Home > Kyoto > Arashiyama and Sagano Morning Walking Tour
USD $82.00
Arashiyama and Sagano Morning Walking Tour
Kyoto, Japan
Stroll through dense bamboo groves to hidden mountain temples and discover centuries of Japanese heritage on this 4-hour Arashiyama and Sagano walking tour. Explore the natural wilderness of the Sagano bamboo grove with your guide. Visit the ancient Tenryu-ji Temple and learn of its 14th-century history. Head along forested paths in search of the Jojakko-ji Temple and admire its impressive pagoda. Wander across the Togetsukyō Bridge to take in beautiful valley views, and escape the busy city to appreciate the tranquil beauty of Japan's rural landscape.
To start your tour you will head to Sagano - northwest of the Kyoto Basin - to meet your guide and begin your walking tour. The walk covers approximately 2 miles (3 km) and starts with a stroll through the verdant Sagano Bamboo Grove, surrounded by mountain peaks and swooping valleys in the Arashiyama region.
From there, continue on to the Tenryu-ji Temple - one of the head temples of the Rinzai Zen School - 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.
Head on with your guide to the Jojakko-ji Temple, sitting among dense forest foliage and bamboo trees halfway up a mountain. Jojakko-ji was the final home of Empress Dowager Kenrei-mon-in, a principal character in the Tale of the Heike - widely considered to be one of the most important works of classical Japanese literature. The temple is thought to have been originally built as a nunnery and boasts a fascinating history reaching back to the 6th century. Admire the statue of the Jizo and seek out the pagoda hidden among the Japanese maple trees - two of the temples top attractions.
Finally, take a walk over Togetsukyō Bridge (Crossing Moon Bridge) to enjoy beautiful views out over the Hozu River below and the forested hills above. The present bridge was rebuilt in steel in 1934, faithfully copying the structure and design of the original.
After four hours exploring the sites in and around Kyoto, head to Kyoto station with your guide where your tour will come to an end.
Please note: Public transport will be used during your tour, and seating may not be available.
Very pretty and scenic tour. Our guide was great and we got to see a variety of places during the tour.
Review by: Mahen M, December 2017
Loved every bit of the tour- the guide leaves us at the end in the afternoon which gave us time to go and see the monkey park at the top of the mountain- a must see.
Review by: Katrina M, September 2017
Our guide was wonderful and this was a very enjoyable tour. The boat ride was a nice opportunity to rest and take in some of the river views of Sagano.
Review by: Dmitry M, July 2017
Dear All, this tour is a fake. It's a waste of your money, and what is more important, your time. There was 20 people on the tour, so you will be always in a crowd, which is against the whole idea of the tranquil surroundings. The walk you will do you will be a tourist highway, it is described in every guidebook. You can easily do it yourself, save the money if you got the JR rail pass you do not even need to pay for the rail tickets and enjoy relative quietness, not standing in the middle of the crowd in the bamboo forest._br/_ The guide was paying little interest in the subject, talking more about location of toilets and fresh water rather than about history and culture, and even when focused on the main topic it was primitive to the level that we had zero additional knowledge, despite it was our 4th day in Japan. When asked about places not included into the tour for example, we have skipped the beautiful Okochi Sanso garden we got the answer: I haven't been there, but other people said it's breathtaking. _br/_ Needless to say, we suffered for 2 hours, then made a wise decision to say goodbye to the tour and do the rest of walking ourselves, sneaking into places that the tour effectively skipped. It was only then that we have discovered beautiful Arashiyama.
Review by: Rosemary V, June 2017
Really pretty area. I would like to go back without actour group.
Review by: Grace S, May 2017
This was really Awesome to See! My mom specially enjoyed this tour!! The bamboo's amazing, so refreshing and peaceful. The Temple visit was a nice surprise as well.
Review by: Vega R, November 2016
Arashiyama is a western suburb of Kyoto, so we took the train to get there. Once there, we walked through the streets of the town, admiring personal shrines put up by people living there, to Tenryoji Temple. We walked through the botanic garden, which has signs identifying the various plants. Next we walked to the bamboo grove and on a path through the forest of bamboo on our way to the Jojakkoji Temple. We walked past a lake and then up many sets of steps getting to the temple, then up more steps to get to the pagoda, then up more steps to get to a vista point overlooking Kyoto. Heading back, we walked past the Suminokura Ryoi statue on our way to the river. At the river, those people on the tour who had purchased the package including lunch on a boat waited for a boat, while the rest walked along the river to the Togetsukyo Bridge. The tour guide gave us our return train tickets and stayed with the group having lunch on a boat. We then walked along the street in this touristy area and found a place with pizza for lunch, next to a souvenir ship. After lunch we walked across the Togetsukyo Bridge to the Iwatayama Monkey Park. After leaving the park, we walked back to the train station. It was a very pleasant day, and we enjoyed the pace of the tour.
