Arashiyama Bamboo Grove: Access, Timing and What to See Nearby

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is a free path of about 400 m with no gate and no opening hours, so you can walk it at any time. It runs past the north gate of Tenryu-ji, in the Arashiyama district on the west side of Kyoto. The only plan you need is to arrive early, because the path is narrow and fills up fast.

How to get to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Take the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama, then walk about 13 minutes to the path. The other way in is the Randen tram, which runs west from Shijo-Omiya to Arashiyama station, about 10 minutes’ walk away. From Hankyu Arashiyama station it’s about 21 minutes on foot. If the JR train is packed, the Kyoto travel tips suggest taking the Tozai Line to Uzumasa Tenjingawa and changing to the Randen there.

Kyoto’s tourism site expects the city bus routes from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama to be packed in cherry blossom and autumn leaf seasons. In those months, take the train.

How to avoid the crowds

Go as early as you can. The path has no opening time, so nothing stops you reaching it before the tour groups do. Tenryu-ji opens its garden at 8:30 (7:30 from 14 to 30 November 2026), which makes it a natural second stop once you’ve walked the path. Spring and autumn are the busiest seasons, when even a weekday needs an early start.

The path runs from Nonomiya Shrine, where visitors pray for a good match and for children, past Tenryu-ji’s north gate towards Okochi Sanso, so you can walk it and the temple in either order.

The Arashiyama light-up (Tsukitouro), 30 September to 8 November 2026

In autumn the grove is lit after dark. The Arashiyama Tsukitouro fills the path with bamboo lanterns, some made by local residents in workshops, along about 1 km of lit walkways. In 2026 it runs from 30 September to 8 November, 18:00 to 21:00 with last entry at 20:40. It’s ¥1,500 in cash at the gate, online tickets with guaranteed entry cost ¥2,000, and children 12 and under go free. The events calendar lists other light-ups and autumn openings.

What to see near the bamboo grove

For a longer day, Jojakko-ji and Rakushisha are a few minutes apart in the quieter Saga area north of the grove. Jojakko-ji’s leaves usually start to turn in the second week of November and peak from mid to late November. The Arashiyama neighbourhood page and the map show everything in the district.

Where to eat and stay

Arashiyama Yoshimura makes its own soba by the north end of Togetsukyo and has an English menu. Saga Tofu Morika sells tofu to take away. For hot springs, see Fufu no Yu and Tenzan no Yu, and note that neither admits anyone with a tattoo. If you’d rather be at the grove at first light, the where to stay in Kyoto guide covers sleeping near Togetsukyo Bridge.

Is it worth going to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove?

Yes if you arrive early and treat it as one stop in an Arashiyama half day, not the whole point. On its own the walk takes minutes. Together with Tenryu-ji and the river it fills a morning. Don’t carve into the bamboo. For other ways to plan Kyoto days, see things to do in Kyoto and the day trips guide.

Places in this guide

Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.

Nonomiya Shrine Arashiyama · near Arashiyama Station Photo: Seven010 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Togetsukyo Bridge Arashiyama · near Arashiyama Station Photo: Antonio Campoy Iwatayama Monkey Park Arashiyama · near Arashiyama Station Photo: Mark Doliner Sagano Romantic Train Arashiyama · near Saga-Arashiyama Station Photo: くろふね / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) Okochi Sanso Arashiyama · near Arashiyama Station Photo: sergejf