Walking Downstream in Western Mountains | Kyoto, Japan
A morning walk in late autumn along the Kiyotaki River, from Takao to Hozukyo Gorge in the western mountains of Kyoto, Japan. This morning the leaves are at their peak, with brilliant reds and yellows in the foliage above, and carpets of red maple leaves on the ground here and there along the stream. Takao is a popular Kyoto destination for momiji-gari (紅葉狩り), the act of viewing autumn leaves. I arrived early to enjoy the peace and quiet of the riverside trail from Takao which passes through a stand of Kitayama cedar trees, the small village of Saga Kiyotaki, and finally the small train station of Hozukyo Torokko on the Hozukyo Gorge. I really enjoyed the peaceful sounds of the flowing river and small waterfalls along with the natural scenery. I hope you do too.
Late November, 2025
Map: https://ambientexploration.com/blogs/routes/takao-to-hozukyo-gorge
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*Playlists*
00:00 Intro
01:19 Takao
12:03 Momiji Bridge
31:48 Cedar Avenue
01:04:15 Kiyotaki Village
01:43:25 Bridge to Mount Atago
01:49:58 Hozukyo Torokko Station
#4kbeautifulplaces #autumnwalk #riversounds #kyotonature
31 Comments
Map: https://ambientexploration.com/blogs/routes/takao-to-hozukyo-gorge
Autumn is just coming to a close here but this morning the leaves were at their peak in the branches and on the ground. I was hoping to visit a couple of the temples in the Takao area but they didn't open until 9am so that will have to wait for another time. From this day on the leaves will fall and winter is on its way, at least in theory… I hope the season is treating you well wherever you are out there.
Late November, 2025
These Autumn walks in these magnificent forest walks are spectacularly beautiful … the red carpet of red leafy pathways and the therapeutic flow of the beautifully clean rivers is ..well absolutely stifling … I will never get bored with these walks and often find me imagining walking with you and totally absorbing every single step ..as always thank you for sharing these with us and igniting our imagination I would like to wonder what is going through your mind at the time of filming ..was you in awe as we are ?? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
This is such a calm walk. The quality is immaculate.
wow, not a person in sight. thank you for the video.
Excellent, grand idea the bridge Vs the bridge tree's 🌳👍👏👏, clean water 💧 river, View the train 🚝👍, Takao Kyoto big tradicional bridge showy, nice View the foliage 🍃🍂, the tree's 🌳👍, beautiful black bridge, zoom the moss water impressive, to feel like breathe deep 😌, many tree's 🌳 magnificent mountains and nature sounds 💦🐦🐦⬛, flow water 💧 river 👌, grand View the river, the river 🙂↔️ no fish? 🤔, Kiyotaki village lovely 🩷 , View 😳 under bridge 👍 so cool 😊 , different Bridges nice.😊 🚉 hozukyo Torokko station nice View and lovely statues animals 🥰.
Thank you for sharing!! What a beautiful video, spectacular🍁🍂🪴🌲 colors of nature!! I was amazed by the cedars, so straight and so tall!! Here where I live we have cedars, but they don't look ANYTHING like what your country has!! 😍🤩 Thank you for all your wonderful walks!! I have enjoyed all that I have watched!! Blessed be!! ❤🙏
Enjoy watching your videos while I’m on the exercise bike
Nicely done! We hiked there last spring during cherry blossom season and went to Arashiyama last week. What a great area!
Be Careful of Bears
What beautiful scenery! I'm from Spain and I never imagined Japan would be like this. Greetings from Vigo.
Amazing beautiful scenery
Beautiful walk. The fall colors here are gorgeous. 🍁
Do you think HDR will be possible for these beautiful videos soon?
I love these videos and I want to make similar. How do you record the sound? I keep picking up my own breath sounds 😅
Stunning scenery and beautiful autumn colours, love all the traditions of Japan right down to the little pixie characters❤
Wonderful expedition.Just curious, have you had any animal encounters on your many deep forest hikes?
The river views combined with the fall foliage is so pretty. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day!
magnifique forêt
love this walk
Another amazing video… charlie and ewan inspired me to backpack around europe in 2015… no money, no phone, just my tent and the guitar on my back… adventure of a lifetime. Thanks for keeping the vibe alive… the world is still out there… leave your phone and your problems at home and go find it ❤
Absolutely wonderful to watch! Walking downstream in the western mountains of Kyoto feels calm and immersive, with beautiful paths, bridges, and forest scenery. A gentle journey that’s easy to follow and deeply relaxing.
Best wishes from @nami-vlog 🌍💜💜💜👍
Beautiful location!!
thank you （‐＾▽＾‐）
when i was in Michigan ,in autumn, there was a maple tree that had a red color but it was almost semi-translucent , i couldn't find a camera that could take a picture of it , the way it was on the tree on the camera . its amazing to me that there are things that a camera cant pick up no matter how good the camera is unless its Hollywood style 100k equipment lol but autumn is one of my favs .. i think spring and autumn . hey take care!
46:10 imagine 700 years ago , you come across that rock, with the flowing water(washing would be easy) ,fish in that little hole, semi protection and partial structural support in the rock, trees (good wood to use), fresh water. man, id built a hut.. thats the spot , right there, has a ton of resources . whos with me
Good
38:00 I can imagine a time where it was bustling with families or children on school trips, but now the place looks abandoned and decrepit. A little sad, but that's what time does to everyone and everything.
I really value your efforts! They resonate with so many of us.
What an amazing landscape you have there! 😍 Thank you very much for taking us with you on this amazing walk through this beautiful landscape! 🙏
Очень красивая природа ❤ прекрасный лес😊 видео получилось релакс интересно 😊 но города депрессивные. Что токио что осака.
Thank you for this nature walk. At my senior age, i would not be able to walk up & down those narrow paths with my cane. So i really appreciate this nature walk, which i play on my large computer screen & it makes me feel as if i am there too!! When i walk these days thru county parks, the paths must be level & much wider then what you are on.