6 days Japan Kansai region travel by train --- Day 5, Kyoto Arashiyama

After the rather packed itineraries in the last few days, we had a more leisurely plan on Day 5 of our Kansai trip. On this day, we were only going to spend the time strolling around in Arashiyama 嵐山, a suburban area west of Kyoto city.  And we only had the Tenryu-ji temple 天龍寺 and the famous bamboo grove in our original agenda. In other words, it was going to be an absolutely un-rushed and relaxing day of sightseeing.

Continuing in what would be a dream holiday of train lovers, we took the forth different type of train to get to Arashiyama from Osaka.  This time it was the Hankyu train 阪急電鐵, which we boarded at Umeda 梅田 Station.

Osaka-Arashiyama train pass

Cascade as the Katsura River 桂川 flows around a small island forming part of the Arashiyama Park

Footbridge in the picturesque Arashiyama

The landmark Togetsukyo Bridge (Moon Crossing Bridge) 渡月橋 over the Katsura River 桂川

Tenryu-ji 天龍寺 with a very tranquil ambience is one of the main temples in Arashiyama.

Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

Sogen Pond in Tenryu-ji 天龍寺曹源池

Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

The very spectacular bamboo grove draws many tourists.

Bamboo grove in Arashiyama

Bamboo grove in Arashiyama

Bamboo grove in Arashiyama

Near one end of the bamboo grove, we stumbled across the Okochi Sanso 大河內山莊, the villa home of the actor Denjiro Okochi. The lady selling tickets at the gate convinced us that it was worth seeing. And sure it was. The neat villa was very well maintained, with the grounds being kept in remarkable condition.

Gallery of Denjiro Okochi's filmography

Okochi Sanso 大河內山莊

Okochi Sanso 大河內山莊

As it was still fairly early after the visit to the Okochi Villa, on the way back to the train station we took a walk through the Kameyama-koen Park 龜山公園. In Kameyama-koen Park, there is a fine view of the  Hozu River 保津川 below. Apparently the Hozu River actually changes name to  Katsura River 桂川 at the the Togetsukyo Bridge (Moon Crossing Bridge) 渡月橋.

View of the Hozu River 保津川 from Kameyama-koen Park 龜山公園

At Kameyama-koen Park 龜山公園 there is a stone monument engraved with the poem "雨中嵐山" (Arashiyama in the Rain) by the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai

The Hozu River 保津川 seen between trees

By the bank of the The Hozu River 保津川

An attractive tram at the Arashiyama Keifuku Randen Tram station

A final view of the Togetsukyo Bridge (Moon Crossing Bridge) 渡月橋 on our way back to the Arashiyama Hankyu train station.

Overview: 6 days in Kansai, Japan