Kyoto West and South 2024 - Arashiyama and Fushimi-Inari Taisha

Kyoto 3 - Western Kyoto - Arashiyama and
Kyoto 4 - Southern Kyoto - Fushimi-Inari Taisha
In the journey to the west, we took a train from central Kyoto to a city in the western part of Kyoto; Arashiyama.
From the Arashiyama train station we visited:
- The Monkey park
- The Togetsukyo bridge
- The Kimono Forest
- The Tenru-ji temple
- The Bamboo Grove
- The Jojako-ji temple
- The Gioji temple
- The Otagi Nenbutsu-ji temple
- The Monkey Park: The park boasts about 120 snow monkeys, which are also called Japanese Macaque. They are native to Japan, and, yes, these are the type of monkeys seen in iconic photos in which they’re bathing at hot springs in winter.
- The Togetsukyo Bridge: The wooden bridge spans the Katsura River in front of Arashiyama Mountain, offering incredible views. The spring cherry blossoms and fall colors draw large crowds, as the scenery is spectacular. Many small shops, restaurants and other attractions are found nearby, including Tenryuji Temple, Arashiyama's famous bamboo groves and pleasure boats that are available for rent on the river.
- Kimono Forest is a collection of gorgeous cylinder-shaped pillars framing the lane way to Randen tram station on Kyoto’s Keifuku Arashiyama line, which was installed as part of the renovation in 2013. It is called a "forest" since the pillars are clustered like a forest and the kimono is displayed on each of the pillars.
- Tenryuji was built in 1339 by the ruling shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Takauji dedicated the temple to Emperor Go-Daigo, who had just passed away. Tenryuji is the most important temple in Kyoto's Arashiyama district. It was ranked first among the city's five great Zen temples, and is now registered as a world heritage site. Tenryuji is the head temple of its own school within the Rinzai Zen sect of Japanese Buddhism.
- Bamboo grove: Located in the village of Sagano on the west side of the city, the path through the Arashiyama bamboo grove is short yet immersive. There's something almost magical about the light dappling on the forest floor.
- Jojako-ji Temple: Established at the end of the 16th century, Jojakkoji is a Nichiren temple situated on the side of Mt. Kokura, on Kyoto's western edge. The temple is famous for its autumn leaves.
- Gio-ji Temple, in particular, is one of the finest sights in Arashiyama. The thatched-roof main hall is tiny and there’s little to see inside, but viewed from outside, it’s superb. It presides over a grove of thick moss that just about begs you to lie down for an afternoon nap.
- Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple is hidden in the hills in far western Arashiyama. It is most famous for its collection of 1200 Rakan statues that represent the disciples of the historical Buddha. These statues are a relatively recent addition to a temple, which has a long and rather unfortunate history.
Southern Kyoto:
Fushimi Inari Taisha is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds.