Stroll through rural bamboo groves and visit mountain temples outside Kyoto on this morning walking tour of the Sagano and Arashiyama districts. You'll experience the tranquil beauty of Japan's rural temples and gardens, and experience Japanese life outside the big cities.
Your morning walk begins at Sagano, northwest of the Kyoto Basin, with a stroll through the verdant Sagano Bamboo Grove surrounded by mountains in the greater area of Arashiyama.
Then it's on to Jojakkoji Temple, spectacularly located halfway up a mountain. Jojakkoji was the final home of Empress Dowager Kenrei-mon-in, a principal character in the Tale of the Heike, one of the most important works of classical Japanese literature. It is said to have been built as a nunnery, and has a history reaching back to the 6th century. The temple's principal treasure is a statue of the Jizo and a pagoda surrounded by Japanese maples.
Next you'll visit Tenryuji Temple, one of the head temples of the Rinzai Zen School and established in 1339 by Takauji, the first shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate. The temple is famous for its landscaped garden, which unlike the temple buildings has survived in its original form.
Finally, you'll take a walk over Togetsukyo Bridge (Crossing Moon Bridge). The present bridge was rebuilt in 1934 using steel but faithfully copying the structure of the original bridge.
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