Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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亀山公園
; dawn-dusk; 10min walk from Keifuku Arashiyama Station, Keifuku Arashiyama, Randen,
park is a nice place to escape the crowds of Arashiyama. It's laced with trails, one of
which leads up to a lookout over Katsura-gawa and up into the Arashiyama mountains.
It's especially attractive during cherry-blossom and autumn-foliage seasons. Keep an eye
out for monkeys, which occasionally descend from the nearby hills to pick fruit.
ŌKŌCHI-SANSŌ VILLA
| NOTABLE BUILDING, GARDEN
OFFLINE MAP
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大河内山荘
; 872-2233; 8 Tabuchi yama-chō, Ogurayama, Saga, Ukyō-ku; admission ¥1000; 9am-5pm;
15min walk from Keifuku Arashiyama Station, Keifuku Arashiyama, Randen, line)
This is the lavish estate
of Ōkōchi Denjirō, an actor famous for his samurai films. The sprawling stroll gardens
may well be the most lovely in all of Kyoto, particularly when you consider the brilliant
views eastwards across the city. The house and teahouse are also sublime. Be sure to fol-
low all the trails around the gardens (the standard route is clearly marked). Hold onto the
tea ticket they give you when you enter - you'll need it to claim the tea and cake that
comes with entry.
JŌJAKKŌ-JI
OFFLINE MAP
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常寂光寺
; 861-0435; 3 Ogura-chō, Ogurayama, Saga, Ukyō-ku; admission ¥400; 9am-5pm; 20min
walk from Keifuku Arashiyama Station, Keifuku Arashiyama, Randen, line)
This temple is perched on top of
a mossy knoll and is famed for its brilliant maple trees, which turn a lovely crimson red in
November, and its thatched-roof Niō-mon gate. The Hondō was constructed in the 16th
century out of wood sourced from Fushimi-jō.
| TEMPLE
RAKUSHISHA
OFFLINE MAP
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落柿舎
; 881-1953; 20 Himyōjin-chō, Ogurayama, Saga, Ukyō-ku; admission ¥200; 9am-5pm Mar-Dec,
10am-4pm Jan & Feb; 20min walk from Keifuku Arashiyama Station, Keifuku Arashiyama, Randen, line)
This
building was the hut of Mukai Kyorai, the best-known disciple of the illustrious haiku
poet Bashō. Legend holds that Kyorai dubbed the house Rakushisha (literally 'House of
the Fallen Persimmons') after he woke one morning following a fierce storm to find the
persimmons he had planned to sell were all fallen from the trees in the garden and
scattered on the ground.
| TEMPLE
NISON-IN
OFFLINE MAP
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二尊院
; 861-0687; 27 Monzenchōjin -chō, Nison-in, Saga, Ukyō-ku; admission ¥500; 9am-4.30pm;
25min walk from Keifuku Arashiyama Station, Keifuku Arashiyama, Randen, line)
This is a popular spot with
| TEMPLE
