Fall colors are here, and they won’t last long. Arashiyama is one of the
best viewing spots for the changing leaves in Kyoto, and for that
reason, millions of tourists visit this spot annually.
Since my
first visit to Arashiyama, I have told myself that I must absolutely go
back during the height of autumn, to see the full, paint-like texture of
the hills during the autumnal color shift. Since Nicky both had work
today, and doesn’t like monkeys, Erin and I decided to head to
Arashiyama.
As expected, all of Arashiyama was
packed with tourists. No matter which way you went, tourists lined the
streets- it was impossible to escape them until we went towards the
monkey park, as the monkey park is nestled up a mountain’s side. Before
we went, however, we made a quick stop at the Torokko Station to buy
tickets for the Sagano Romantic Train. I’ve been on the train once
before, on Nicky’s birthday, but this time, I wanted to take the train
at night, to see the maple leaves under spotlight. We were lucky enough
to be able to purchase standing tickets for the last train.
Arashiyama Monkey Park is famous for
the roughly 200 monkeys that wonder the top of the mountain, as over
time, they have grown used to humans. The monkeys are also famous for
being fairly aggressive, and it is suggested that you not let your
children walk around without supervision, or stare at the monkeys for
any extended length of time.
The walk up the mountain was gorgeous,
if a bit steep (or I could just be out of shape). The colors looked
like acrylic paint spotted all over a canvas. Completely unreal. Until
this fall, I had been certain that all of the photos I had seen of Kyoto
in fall had some sort of saturation/contrast filter going on to make
the colors stand out more, but now I find that is absolutely not the
case. They really are -that- vivid.
We bought food to feed the monkeys at
the top of the hill, where Erin was promptly threatened by one of the
monkeys on the roof, before we decided to watch the monkeys from inside
the safe house for a while.
After we had our fill of monkeys, we
headed back down the mountain to go get some lunch. We got some
delicious osukinomiyaki and candy apples! The osukinomiyaki (roughly
fry-whatever-you-like!) was absolutely delicious. Every single bite was
heaven. There was egg and beef in addition to the usual sauce and
cabbage. The apples were huge, and not prepared quite like their
American cousins, so they took well over 45 minutes to consume. Still,
they were super delicious, though I am in possession of, as most know, a
terribly strong sweet tooth.
After lunch, we headed back into town
to swing by the Tenryuji Temple, which is another famous temple in
Kyoto- However, since both of us were feeling pretty tapped out on
temples at the moment, we just walked the rim of the temple before
heading to the bamboo forest. For one reason or other, I can’t seem to
find the real name for this bamboo forest, but it is something not to be
missed if you go to Arashiyama. If you have ever seen House of Flying Daggers and remember the fight scene in the bamboo forest, this forest is pretty much a replica.
There were a bunch of merchants along
the path, so Erin and I stopped to buy postcards drawn by a local
artist, and then these really awesome dragonfly toys that balance on
your finger. I bought one for Nicky, since she wasn’t able to come with
us, before taking Erin through the rest of the forest.
Around
this time, our feet were tired, and it was about time for our Torokko
ride, so we headed back to the station. It was just as good the second
time as it was he first. In the dark, we watched as gold and amber
leaves lit up by spotlights on the ground rushed by us, while the dark
of the tunnels completed the overall feeling. It was really fun, and I
think Erin enjoyed herself too. We caught the JR line at the last
station to head back home. While walking back to our houses, we stopped
to eat crepes- a perfect end to the day.