Arashiyama - temples temples temples

Our first full day in Kyoto. Despite the fact that we've been touring till 11pm last night and that our hotel room is amazing, we get up early and head to Kyoto's West, a district called Arashiyama. It's mostly known for the bamboo forest that everyone want to take a picture of, but it has so much more to offer. In fact, we try to keep away from the many many tourists as much as we can and actually discover hidden gems that we hadn't planned to visit or didn't know about.
We walk past the Togetsu bridge and spot a few blue rowing boats lined up neatly on the Katsura river. I had ditched the idea of a river cruise before due to the costs, but those tiny boats don't cost much and we can row ourselves. And so off we go, Tom quickly getting a hang of how to move the boat efficiently. It's still early and we actually manage to go as far as hardly anyone else. We even stop for a quick scramble on a rock next to river. There must be some amazing hikes here.
However, as we need to return the boat, we head back. Next time!
Afterwards we walk towards one of the most important temples in the area, Tenryū-ji. Apparently the gardens are a beautiful sight and so we decide to pay the entry fee. What a mistake. Undoubtedly beautiful, both the temple and the gardens are so crowded, there is no way we can enjoy our surroundings. And this continues through to the bamboo forest. Hence, we opt not to take any of the famous pictures and instead keep on walking towards the Northwest. A few hundred metres later, we discover the Jojakko-ji temple. We're almost the only people that were willing to walk those additional few meters and can't believe we've got all this beauty to ourselves. But we do and it's delightful! The old buildings/structures and beautiful gardens evoke a serenity easily to be felt by anyone walking through.
We ponder a bit, but our growling stomachs remind us that it's lunchtime. We follow their calls and stumble across another gem. A tiny soba restaurant led by three women, serving the most delicious meal we've had so far. I order "rice in green tea" and got a bowl of rice, sprinkles with seaweed and smoked fish flakes, a pot of green tea and a plate of pickles. Pouring the green tea over the rice changes its texture and flavour every time and my believe in this nation's great food is restored.
Satisfied, we continue to walk through little streets, lined with small shops offering souvenirs and showcasing different craftmanships until we get to the Adashino Nenbutsuji temple. It used to be a graveyard and there are still gravestones from as early as the 700s to see. The main reason I wanted to come here, however, is the fact that it houses another, less frequented, bamboo forest. But alas, it's closed due to refurbishments. Seems like we are just not meant to get this picture. We're here for memories, not picture though, right?
So we continue to walk further up the hill, still in full on exploration mode. We even almost decide to go bushbashing to make it to a trail we can only spot on google maps satellite view, but as time is limited, we turn around and visit yet another temple. Otagi Nenbutsuji houses six Buddhist deities and 1200 statues. They are called "rakan", followers of Buddha and are the coolest statues I've seen so far. I could spend hours trying to decide which one I like best!
We need to be back at the station in time for our train though, so we pay our respects, including ringing the bell, and walk down the direct pathway to find another surprise: Arashiyama isn't only a place of temple and bamboo but also encompasses urban farmland! How cool!
Slowly, our feet have become tired, and both Tom and I are looking forward to the last part of our journey today: we board the "romantic train" (Tom rolling his eyes), an old cargo train, now used to take passengers 7.3km along the Hozugawa river. The trip must be breathtaking in spring during the cherry blossom season or autumn when the foliage changes its color. Today, it is a nice ride through the hilly area and the perfect ending to our day of exploration.
What we learned: don't stick to your guidebook recommendations and follow your guts instead!Read more