Kyoto Arashiyama Best Spots 4h Private Tour with Licensed Guide

Embark on a walking food tour through Kyoto’s Arashiyama area, known for its bamboo forests and natural beauty. Taste unique street foods and learn about local culture and history from a friendly guide.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Saga Arashiyama Station - Meet with your guide at 9:00/13:00 at JR Arashiyama Station (in front of a ticket gate).

Please choose a few must-see sights from the list below. On average, you can visit 2 spots during this tour.

  • Togetsukyo Bridge - Built over the Katsura River, this 155-meter-long bridge is one of the iconic images of Arashiyama. It’s a great spot to take in the surrounding scenery with the Arashiyama mountains as the backdrop.
  • Tenryuji Temple - This temple has a long history and is one of the most famous zen temples in all of Kyoto. Known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has a stunning garden where the plants and flowers create a different feel every season.
  • Okochi Sanso Garden - Denjiro Okochi, a famous actor of Samurai films, spent about 30 years building this vast villa garden, which covers an area of 19,800 square meters. The garden is surrounded by cherry blossoms in spring and autumn leaves in autumn, offering beauty in every season. The view of the Hozu River flowing below and the city of Kyoto is also a highlight.
  • Jojakkoji Temple - Located on the hillside of Mt. Ogura, which has been famous for its autumn foliage since the late Heian period (794-1185), Jōjakkoji Temple has about 200 old maple trees that turn red, orange, and yellow, combining with the green of the moss.
  • Nisonin - A quiet temple surrounded by beautiful landscapes that have survived the passage of 1200 years. The temple is famous for its autumn foliage. The temple is called ‘Nison-in’ because it enshrines two principal Buddha images. The two principal images have faces and figures like twins, with their left and right hands raised and lowered symmetrically. The temple is located a short distance from central Arashiyama, so you can enjoy a moment of tranquillity.
  • Giō-ji Temple - This temple is known as a “temple of tragic love.” It was the temple where a lady dancer who was favored by the powers of the time lost his favor and spent time as a nun after a broken heart. The grounds of the temple are covered with beautiful green bamboo and green maples, with a moss-covered garden. The window in the antechamber of the hermitage is also worth seeing. It reflects a variety of colors depending on the way light enters the room.
  • Mikami Shrine - The only shrine in Japan dedicated to the founder of the hairdressing and beauty industry (cosmetics, hair washes, hair growth products, wigs, etc.), it remains a shrine of deep devotion to the hairdressing trade, and there is a hair mound in the grounds where hair is donated.
  • Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple - This area has been a place of burial since ancient times, first with wind burial, but later with earth burial, where people dedicated a stone Buddha and mourned for the eternal separation of the dead. The approximately 8,000 stone Buddhas and stupas enshrined in the grounds are the graves of people buried in the area.
  • Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple - The origin of this temple can be traced back to the 8th century, but the temple became uninhabited during WWII and was abandoned after a typhoon in 1950 caused extensive damage to the temple grounds, halls, and Buddhist statues. It was rebuilt in 1955 when Buddhist sculptor Nishimura Kimitomo (1915-2003) was appointed abbot, and the reconstruction of the most run-down temple in Kyoto began. The temple is known as a “temple of healing,” where visitors can relax and feel at ease with the expressive line-up of 1,200 statues of arhats carved by ordinary worshippers.
  • Saga Toriimoto Traditional Buildings Preservation Area - Toriimoto is a conservation area located at the far end of Sagano, about 600 meters along Atago Highway leading to Atago Shrine. The area has a mix of farmhouse-style buildings with thatched roofs and machiya-style buildings with two floors and tiled roofs, preserving the character of a Japanese rural historical landscape.
  • Monkey Park Iwatayama - If you are an animal lover, why not visit here? Around 120 Japanese macaques currently live in the wild in this monkey park. The park is full of nature, and the monkeys can be seen throughout the year.
  • Bamboo Forest Street - This is one of the biggest attractions in all of Kyoto, with thousands of tall bamboo towering in the area, creating a beautiful forest. It’s an amazing spot that makes you feel like you’re in a fairy tale.
What's Included
  • Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
What's Not Included
  • Transportation Fee (Participants + Guide)
  • Entrance Fees (Participants + Guide)
  • Other Private Expenses
  • Private Van
  • Hotel Pick-up
Additional Information

Explore the cultural highlights and beautiful landscapes in two historically important districts in Kyoto on a walking tour of Arashiyama and Sagano. This 4-hour tour allows you to choose a few locations of your choice within the Arashiyama and Sagano areas. How about crossing the Togetsukyo bridge to enjoy the river view and visit a magnificent temple like Tenryu-ji or a serene temple like Jojakko-ji Temple, and stroll through a beautiful bamboo forest?

