Only 48 hrs in Kyoto- is Arashiyama worth it?

28 comments

1. I mean nara park with the bowing deers are fun. Yiu can bang it out quickly just feed them some crackers and see the huge Buddha.

2. Arashiyama would take up half a day, given travel time and walking around. You’ll be plenty busy on day 2, there are other temples and such along Philosophers Path. Yoshidayama park is between Jishoji and Matsui brewery, makes a nice stroll unless you’re getting walked-out by that point.

3. arashiyama is awesome but…

   you can do great stuff or meh stuff in arashiyama. the bamboo grove is not worth going to. if you are there, fine. the romantic train is meh, the monkeys, Idk, not sure whats the attraction…
   anyway, my point, it depends what you are gonna do.

   that being said. with 3 days and wanting to do nara, youll just have to find something your not doing. with the choice being day 2 or arashiyama, its actually very simple. you MUST do higashiyama (day 2)

4. Arashiyama was the biggest regret of my trip. Completely underwhelming. I don’t recommend it.

5. I don’t regret seeing Arashiyama but if you’re limited on time – definitely skippable. I’d leave it out of your plans.

6. Arashiyama was fun during snow fall (I only did the bamboo trail and monkey park).

   I can see how without snowfall , it might be underwhelming.

   I would think the other spots which are mentioned worth it in a short trip compared to Arashiyama.

   One surprising discovery for me in my Kyoto trip was how cool the big stairs light show was at Kyoto station. Those steps are huge.

7. I don’t know if Arashiyama is worth it.
   But I would swap day one and 3 around a bit.
   Check into your hotel then go to Kiyomizudera.
   Then on day 3 go to Fushimi inari in the morning on your way to Nara.

8. Fwiw I did Arashiyama and Kiyomizu-dera on a day trip to Kyoto before going to Osaka.

   I enjoyed Arashiyama a lot more than Kiyomizu-dera since there were just more things to do rather than just temples alone.

   An example of that is a nice lady running a small cozy cafe using her house after exiting the bamboo area

   Or just the general shops around the area of Arashiyama.

9. Arashiyama was one of my favourite places in Kyoto, with the exception of the bamboo grove (bit overrated). But the rest was quite enjoyable so much so that I’ll definitely be going back there on my trip later this year.

   If you’re unsure whether to include or take it out, I’d opt to leave it out and if plans change on the days or you find you have more time somehow, then go for it.

10. You can hike fushimi Inari at night. The city view is nice. If you do that, you should be able to do some sightseeing in town on day 1 and have time to visit arashiyama day 2.

    Arashiyama is nice, it was raining the first time we went, so we took a rickshaw for a tour. That was fun. This year we went during sakura season. The shopping area was too crowded to be enjoyable. But the outskirts was empty enough to get some pictures. Bamboo forest is nice if it’s peaceful.

    The monkey park was a long hike uphill. I was getting passed by moms carrying their kids on their back… I’m not overweight or anything, but I guess I’m not in that good of shape.

    There are also night illuminations at temples. Keep an eye out for advertisements.

11. I loved it there in Arashiyama.

12. I love Arashiyama personally but it’s not a great place to be if you are in a rush. It’s value is better seen when you have time to take it easy and explore, if you don’t I’d save it.

    Fushimi inari is really nice too though and if you’re anything like me you will probably be a little worn out after it. My top tip for is don’t just go back down the way you came up, there are lots of little trails that are much quieter and have all kinds of hidden areas to see. If you just do the tourism trail up down shoulder to shoulder with all the other tourists it can feel kind of lame. Be safe but don’t be too afraid to get lost especially if you are travelling in a group. As long as you are going downhill you are on the right track just pull out Google maps when you hit civilization.

13. I’d skip. Plenty of other things to see in the city and depends on your luck it could be extremely crowded

14. We went to Arashiyama on a rainy day. I didn’t have it in my plan after reading reviews but my teens really wanted to go. I ended up loving it. The bamboo forest was beautiful in the rain and not crowded. We spent a half day exploring the temples, riverside and shops, and had lunch at the adorable Rilakkuma cafe. Next time we will plan on the monkey park too.

    Nara is one of our favorite places and we really enjoyed an early morning bike tour to Fushimi Inari before the crowds. Enjoy your trip!

15. There is a hidden bamboo grove at Fushimi Inari. If you plan to skip Arashiyama, at least go see the bamboo there.

16. I’d skip. Its cute but too crowded. I went there at the behest of a friend of a friend and we didn’t end up doing anything other than walk a long time bc the trains were sold out

17. I think you would need to take your time visiting Arashiyama, you can enjoy the river ride and a meal next to the river

18. Arashiyama was overrun with selfie-obsessed tourists. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

19. The short answer is no, especially with the time constraints.

    Go to Kōdai-ji Temple instead. Way more peaceful and also has a bamboo forest with probably no one in it.

20. Maybe if you go first thing in the morning but it’s so overcrowded you can barely walk, and extremely hot with pretty much nowhere to escape the heat. so i wouldnt say it’s worth it. there are better bamboo groves outside kyoto

21. Skip Arashiyma. Bamboo Forrest a total waste.

22. It’s beautiful

23. We were short on time and squeezed in half a day in Arashiyama. Ended up being the highlight of our whole 12 day trip.

24. Oh wow this thread is so helpful. We are spending 6 nights in Arashiyama in November and I’m glad to hear everyone’s thoughts!

25. If you like bamboo forests just do fushimi inari and take the road less taken. Veers right about 5 minutes in.

26. Ha, we spent less than a day and did the forest and the Nikishi market. We just did a day trip from Osaka btw.

27. Arashiyama is my favorite part of Kyoto. I find it so peaceful at the end of the day and just walking and exploring near the river. Loved Myokendō temple up on the hill and Daihikaku Senkōji Temple nearby. Now, if you are short on time I understand skipping because it really is something to take in and go slowly about it. I agree that the bamboo grove and monkey park are mainly tourist attractions but there are so much more to it. I much rather prefer going to Arashiyama than fighting my way up Sanenzaka and Ninenzaka.

28. There’s a bamboo forest in Fushimi Inari. No one was ever there when I went. Not sure how to get to it though.