# Arashiyama (Kyoto) > Arashiyama’s bamboo grove is a 400-metre path that holds a few dozen people before it looks full — so the shoot is timed to the first train, not the sunrise. This page as HTML: https://www.komorebis.cc/destinations/arashiyama - Coordinates: 35.0145, 135.6744 - Nearest airport: KIX 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. ## When to go Autumn is the peak: the hillsides, Hogon-in and Tenryu-ji colour from mid-November to early December, and the weekends of late November are among the most crowded days in Kyoto. Cherries cover the slopes of Mt Arashiyama and Nakanoshima Park in late March to early April. In mid-December the Hanatouro illumination lights the bamboo grove and lanes in the evening for about ten days. Summer is green, humid and full of cormorant-fishing boats on the river in July and August. - **Cherry blossom**: Late March to early April - **Autumn leaves**: Mid-November to early December ## Getting there 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. ## Kimono 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. ## Rules on location 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. ## Drone We do not fly drones here: the area is a densely inhabited district or the landowners forbid it. ## Photo spots ### Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - Coordinates: 35.017, 135.6713 - Best time: 6:30–7:30 am - Access and permits: Free; open at all hours. No touching the bamboo, no tripods on the path 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. - **Summer**: Sun over the ridge by six; the canopy turns bright green and the path stays cool until nine. - **Winter**: Sunrise after seven; the grove is dim and blue-green at first light, warming as the sun clears the hill. ### Togetsukyo Bridge - Coordinates: 35.0128, 135.6778 - Best time: Early morning or late afternoon - Access and permits: Free; the bridge carries traffic, so we shoot from the riverbank and Nakanoshima Park 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. - **Mid-November–early December**: The whole mountainside behind the bridge colours; it faces north-east, so it is lit in the morning. - **Late March–early April**: Cherries dot the slope between the pines, and Nakanoshima Park fills with picnics by eleven. ### Tenryu-ji - Coordinates: 35.0158, 135.6737 - Best time: 8:30 am opening - Access and permits: Garden about ¥500, buildings extra; 8:30 am–5 pm. No tripods; pre-wedding shoots need permission 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. ### Hogon-in - Coordinates: 35.0151, 135.6754 - Best time: Autumn opening, mid-November to early December - Access and permits: Open only in spring and autumn special periods, about ¥700; evening illumination in autumn with a separate ticket 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. ### Okochi Sanso - Coordinates: 35.0177, 135.6694 - Best time: Mid-morning - Access and permits: About ¥1,000 including matcha and a sweet; 9 am–5 pm. Personal photography only 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. ## Covered at no travel charge Arashiyama, Saga, Sagano, Katsura River, Nakanoshima Park, Uzumasa ## Popular here - [Kimono photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/kimono-photoshoot.md) — from $260; 15 edited photos within 3 days - [Couple photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/couple-photoshoot.md) — from $220; 15 edited photos within 3 days - [Autumn leaves photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/autumn-leaves-photoshoot.md) — from $260; 15 edited photos within 3 days - [Cherry blossom photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/sakura-photoshoot.md) — from $260; 15 edited photos within 3 days - [Pre-wedding photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/pre-wedding.md) — from $800; 15 edited photos within 7 days - [Family kimono photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/family-kimono.md) — from $300; 15 edited photos within 3 days - [Japan photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/japan-photoshoot.md) — from $220; 15 edited photos within 3 days - [Family photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/family-vacation.md) — from $220; 15 edited photos within 3 days - [Travel film](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/travel-film.md) — from $430; 30–45 s film + 15 s vertical cut within 7 days - [Honeymoon photoshoot](https://www.komorebis.cc/services/honeymoon.md) — from $300; 15 edited photos within 3 days ## Frequently asked questions ### Can we get the bamboo grove without people? 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. ### Is Arashiyama good for a family kimono shoot? 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. ### Can we combine Arashiyama with Gion on the same day? 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. --- Komorebi · https://www.komorebis.cc