Is Arashiyama’s Bamboo Forest Worth It? (We Went at 6AM)
[Music] We’re taking the midnight train to Arashiyama. Except it’s not midnight. I wonder if anybody gets that reference. Yeah, cuz the lyrics were off, too. But anyways, we’re going through this really confusing subway station cuz it wasn’t really clear where it was. But the moment we got to it, it does seem very almost horrific. Mainly because there’s not that many people and it’s just us with a lot of echo. And if you’ve ever played the game Exit 8, it kind of reminds us of that. So, here is the Hank Cube line that we’re going to be taking over to Arashiyama. there’s not a lot of lines that go straight there. So, this is one of the options we found on Google Maps. And then when you’re in Japan, I think Google Maps is a pretty good option because it tells you step by step how to get to places and it hasn’t led us astray yet. This type of train really reminds us of the past. It’s very retro looking. It has these fabric that’s vibrant emerald green and a lot of the interior just looks very classic. A lot of people specifically want to board the Hank Q line for this design and a lot of people take photo shoots as well too with this green background. And then once we arrived, we also come to a very classic looking station as well. And when we first arrived, everything looked very rural, but that is the charm of Arashiyama. It has a very countrystyle feeling. And even when we were just walking through the streets in the morning and at night, we heard a lot of cicas chopping away. It just felt very Japanese. When we arrived, it was pitch black and it was almost kind of scary. But in the morning, everything was much brighter and definitely less scary. It was a very pleasant surprise to wake up and see the beautiful views that Arashiamyama is known for. And it was even better cuz we had an amazing breakfast at our hotel that came along with it. Look forward to our future review as we talk about this amazing experience that we had. It was very surprising how good the food actually is, and it actually became one of the major highlights of our entire Japan trip. Another reason that we decided to stay in Arashiamyama is because we had an early 5:30 a.m. wake up in order to go to the famous Arashiama bamboo forest that is usually flooded by tourists later on in the day. So, we wanted to make sure we got a nice peaceful start to our day by going nice and early. Yeah, normally there’s so many people that you actually can’t really cross the street, but when it’s this early, a cat actually roamed around and showed us a really interesting spot that we’ll actually share in a different video. So, our original plan was to go straight to the Arashiamyama bamboo forest, but we saw such a beautiful view right in front of our hotel that we stopped and spent maybe a good 20 minutes just enjoying the view. We were one of the few people actually walking around and it was just a magical experience to see this beautiful sunrise. And we wouldn’t be able to take these photos unless we actually woke up this early because later in the day there’s going to be so many people that you can’t actually take a proper photo of the scenic background. I’m not usually a morning person, but for this experience, I highly recommend waking up for it. So, we finally pulled ourselves away from the beautiful environment now towards the Arashiamyama Bamboo Forest, which is one of the major tourist destinations and known for the photos of the bamboo forest. If you’ve ever searched up photos of the Abashiamyama bamboo forest, you can see the amount of crowd there is in the background. So, we really wanted to avoid having that type of experience. We wanted to experience seeing if we can have the tranquil bamboo forest and just feelings of being in nature without having a big crowd around us. So that’s why we woke up extra early for this. And even though we woke up quite early, there was still a decent amount of people actually already out and about with their camera gear. And one of the major things too is when there’s a lot of people, especially tourists, out and about, it’s very loud. It doesn’t feel very natural or serene, but by waking up this early and with really not that many people, we can actually hear the sounds of Kyoto complimented by the beautiful sunrise with the magical glow of the bamboo forest. Yeah, it was just so beautiful to see the sunlight going through highlighting the difference in the lighting both in the direct sunlight and also in the shade. You really get to experience both parts of the bamboo forest as you walk around because there’s areas of both direct sunlight and the shade light here. You get to see the lights just flicking around and just creating this nice beautiful environment. Yeah, the wind blowing the leaves really does help with refraction of light or at least having the light go through the gaps. It makes everything feel very dynamic, very lively. However, there is a major issue which is trying to get a