Paths climb past teahouses to views over Kyoto and the Hozu gorge, and it is far quieter than anywhere else in Arashiyama.
District by district
Shoots here
These are booked from their service page; the photographer meets you here at the same price.
Read before you book
No travel charge
These come under the Arashiyama rate: the photographer travels out at no extra charge, and the shoot is priced exactly as it would be in Arashiyama itself.
Before you book
Before about 7:30, yes, most days; on autumn weekends aim for 6:30. We take the first JR train or a taxi and are in the grove at first light.
It is one of the best: the paths are flat, there is room for a group, and the riverbank gives children space to move. Rental shops near the stations have children’s sizes.
Yes, but not both at dawn. We suggest the bamboo grove at 6:30 and Gion’s lanterns at Yasaka Shrine after dark, with the middle of the day free — Arashiyama to Gion is about 30 minutes by taxi.
Next step
We reply within 2 hours, 9:00–21:00 Japan time. No deposit required to enquire.
