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Kyoto Sagano Walk & Bamboo Forest
Kyoto Sagano Walk & Bamboo Forest
4
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Monday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
If you are thinking bamboo forest and Togetsukyo bridge are the only attractions in Arashiyama, you are missing the chance to see even more beautiful and less crowded places in the area. Do join us and discover another charm in Kyoto. With just a 20 minute ride from Kyoto station, meet our experienced guide in JR Saga Arashiyama station and the guide will take you to much more beautiful and less crowded amazing hidden spots only locals know in Arashiyama.
Tours and Tickets by Kyoto Sagano Walk & Bamboo Forest
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
177 reviews
Excellent
73
Very good
68
Average
23
Poor
11
Terrible
2
Knightwind
San Francisco, CA158 contributions
Dec 2015 • Friends
It seems that during certain seasons of the year, the bamboo forest is lit up in the evening. I saw the poster at one of the JR train stations about bamboo forest at night, so I decided to come back. I was not disappointed. The lighting of the bamboo forest was well done. When I visited the bamboo forest during the day, there were huge crowds, but many of them were foreign visitors. This time, however, the huge crowds were mostly local residents.
Written May 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JasenReyes
Tokyo Prefecture, Japan31 contributions
Jul 2015 • Friends
I've seen photo's of the Bamboo forest but missed it on previous trips to Kyoto. On my latest trip, it was on my list of must see attractions and for me, it did not disappoint. As an avid photography hobbyist, I could spend hours there and not get tired of the sights. For others however, you may want to plan this as stop among other sites you plan on seeing as this could be a quick visit for many.
The path through the bamboo forest is short with a gradual incline. The pathway is paved and can be handled by children and older folks. The bamboo forest is open 24 hours so if you want to beat the crowds, it would be best to go early in the morning before the trains start running. My friends and got up there around 6:30 am and had the place all to ourselves. The downside to this is that nothing really opens until around 11:00am so if you are in the mood for breakfast, it may be difficult to find a place.
While you can navigate the bamboo forest in about 20 minutes, there are other sites to see in Arashiyama. Directly next door to the forest path is the Tenryu-ji Temple. You can also cross the river so take in the scenery of the river and continue on to the monkey park (which we did not visit).
I truly enjoyed my visit there as the seasons change, I'll definitely come back with camera in hand.
The path through the bamboo forest is short with a gradual incline. The pathway is paved and can be handled by children and older folks. The bamboo forest is open 24 hours so if you want to beat the crowds, it would be best to go early in the morning before the trains start running. My friends and got up there around 6:30 am and had the place all to ourselves. The downside to this is that nothing really opens until around 11:00am so if you are in the mood for breakfast, it may be difficult to find a place.
While you can navigate the bamboo forest in about 20 minutes, there are other sites to see in Arashiyama. Directly next door to the forest path is the Tenryu-ji Temple. You can also cross the river so take in the scenery of the river and continue on to the monkey park (which we did not visit).
I truly enjoyed my visit there as the seasons change, I'll definitely come back with camera in hand.
Written August 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiffany B.
Funabashi, Japan36 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
The bamboo itself was breathtaking and the sights will give great photo opportunities. However, try to go early or later in the day because it gets VERY crowded and the people will definitely ruin the experience.
Written December 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel D
Lakeside, MT41 contributions
Jul 2015
This was one of the few places that I would consider a complete waste of time. The fence is so high you don't really get to see anything and it really isn't that special. I think if you want to see an awesome bamboo forest in Kyoto, visit the Fushimi-inari shrine. Offside the regular path there is a much greater bamboo forest.
Written August 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
leanneandtony
Cairns, Australia468 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
Not a great sight. Too many people on the walk through the bamboo. The walk itself is rather short and not what you would call surreal and tranquil with trains very close by.
We found a little coffee shop/dolls museum. Good coffee and quiet. Met the owner who made the dolls. Lovely older person. Go have a look at the dolls and have a coffee and cake.
The town was packed with tourists. It was not enjoyable. Prices were expensive.
We found a little coffee shop/dolls museum. Good coffee and quiet. Met the owner who made the dolls. Lovely older person. Go have a look at the dolls and have a coffee and cake.
The town was packed with tourists. It was not enjoyable. Prices were expensive.
Written November 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marmie1a
Crown Point, IN296 contributions
Oct 2019
Loved the forest...not so much all the people. The gardens within the forest were especially lovely. You have to pay about 500 yen but it is well worth it. You have tea and biscuit and then wander through the lovely garden. Vistas were great.
Written November 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
F2555OYjimc
Hong Kong, China32 contributions
Jun 2019
Was not very impressive， many of the pathways were closed and the forest is not as thick as in the pictures。 The near by area does have a lot of small shops and is a good shopping area。
Written June 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WilliamWillieWilson
Nashville, TN1,622 contributions
On several occasions, Condé Nast magazine featured stellar, colorful pictures of Kyoto’s Bamboo Forest without a single human being in sight. They ranked it among the top 50 most beautiful sites in the world. Of course, they also recommended Bruges, Belgium. What a disappointment that was.