perfect photo is almost impossible. Mainly because when it’s so beautiful, everyone wants to go, everyone wants to take photos. And even now, after being in the environment for probably half an hour, if not a little bit more, there’s already starting to become a great rush of people coming in to try to take photos. Here are some of the photos that we were able to get, but even then there are some people who are still in frame. We actually met with some other tourists along the way. Each of us asking if we were able to get the perfect shot yet. And to many people’s response, the answer was no. So, here is an example of it being not packed because later in the day it gets even worse. But as we try to walk around and try to get a gap in the traffic of people, sometimes you can really get a pretty decent shot. And as you pan upwards, you can really see the scale of the bamboo forest. It goes really high up. We eventually did find a spot that was a little bit more off the beaten path, but not by much. But because of that, we were able to enjoy a little bit more of the scenery. And then we were able to take this nice photo in this clearing. A lot of people did eventually come into this area to also take photos as well. But while you were here initially, you get to enjoy the nice beautiful space. And most of the tourists and other people walking in this area were quite respectful and people are trying to take photos. Everybody tries to walk in a different direction as to not interrupt the photo itself. But everybody kind of tries their best to get whatever they can. Yeah, it can be quite overwhelming when there’s just so many people just trying to like find their way to a perfect shot. And it’s always important to remember that you can always look up and still enjoy the magnificent views because this bamboo forest is not just wide, it’s also really tall and really high. And so looking up is where you can find tranquility in a very jam-packed environment. Yeah, I think this spots, although it’s quite touristy, can be enjoyed if you go into the mentality that you’re not looking for the perfect photo, but instead just there to enjoy the beautiful nature of being in this gigantic cluster of these beautiful bangoos. Yeah, one of the major things that really attract so many people is that not only is this really big of an area, but it’s also free. And this is actually not the only bamboo forest. There’s actually quite a few all around Japan, including within Tokyo, but some of them requires a fee in order to enter. And those are definitely less populated than this one. Yeah. The reason why it’s so packed this well too is because this is not a super long path. It’s slightly uphill, so that gives a little bit of a good vantage point for photos. But the whole line of these bamboo forests is only maybe like a 15minute walk maximum. So if you can imagine a lot of people can be in this one area all trying to get perfect shot. It will be quite crowded. Yeah, the overall experience can be rather exhausting and so we were just trying to find a place to sit and the only place that we were able to find was literally a few steps in front of a temple that’s not even open. And when we look upwards, there’s also bamboo that’s right beside it. And even here, even though it’s not part of the bamboo forest, it still looks quite amazing. And it’s all thanks to the magnificent sunlight. Since we arrived early to the Arashiamyama bamboo forest, we were able to take our time in this beautiful shrine that’s a couple minutes away from the bamboo forest because everybody was too busy occupying that forest. But because of that, it means there’s a lot less people here. And this is an area where we can actually enjoy the nature sounds because everything was very quiet and there’s so much beautiful greenery which was very unexpected. There was moss everywhere. So, it really reminded us of a fantasy East Asian landscape, very artistic, very game style. But for most of those things, it’s representative or inspired by real life. And this may be one of those real life moments. Like that train going through. All this color in the background really reminds me of Studio Jibli. It looks so beautiful. It doesn’t even look real. It is. And you can experience it by coming to this shrine like we did here. And a really good thing was the weather was great. It was very sunny, so everything looked extra vibrant. Even this Tory gate, it was really red and it looked very glossy in the sunlight. Yeah. If you don’t want to come here for the already very beautiful greenery and the very quiet nature sounds, then I also recommend coming to this area just to get some good shots as well, too. If you’re really into taking scenic photography, this is a pretty good spot. Not just because there’s less people, but because everything was just perfectly arranged. It was a really nice escape from the bamboo forest, even though the bamboo forest has its perks. After walking around that beautiful area, it is now time to grab some