Japan Day Four Part II- Arashiyama 嵐山
After our super yummy sushi breakfast at Endo Sushi, we headed out to Arashiyama in Kyoto. Known for it’s beautiful mountain scenery and natural landscapes, Arashiyama is a popular spot for foreign and local Japanese tourist.
We came to Japan the end of January, so I’m sure if we came during the Spring or Summer months, Arashiyama would be even more gorgeous. Nonetheless, it was quite picturesque with it’s mountains, river, and bamboo forest.
We came searching for the bamboo forest after seeing photos online. While walking down the main street, we didn’t even see the sign leading to the bamboo forest. We just followed the crowd and a group of elementary school girls with their teacher down the road; and then we walked into what seemed like a movie set. The bamboo forest is magical.
In addition to soaking up the scenery, Arashiyama has many tea houses, vegetarian restaurants (due to many Buddhist/Zen temples in the area), and traditional style Japanese houses. It seemed like you’ve just time-traveled 100 years back. A lot of the houses still seem to be residential, though a lot of it has been converted to souvenir shops, art galleries, and teahouses. 
We walked and walked and walked to the next town over. It took us a long time to find our way back to the main street. When we finally got back, we stopped at the famous Kyoto brand Yojiya Cafe for some tea and pastries. 
Dinner would be another adventure…stay tuned for Japan Day 4 part III.
Thank you Lydia for sharing some of your photos!
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