Arashiyama/Sagano is a picturesque place where aristocrats have had their villas since ancient times. Whether you are a history and culture lovers who wants to visit temples, a nature lover or a shopper, there is always something for everyone in these areas.

Please choose 2-3 places that you wish to visit.

  • A moderate amount of walking is included. Please wear comfortable walking shoes
  • This is a walking tour. A private van is not included.
  • Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between spots.
  • The cost of transportation is not included in the price. Transportation fees will vary depending on the destinations you decide to visit.
  • The tour will take place rain or shine.
Location
Saga-Arashiyama Station
Saga-Arashiyama Station
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(107 Ratings)
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161sujayg
Aug 14, 2024
Great experience and tour guide! - We had an amazing tour with Kiyoto. Not only was he incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, but he also went above and beyond by using a wheelchair to ensure our grandfather could comfortably enjoy the experience. The tour was well-paced, informative, and personalized. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Haley_g
May 14, 2024
Great tour! - The tour with Osamu was great! He was very knowledgeable and very kind and went above and beyond to make sure I was seeing the best and seeing everywhere I wanted to go. Highly recommend. Thank you, Osamu!
Review provided by Viator
T6709qrjackiel
Apr 11, 2024
Interesting and relaxed. - My guide Saki was fabulous. I had a wonderful time. The bamboo Forrest was lovely as well as lots of other special areas / photo ops. Lunch in a little restaurant ( away from the main drag) was great. I even tried other local delicacies. Very informative guide and we had some laughs.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donna_h
Nov 25, 2023
Fingers crossed you get Nao!! - The Kyoto Arashiyama & Sagano Walking Food Tour is an enriching exploration of two historically significant districts led by the exceptional guide, Nao. This five-star experience takes you on a journey through Kyoto's past, with visits to iconic landmarks like the Togetsukyo bridge, Tenryu-ji temple and the bamboo forest, where Nao's insightful commentary brings history to life. After touring the beautiful sites we indulged in local delights, fish cakes, Negiyaki savory pancake and Japanese sweets, offering a taste of Kyoto's culinary heritage. Nao's knowledge, enthusiasm, and personalized approach make this tour an unforgettable way to immerse oneself in Kyoto's history and cuisine.
Review provided by Viator
Katharina
Oct 13, 2023
Highly recommended - It was absolutely beautiful. Ellie, Our Guido, was very knowledgeable and super nice. The bamboo forest walk and the temple are very interesting. The food was yummy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mike
Sep 7, 2023
Great day in arashiyama - Eriko was very friendly and knowledgeable and very considerate of a group member who had a sore leg Her English is very good We all really enjoyed this beautiful area and good food especially the negimaki Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Will_w
Apr 18, 2023
Fantastic tour with a great guide! - Our tour guide, Fuji, was amazing! Our group had lots of questions and ended up extending the tour well beyond the normal amount of time, but she was very patient and made sure we got the full experience.
Review provided by Viator
Jane_p
Apr 10, 2023
Opportunity for great insights - Fuji was a wonderful guide, interesting information and very relaxed pace. There was only 4 of us on the tour and we all enjoyed each other’s company.
Review provided by Viator
Sightsee532084
Apr 7, 2023
Discover Kyoto with a local person. - Fuji was the most wonderful guide. She gave us so much great information and was warm and friendly. You could not wish for a better person to spend your day with.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Safari14221385991
Mar 11, 2024
Great discovery of Kyoto's culinary specialties - Our morning began with a visit to the food section of the Department Store and interesting explanations from our guide. We then went to Nishiki Market where we tasted several Kyoto specialties in different places. This visit is an interesting discovery of Japanese culinary specialties. It allowed us to get interesting information from the guide. We were a small group of 3 people which was very pleasant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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