lunch. And the perfect area to do so is a couple minutes away from the bamboo forest. Actually, this is a very popular restaurant that I actually found on Instagram. And this was basically a test to see was it as good as what we found on Instagram. In the interior, there’s a lot of rabbits and a lot of different types of very traditional looking artwork. And one major thing was we had to make reservations. Uh this area is known for their beautiful river views and the only way to get that is actually making a reservation in advance. I believe I had to make a reservation a couple weeks before our Japan trip actually started because that is when the bookings for the restaurant became available. But I’m very happy we did so because this was an amazing beautiful view. Yeah, I don’t even know if you can actually walk in and get a window seat right in front of the river. I think if they even do accept walk-ins, they might force you into the other side, which has a lesser view. And if you do get a river view, you better pray that it is nice weather. [Music] Yeah, I don’t think it would have been worth it if the view was not as beautiful as we have seen on this day. Yeah, that’s very true. But there is the seasonal tasting menu which looked pretty good. I mean, look at that. There’s a wide variety of everything and it comes with a flame. Everything looked very substantial. Everything looked really fresh and it’s always nice to have so much variety right in front of a beautiful view of the river. And look, there’s tempura, which is one of my favorite things in Japan. Oh, as well as the Wagyu. Wagyu is always good, too. The good thing about this restaurant is that they have seasonal menus. So, it changes up depending on the season. The one we have in front of us is called the autumn season tasting menu. And you can see little elements of that by the plating of the maple leaf as well as a couple other things like this adorable little maple element they have as well too in the dishes. There’s so many different types of small appetizers for small dishes that you get to try. And it’s very difficult for me right now to remember what exactly each one of them are. But was it worth it? The answer is maybe. Yeah, I feel the same way. But curious as to what are your thoughts on that? Yeah, I think the main thing is that for each person, this set menu was 4,000 yen, which is 40 bucks, which I think was on the more expensive version of what we got compared to other places that we’ve tasted so far in Japan. And I think the main thing that made this a maybe not so positive experience was the time limit of 50 minutes. Yeah, I agree with that because let’s say you’re taking 10 minutes just to look at the views and then if you have seven dishes or something along those lines and each dish requires you 3 minutes or 5 minutes to really appreciate it. And this doesn’t even include the cooking time of the Wagyu. Even though it cooks pretty fast, generally you want to be very careful with how you cook Wagyu because it is a pretty pricey cut of meat. but highly worth it. And so if you’re highly focused on, oh man, do I even have enough time to cook it and then eat it properly and savor it, just the pressure of it all is enough to really hinder the eating experience, even with a beautiful view right in front of you as well. We didn’t spend that much time filming either, but I think even for the general population of people that just want to take a couple photos here and there, I think the time it really adds up and you feel so pressure to just eat everything really quickly just so you can make it out of the restaurant in time. Yeah. I think that just time pressure was just not something that was very pleasant in my opinion. Mhm. Yeah. There’s even times where their staff, as you’re getting close to your time limit, the staff almost hover behind you. I don’t think they’re doing that intentionally, but it’s because they’re just so jam-packed. Their reservations really need to be spot-on in terms of timing, otherwise everyone’s going to be backed up. And so, they just instinctively prep the people who are about to finish to leave. And so I think that if you’re a person who generally eats fast and you can enjoy things very fast, then it’s okay. But if you’re a person who really likes to take your time and savor every bite, then you may want to try another place or come in with the expectation that you have to really enjoy everything faster than normal. Or if you have a lot of money, then you can come here twice and then you can really experience everything that you want to experience in this restaurant. That’s true because if there’s a seasonal menu, then maybe the next one is actually even better or worse. Who knows? But then I’m pretty sure with Japanese food quality, you really can’t go wrong. The minimum expectation is already really high. And so yeah, I think the food will be good. no matter what. It’s just your mileage may vary. Now that we’ve set your expectation for this