Review by: Kellie F, July 2016
The tour was great! June was friendly and informative and the views and scenery were fabulous. A big highlight of our trip!
Review by: Theresa O, June 2016
The tour was excellent. Tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Lots of walking and lots of stairs to walk up and down. My only negative comment is that we were asked to use our JR pass from Kyoto to Arashiyama and did not get a rebate on the price we paid. I had asked before I left Canada and was told there is no rebate.
Review by: Marc E, April 2016
Brilliant tour. Gorgeous scenery, wonderful temples and the Bamboo grove and preceding area are out of this world. A must do and see.
Review by: Diane B, April 2016
The guide made the tour easy for us a far as transport and navigation to an from but I would have appreciated more information and less free time.
Review by: Diane B, April 2016
The guide made the tour easy for us a far as transport and navigation to an from but I would have appreciated more information and less free time.
Review by: Quang P, April 2016
I signed up for this tour as part of my free third day activities on the 3-day Mt. Fuji, Kyoto and Nara tour._br/_ The tour was started at New Miyako at 8:45 and I was led to the Kyoto station across the street to board a local train to Arashiyama. It was cherry blossom week and it was very crowded. You would be amazed by some of the sceneries and temples in this region. The tour concluded at 1PM and you would have option to return to Kyoto with tour guide or to explore the city on your own thereafter. This tour is very efficient but you will have to walk through out. I highly recommend this tour especially during the cherry blossom season.
Review by: Julie W, April 2016
Too many people on the tour
Review by: Yi Jing T, December 2015
It was raining and crowded, some people got lost on the tour and it became a waiting tour. My husband and I decided to leave early.
Review by: Cathy M, October 2015
We greatly enjoyed this tour- it was much better than we envisioned. Our tour guide was excellent in every way.
Review by: Sandra G, September 2015
Tour was great and guide was very knowledgeable.
Review by: Linda F, June 2015
First class. Great Trip. Arashiyama was lovely and our guide was excellent.
Review by: daniel y, June 2015
guide was great and the place was beautiful
Review by: JE R, June 2015
fantastic tour, best thing we did in Japan !
Review by: worrybeads, May 2015
A large tour and a little unwieldy, relying on public transit with very little commentary over the headsets given to our group. In retrospect, I could have easily gotten to the area and then would have had the time to wander at my leisure. It was disappointing that the temple tour was limited to the gardens and not the temple and with wayward group members disappearing, much time was wasted rounding up our too-large group. At least we had the option of returning the headsets and wandering on our own at our own pace.
Review by: Claire B, December 2014
Very quiet place, nice tour; interesting and kind guide
Review by: Matthijs v, October 2014
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Candice A, October 2014
you could probably do this tour by yourself, our guide was great and very nice and talkative, but honestly, its easy enough to get to from kyoto station on your own. the scenery in and around the bamboo forest is really worth taking in. and whilst you can do the forest itself in 15mins or so with the tour, it might be something you want to spend a little more time surrounded by. The town has great food and souvenir stops which i recommend. The tour guide gives you the option of staying behind or heading back to kyoto together - so if you can, i think staying back to experience the sights and treats is worth it. Would love to see the forest at night. The 200 yen soft-serve icecream is a must as well! :)
Review by: Anny Wang, August 2014
I was initially skeptical of the tour as we began. It involved taking the local train and a lot of walking. I have no problem doing either, but coulldn't see the value of the tour. However, as the tour went on, it became clear that the value lay in the amazing tour guide and the intimacy of the small group. Our guide, Michiharu, was very knowledgeable about Kyoto and Osaka, but particularly about Arashiyama. He was able to give us full histories on all the sights we saw and answered any questions we posed to him. During the slower parts of the tour, such as on the train or walking from one sight to another, he was able to recommend us to various sights tailored to our interests. He pointed my boyfriend, an avid martial artist, to the Budo Centre, where we spent the rest of the day. However, Arashiyama is amazing, and we went back the next morning. If you are able, stay the whole day!
