Traversing Kyoto's Scenic West - Arashiyama to Kinkakuji

Meet with your guide and JR Kyoto Station and start your journey to Arashiyama Station. Explore the Arashiyama area with your guide followed by the first stop, Tenryuji Temple. Build in 1339 by Takauji Ashikaga.

After spending some time at the temple, we will head through the bamboo grove to Togetsukyo Bridge. Togetsukyo Bridge has been a landmark in the Arashiyama area for over 400 years. A wooden bridge spanning the Katsuragawa River in front of Arashiyama offers a wonderful view. It is your lunchtime! There are many restaurants and food stalls along the river. You can either sit in a restaurant or try different types of street food. If you finish lunch before the meeting time, you can buy souvenirs at the lively shopping street.

Once you have had your fill of delicious food, our afternoon begins with a traditional Japanese art experience – koboshi. They are traditional Japanese dolls dating back to the 14th century. They are generally considered good luck charms that symbolize resilience. You can take the Koboshi as a memento of your trip or as a souvenir for your loved one.

We will go to Ryoanji Temple and visit the famous rock garden after the experience. Traditional Japanese dry landscape gardens hide abstract Zen dialogues within the landscape, some even featuring stone recreations of famous scenes from Japanese history.

The final stop of our journey is Kinkakuji. The official name is Rokuonji, and it is a Zen temple. It is one of the most popular buildings in Kyoto and is visited by many tourists every year. It is a complex consisting of gardens and buildings centered around the central Golden Pavilion and is said to be reminiscent of an earthly paradise.