So, you repeatedly see this photograph and you travel half way around the world to Kyoto, Japan, in search of, among other things, this forest with its kaleidoscope of colors void of humans in what you imagine is a remote locale. And then you see the truth.
While the forest is an impressive array of thick bamboo plants, and offers a few photogenic shots looking skyward, reality is quite different. In the middle of the busy city, you’ll find a path jam packed with tourists and clueless individuals taking selfies ruining your shots, hardly a respite from the metropolis surrounding you. If you lack a sophisticated camera with fancy lenses, you’ll be greeted by images of a practically colorless forest. Worst of all, cars are allowed to drive down what you would think was a pedestrian-only walkway, and that completely ruined the vibe!
After anticipating my visit to the Bamboo Forest for years, and finally visiting this overrated attraction, I’ll lump it in the same category as the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Colosseum in Rome. They’re interesting in a photograph and iconic in nature, but a total waste of effort to visit in person.
So, you repeatedly see this photograph and you travel half way around the world to Kyoto, Japan, in search of, among other things, this forest with its kaleidoscope of colors void of humans in what you imagine is a remote locale. And then you see the truth.
While the forest is an impressive array of thick bamboo plants, and offers a few photogenic shots looking skyward, reality is quite different. In the middle of the busy city, you’ll find a path jam packed with tourists and clueless individuals taking selfies ruining your shots, hardly a respite from the metropolis surrounding you. If you lack a sophisticated camera with fancy lenses, you’ll be greeted by images of a practically colorless forest. Worst of all, cars are allowed to drive down what you would think was a pedestrian-only walkway, and that completely ruined the vibe!
After anticipating my visit to the Bamboo Forest for years, and finally visiting this overrated attraction, I’ll lump it in the same category as the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Colosseum in Rome. They’re interesting in a photograph and iconic in nature, but a total waste of effort to visit in person.
Written July 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roziyah I
Singapore77 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
As a social media addict, I've always admired the pictures taken from this forest. Therefore, I took chance to slot in this itinerary to our Japan trip. It was the best decision made. Even though the weather did not really bring out the best colours of the thick bamboo trees, the walk was definitely a peaceful one. We got there by a very old school choo choo train from Sagano scenic train station which was really fun. You have to pay a some of money to get the tickets for the Sagano train at an affordable price. To reach there it takes around approximately 30 mins. But fret not because the view along the way to the bamboo forest was amazing. The train will go along a river and mountain views. It was breathtaking.
The moment we reached the bamboo forest station, we had to hike a bit to the top which takes less than 5 minutes. The bamboo forest is fairly small in circumference but you'll get a chance to see newly weds taking wedding photos in this romantic ambience forest. Sights of trickshaw can be spotted around the area too. Be sure to pack food because food is quite expensive there.
Well, let's stop here and let the pictures do the talking:)
Enjoy!
The moment we reached the bamboo forest station, we had to hike a bit to the top which takes less than 5 minutes. The bamboo forest is fairly small in circumference but you'll get a chance to see newly weds taking wedding photos in this romantic ambience forest. Sights of trickshaw can be spotted around the area too. Be sure to pack food because food is quite expensive there.
Well, let's stop here and let the pictures do the talking:)
Enjoy!
Written January 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sueB2498EU
Adelaide, Australia137 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
We did a walking tour of this area with a tour company we met at a hotel in Kyoto then walked to the station to go to Sagano primarily to see the bamboo forest.
We would have been better to do this visit on our own as it was a large group and we had to stay together which proved difficult due to large number of tourists at the site so go early and do it yourself it is cheaper and easier.
The bamboo forest was beautiful but so many people in one place made it difficult for photos so go early take your time.
The real highlight was the garden around the temple as it is autumn all the trees were beautiful with many red Japanese maples very beautiful.
This is a very busy site so go early or later in the day.
Well worth a visit you do not need a guide as it is a very easy train ride from Kyoto.
We would have been better to do this visit on our own as it was a large group and we had to stay together which proved difficult due to large number of tourists at the site so go early and do it yourself it is cheaper and easier.
The bamboo forest was beautiful but so many people in one place made it difficult for photos so go early take your time.
The real highlight was the garden around the temple as it is autumn all the trees were beautiful with many red Japanese maples very beautiful.
This is a very busy site so go early or later in the day.
Well worth a visit you do not need a guide as it is a very easy train ride from Kyoto.
Written November 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much is the tour and how do i get there from granvia station?
Written March 28, 2017
How much is the tour and how do i get there from granvia station?
Written March 28, 2017
We did a guided tour was about $100 but it was not worth it.You can easily do It yourself google the location and catch the train with a 7 day rail pass no cost.
If you do it yourself make sure you visit the temple at the end of the bamboo forest it is amazing.Go early so many tourists.The guide left us behind by mistake so we had to make our own way back but it was very easy.
Written March 29, 2017
What are the hours for the bamboo forest?
Written June 1, 2015
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