Review by: Jeffery T, June 2014
Beautful area near Kyoto. Tour was great and guide was informative. Lots of walking so wear comfortable shoes.
Review by: wozzie, May 2014
Enjoyable walk. Beautiful scenery
Review by: Sophie T, April 2014
This was a lovely tour and great to see the Bamboo forest and the temple gardens. The tour guide was really friendly and informative. When I went it was a small group around 12 people. We got the train there and back again. Would highly recommend.
Review by: moe, January 2014
Guide was excellent. The size of this walking tour was small (3). The pace was good. See saw a lot in a beautiful setting.
Review by: Evangeline T, December 2013
Amazing fall colors! Glad I joined this tour at the right time when all the maple and ginkgo trees were ablazed with beautiful hues of red, orange, yellow, and everything in between.
Review by: Georgia, December 2013
This was a really fun tour despite the rain we had!!!! Our guide was fabulous and did a wonderful job of watching out for 25 people!!
Review by: Kenneth J B, November 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Our guide really added value and was very friendly and knowledgeable. She even left us with a small gift! The bamboo grove was stunning and the whole experience was very enjoyable. We had plenty of time to take things in and the walking part was very leisurely with no pressure. Definitely worth the effort.
Review by: Janice A, October 2013
Love the love shrine we stopped by. The bamboo groves were also super gorgeous.
Review by: Denise L, October 2013
One of my favourite tours. Good tour guide and beautiful scenery.
Review by: Regina L, June 2013
Highly recommend
Review by: melissa r, April 2013
The tour guide was ppersonable and was very happy to provide an insight into the cultural,spiritual and social aspects of this district. She spoke fluent aenhlish. The gardens were spectacularvand you had the freedom to stay longer and were given train ticket home.
Review by: valerie j, November 2012
This was a great morning. Our guide was interesting, had a good knowledge and was charming. The walk was fantastic we enjoyed all of it.
Review by: Carrie B, October 2012
Excellent tour from MItch at Sunrise Tours. I got several prized photos from the walk. It was the perfect amount of time to catch river scenery, and both Buddhist/Shinto shrines, not to mention a walk through the prized neighbhorhood of Kyoto.
Review by: Kai F, October 2012
This tour leads off the Kyoto city limits, the train needed about 30 minutes, a shuttle to Kyoto main is included. Sights are the Sagano bamboo grove, two temples and the Toketsukyo bridge. Explanations are given while walking, since that’s what you do all the time. At the end you will have an opportunity to do a little shopping. The tour guide was friendly and competent, the price seems a little high although all transportation was included. Anyway it was an interesting morning, but you should know how to use your feet (especially in summer).
Review by: viktoria s, May 2012
Great tour, however be prepared for lot of stair climbing. We were laughing that it is not a walking tour but a climbing tour. But the beautiful view compensated for everything. 5star.
Review by: Joanne W, April 2012
We really enjoyed our trip to Arashiyama. Its a beautiful town with so much to offer. Great scenery and walks along the river, through the town and of course the bamboo and gardens. Our guide Mitch was really informative and made the trip interesting. Id definitely recommend the this trip.
Review by: Ella, April 2012
The tour guide was informative and speaks good English. I am happy with the way she conducted the tour.
Review by: inez, March 2012
The guide provided a good source of information in regards to the history and culture of the places we had visited.
Review by: Christopher R, September 2011
Our tour guide was lovely and very informative. A visit to this section of Kyoto is a must for all visitors to the city.
Review by: ASHLEY C, November 2010
Enjoyed the tour. Our guide was funny and informative. She gave us information that we would not of known otherwise. Fall foliage was beautiful. Will definately use Viator on other vacations.
Review by: Alana H, Australia, June 2010
The place itself was beautiful and well worth visiting. The guide spoke very good English and conducted herself very well. However, I believe the tour was overpriced, with little bang for your buck! If you have the time, visit by yourself.
Review by: Anne C, United States of America, May 2010
Our guide, Aiko, was wonderful!! Our group size of 8 was just perfect. This walking tour was just what I was looking for - an introduction to "quiet" Kyoto. I would recommend this to anyone and will definitely seek additional tours of this kind in the future. Thanks, Aiko!!
Review by: Krishnan V, Australia, April 2010
Serene!
Review by: Stephen M, Australia, April 2010
Maybe I'm biased because it was such a cold and miserable day but the tour was a disappointment. The bamboo forest I was expecting was a small planted patch. Maybe on a nicer day I'd have been more forgiving of the letdown.
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