experience, we’ll talk a little bit more about the food that we tasted because overall it was still very tasty. Starting off with the stone grill where you actually start with the Wagyu and then as you cook that the fat gets absorbed onto the upper layer of the stone and then as you put the seasonal vegetables on top it really soaks up the flavor and with the flame still on it’s warm. has a bit of a roasted charcoal type taste. And then as you try other things like this maple jelly, it’s a very good contrast. And also the tempura really is awesome. I think I was eating and also looking at the view as much as I could to really maximize on this experience. Like here, I’m actually looking at both the beautiful leaf and also comparing it to all of the beautiful trees outside and even the natural sunlight you can see through like this and through these little cuts of the fish. Those are all the little things you get to experience when you’re paying extra attention to what you’re eating. Yeah. It’s like eating with your eyes and then over here you’re eating with your hands because they give you a bunch of seaweed on a wrapper and then you add the charcoal or no the grilled seasonal vegetables. You put it on top of the seaweed and you wrap it around almost like a taco and make sure you don’t eat the paper. But once you have a bite of all the ingredients in combination and adding a little bit of sauce that I don’t really remember what it was, but I imagine it was quite tasty. Once I’m done wrapping it and then taking my very first bite, then I imagine I thought it was amazing and my facial expressions indicate that it was true. There’s a lot of things in the meal where you just take it and eat it, but this is part of the few instances where you actually interact with your food to complete the dish. So, this one here is essentially a oazuk where you add tea into the rice with the salmon on top with a slice of lime and I believe shiso flowers. That combination makes it really interesting where you have some of the savoriness of both the tea and the fish matched with the minty aspects of the shisho flour and it really provides a very refreshing autumn taste. So, it’s like autumn personified into this very dish. Yeah, I really enjoyed when we get to have oazuk in Japan because it’s such a warming dish to have rice and soup together, but the soup was in the form of tea. So, it was not too overwhelming and it perfectly highlights the fish, which I believe was also seasonal and was served with this menu. And the next little thing we get to try is the oyaku don. So, having raw eggs in Japan is so good. I would only try it though in Japan just due to the food safety. But it just makes everything taste so creamy. Look at me mixing it around. It just looks so golden, beautifully creamy, and looks perfectly delicious as well, too. Surprisingly, this dish was almost like a palette cleanser where the egg when it’s raw and in the rice, it essentially emulsifies everything. So then when you actually take a bite of it, it also emulsifies your tongue and resets essentially all the flavors that’s lingering on your palette. And here is I think maple jelly. Maybe not. But anyways, the view has a duck. There’s a lot of wildlife that you can see. And I think actually when we do eventually take a walk outside Oh, you can see them moving around. Yeah, they’re just playful outside. And then actually down on the river when we walk through it, we actually see some turtles as well, too. So, there’s a lot of beautiful and cute things that you get to see just by looking out into the water. Overall, a pretty good experience. Great views, great food. The time limit, I wish it could have been longer. But anyways, if you’re interested in hearing more about our genuine experiences in Japan, please like, comment, and subscribe. All right, take care. Bye.
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🌄 Welcome to Arashiyama, Kyoto!
Here’s what you’ll see:
🚃 Riding the retro Hankyu train with emerald green seats
🏨 Checking into Yado Arashiyama—honestly, best hotel breakfast we had in Japan
🌄 Waking up at 5:30AM for the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
😬 The real experience of trying to get the perfect shot (spoiler: it’s hard)
🙏 A quiet detour to Nonomiya Shrine for peace and greenery
🍱 Lunch at the trendy Arashiyama Itsukichaya—is it worth the hype and the ¥4000/per person price tag?
📍 Chapters:
0:00 Preview
0:10 Night-Train To Arashiyama
0:47 Retro Hankyu Trains & Emerald Seats
1:54 Yado Arashiyama
2:23 5:30AM Wake Up For Bamboo Forest
3:36 Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
5:24 Realities Of Getting A Crowd-Free Photo
8:59 Finding A Place To Sit And Rest
9:30 Nonomiya Shrine Escape
11:16 Lunch At Arashiyama Itsukichaya
11:43 Reso Needed: River Vs. Garden View Seats
12:43 Seasonal Tasting Menu
13:46 Beautiful Views, Stressful Meal?
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Thanks for watching!
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