Best early morning itinerary for Kyoto? #travel #japan

Best early morning itinerary for Kyoto? #travel #japan

Here’s my honest experience visiting the famous Arashyama Bamboo Forest and Tenuro Gi. The bamboo forest is definitely one of those places in Japan that you need to get up early for to enjoy it without the crowds. We got there around 7:00 a.m. and there was already a significant amount of people there. We got a few decent photos, but the bamboo lined road is relatively short, so we didn’t spend more than 20 minutes here. I honestly wouldn’t even go unless you’re planning to visit the nearby temple and the monkey park as well, which is what we decided to do. What I think is more worth the visit to the forest are the views you can see if you continue along the paths around Park. You can find a beautiful view of the valley that’s carved out by the Katsura River. After the forest, I wanted to go to the nearby temple, Tenjuru Ji, but it was only 8:00 a.m. and the temple doesn’t open until 8:30. So, we happened upon a cafe behind the temple that was open right when we got there at 8:00. And I actually forgot I had this place on my list of cafes to visit, so the morning worked out perfectly. Red Espresso and Dashyama Garden has tatami matte floors, so you have to take your shoes off before going to the dining space. Being in a tourist spot, the food was a little pricey, but we got a small sampler and some coffee, and it was a really nice little stop to fuel up for the rest of the morning. Tenduroji is a rather small temple surrounded by lush green gardens, and it was established in 1339 by the Shogun in memory of Emperor Goddigo, who passed that same year. Unfortunately, the original structures were burned down in multiple fires throughout the centuries, and most of the current structures were built in the early 1900s. It was pretty rainy when we went, but the weather added to the serenity of the area. Though, there were multiple large school and tour groups walking around that took away some of that serenity. There are small fees to enter both the temple and the gardens, and I would recommend doing both if you have time. Besides the groups, the majority of the garden was very peaceful when we went. On our way out around 10:30, we walked back through the bamboo forest, and we were very glad we decided to visit early because there were so many people. In total, we spent a little over 3 hours between the bamboo forest, the cafe, and Tendrew Gi.

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