21st October 2018 (Sunday)
In my previous plan in 2017, Arashiyama was not included in my itinerary. That was partly because the trip was short, and was cancelled because of unforeseen circumstances. For this trip, I decided to spend more days in Japan. Hence, I was able to include Arashiyama into my itinerary.
A day earlier, while waiting for the rain to subside before going to Nijojo Castle, I had been observing the LED display at Kyoto Station Central entrance to find out where I should go to catch JR Sagano/ Sanin train to Arashiyama. It was relatively easy to digest the information displayed. Using my ICOCA card, I entered the departure zone from the Central Entrance. From there, I followed the direction sign to JR Sagano Platforms 31 - 33, which meant different trains (local, rapid, etc.) departed from different platforms, all charging the same fares. The next train would depart at 8:41 a.m. at Platform/ Track 33 but the LED display at the platform itself showed that it was "Out of Service". Instead, it would depart at Platform/ Track 32.
Arriving at JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, I just followed the crowd. Just before the ticket gates, there was a direction sign. After tapping my ICOCA card on the ticket gate and exiting, I turned left to the South Gate and walked down to ground level. There was a locality map showing the direction to Togetsu Bridge and Bamboo Grove. However, I wasn't sure which street to take since they all seemed to be interconnected. Visitors were walking in different directions. In the end, I just took the street where I thought most visitors were taking. After all, where else would they be going if not to Bamboo Grove or Togetsu Bridge?
While walking in the Bamboo Forest, I came across the entrance to Tenryu-ji Temple/ Garden. It was not in my itinerary to visit Tenryu-ji, even though it was recommended on many websites. Since it was right there, I decided to buy the ticket to Tenryu-ji Garden. It was a disappointment and certainly not worth the money or the time.
I soon left Tenryu-ji Garden. As I continued my stroll in the bamboo grove, I realised that this part of the bamboo grove was especially dense. There were a lot of visitors here. It looked like the bamboo grove was not created equal. Only this short stretch was beautiful, beginning from the entrance to Tenryu-ji Temple/ Garden and ending at a T-junction. I spent a fair bit of time here, taking photos and video but those pictures and video could not do justice to its real beauty.
At the T-junction at the end of the path of the beautiful section of bamboo grove, I turned right. This was the direction to Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street as shown on my Garmin gps. I have always been attracted to old streets and building, probably because they invoke feeling of nostalgia. It passed by an ancient looking train station, Torokko Arashiyama Station. Unfortunately, on the way to the Preserved Street, my path came to a dead-end. This was always the problem when relying too much on my Garmin gps unit and out-dated OSM map. It would not warn you that it was a dead-end. I had to walk back again. My back was aching already.
I walked back to the bamboo grove T-junction and took the other direction to Togetsu Bridge. Along the way, I actually did not take the path to Togetsu Bridge. I misread the sign and took a wrong turn and eventually ended at the Katsura river bank. It was all good since I could walk along the river bank to Togetsu Bridge without having to back-track.
At the bridge head, there were many shops. I had lunch at a restaurant there before crossing Togetsu Bridge to the small island. My back was aching and I decided to relax under the shade, first under a tree and later under a shelter. It was a little chilly in the October autumn weather. Later, I crossed over a short bridge to the southern bank, which at that hour was under the cool shade of the trees lining the river bank.
While walking in the Bamboo Forest, I came across the entrance to Tenryu-ji Temple/ Garden. It was not in my itinerary to visit Tenryu-ji, even though it was recommended on many websites. Since it was right there, I decided to buy the ticket to Tenryu-ji Garden. It was a disappointment and certainly not worth the money or the time.
I soon left Tenryu-ji Garden. As I continued my stroll in the bamboo grove, I realised that this part of the bamboo grove was especially dense. There were a lot of visitors here. It looked like the bamboo grove was not created equal. Only this short stretch was beautiful, beginning from the entrance to Tenryu-ji Temple/ Garden and ending at a T-junction. I spent a fair bit of time here, taking photos and video but those pictures and video could not do justice to its real beauty.
At the T-junction at the end of the path of the beautiful section of bamboo grove, I turned right. This was the direction to Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street as shown on my Garmin gps. I have always been attracted to old streets and building, probably because they invoke feeling of nostalgia. It passed by an ancient looking train station, Torokko Arashiyama Station. Unfortunately, on the way to the Preserved Street, my path came to a dead-end. This was always the problem when relying too much on my Garmin gps unit and out-dated OSM map. It would not warn you that it was a dead-end. I had to walk back again. My back was aching already.
I walked back to the bamboo grove T-junction and took the other direction to Togetsu Bridge. Along the way, I actually did not take the path to Togetsu Bridge. I misread the sign and took a wrong turn and eventually ended at the Katsura river bank. It was all good since I could walk along the river bank to Togetsu Bridge without having to back-track.
At the bridge head, there were many shops. I had lunch at a restaurant there before crossing Togetsu Bridge to the small island. My back was aching and I decided to relax under the shade, first under a tree and later under a shelter. It was a little chilly in the October autumn weather. Later, I crossed over a short bridge to the southern bank, which at that hour was under the cool shade of the trees lining the river bank.
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