I’ve visited Arashiyama Bamboo Forest almost a decade ago, but for some reason, I couldn’t remember much of it so I thought I would visit it again on my most recent trip to Japan. Especially, since I rented a fancy new camera for the first time so I definitely wanted to take as many pictures of Kyoto as I possibly could. Seeing that Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is one of the most popular destinations in Kyoto, I knew if was going to be filled with tourists, but I thought as long as I woke up early enough, I would be fine. Well, I was wrong. Hopefully, my experience and this blog post will help you decide if Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is worth visiting or not.

• Related Article: The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Fushimi Inari Shrine

 

How to Get to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest?

From Kyoto Station:

• By Bus: You can also take a city bus from Kyoto Station. Buses heading to Arashiyama typically take around 30-40 minutes. Bus numbers 28, 71, and 72 are commonly used for this route. Alight at the Arashiyama Tenryu-ji-mae bus stop, which is close to the bamboo grove.
• By Train: The most convenient and popular way to reach Arashiyama from Kyoto Station is by taking the JR Sagano Line. The journey takes approximately 15-20 minutes. Once you arrive at Saga-Arashiyama Station, it’s about another 15 minute walk.

 

 

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Entrance Fee

It’s completely free and it’s open 24/7!

 

How Much Time do You Need There?

To be honest, you probably only need 30 minutes. Maybe even less. Calling this a “bamboo forest” or “bamboo grove” is a bit of stretch. It’s just one long pathway that’s lined with bamboo. Since there’s only one pathway, everyone crowds in the same pathway to take pictures. If you are expecting a nice long stroll of peace and tranquility, you definitely will not find it here. I probably spent an hour here only because I was by myself. I kept having to wait for people to clear out or I had to keep moving my tripod so that took a lot of extra time. If I had a friend with me, we could have gotten our pictures within 20 minutes and been on our way. If you’re not going to take any pictures, you can walk the pathway and back within 10-15 minutes. It’s that short!

 

Best time to Visit Arashiyama Bamboo Forest?

I was one of those people that wanted to get there as soon as possible during the morning. Unfortunately, I missed my train by seconds, and had to take the next train which was about 20 minutes behind. So, I didn’t get there as early as I wanted but to be honest, not sure if it would have made a difference. I made it there around 7:20 am and there were TONS of people there already. Again, all crowded in that one pathway. There’s almost no possible way for you to get a clean shot without any people. 

Knowing what I know now, I would not get to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest until 8:30 am. It cleared out significantly! To the point where I considered staying longer to retake some of my pictures. But time was of the essence, and I had other places I wanted to go see. I think everyone had the same idea of getting there early and all those people ended up leaving at the same time. I guess there’s a sweet spot between when all the early birds arrive and before all the tour buses come in. 

 

 

Photography Tips for Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

I’m by no means a professional photographer, but I found that if you are by yourself, setting up the camera on the ground and having it point up at you is a creative way to get a shot of the bamboo forest. I found that the most picturesque view of the bamboo forest was looking up above. You also don’t have to deal with all the crowds and can set up your camera almost anywhere since the bamboo grove is pretty dense.

But if you are really looking to get a shot of yourself along that pathway, you’ll just have to be patient and wait your turn. I set up my camera on my tripod off to the side. Then I connected to my iPhone to remote shoot with a timer. I wanted to make sure everything was set beforehand so when the time came where most people were gone, I could rush out to the pathway and take my pictures. Of course, nothing is perfect, but with the help of AI nowadays, I was able to easily remove people from the background. I currently use the Beta version of Photoshop.

 

Is Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Worth Visiting?

I would say it’s only worth visiting if you have multiple days in Kyoto or are already coming to the Arashiyama area. There are so many great places around Arashiyama like Jojakkoji Temple or Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple that you can really make a whole day of it. I was actually very impressed with the area and wish I had more time to explore. I ended up walked from Arashiyama Bamboo Forest all the way to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji and everything in between was gorgeous. It was a great way to get your steps in along with enjoying the beautiful scenery. If you only have one day in Kyoto, I would say skip this especially since the area is a bit farther out from the city center. 

 

Other Bamboo Forest Worth Visiting In My Opinion

If your heart is really set on seeing an amazing bamboo forest, I would suggest going to Shoren-In Temple. I stumbled upon this temple because I wanted to expereince a Japanese garden at night and it was one of the few places that was open during the autumn season. To my surprise, there was a bamboo forest inside the temple grounds and it was way more gorgeous than Arashiyama. Granted, it was lit up with some special confetti lighting, but it was still beautiful regardless. The best part was that it was a lot less crowded, but it might have been because I went during the night. If you are planning on going at night, double-check that they are open before you go. I went during the autumn season and they were doing a special light show at night. Otherwise, I’m not sure if it’s open at night all year round.

 

Conclusion

Hopefully, I answered your question on if Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was worth going or not. I totally get it if it’s your first time ever and that you want to experience it yourself, but I think after you go, you’ll probably understand where I was coming from. Maybe in my mind, I was thinking of this amazingly large bamboo maze, but all I got was a straight pathway and nothing much else around it. Have any of you been? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Would love to know what you think!