Kyoto-Sunday-06.04.25

Today we decided to have a free day. We're going to sleep in. I feel better in the morning too. Then we want to go to the rooftop restaurant for breakfast and head up, but there is already a long line at the elevator to the upper floor, so we decide to have breakfast on the ground floor instead. After breakfast, we set off towards the train station. The sun is shining, and we are looking for the bus that will take us to Arashiyama, in the western part of the city.

Our destination is the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, also known as the Sagano Bamboo Grove (sagano chikurin). It is located by the Katsura River, not far from the famous Togetsukyo Bridge. This massive bamboo grove stretches for about 500 meters and offers a short but unforgettable walk. We received a day pass for public transport from Kayoko the day before, which we can now use. The drive takes about an hour, and we can see the suburbs. The houses are mixed in color as usual, built without a discernible style. Halfway through the ride, there is a driver change. The new bus driver boards, bows to the passengers, and then takes the wheel. I haven't experienced that before :-) Just before the bridge, the road gets very crowded. As we turn onto the bridge, we have to get off at the next stop since the bamboo grove is on the right side of the river. When we disembark, it unfortunately starts to rain, but miraculously we find ourselves right in front of a shop with souvenirs and umbrellas, and we buy 2 new umbrellas for 3€ each. We then walk across the bridge, with many people taking photos. Beautiful cherry trees line the path. We follow the path towards the bamboo grove, into a beautiful park, filled with trees and bushes, and the sound of birds chirping. It's stunning, although quite crowded, naturally it's Sunday and the sun is shining again, with mild temperatures. When we arrive at the bamboo grove, it becomes even busier, but we notice a path to the left leading to a garden that can be visited for a small entrance fee. This is highly recommended, as we can admire the well-maintained exotic rock plants in complete tranquility and listen to the birdlife. The path continues up the hill and offers a beautiful view over the city of Kyoto. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature and then returned towards the bamboo grove. We traversed it together with many other tourists. Once we reached the end of the path, we headed towards the train station and looked for the way to the bus. The bus stop had been moved since it was so crowded on the main street that it was closed to traffic. We then found the alternative bus stop and rode back to Kyoto Station. We wanted to do some shopping, but couldn't find the right thing for us. It was so crowded that we decided to check again in Tokyo. We then found a café where we enjoyed delicious matcha ice cream and green tea. Here too, we had to wait about 20 minutes in line.

Then we strolled to the Shogun Temple, an impressive building that could be admired from the outside.

In the evening, we found a small Italian place where we could enjoy various small tapas dishes. With pizza, salad, antipasti, and tiramisu, it was a welcome change from rice, fish, and meat dishes. Unfortunately, I felt worse again, so I refrained from wine. Anne enjoyed it all the more.