Decided to get out of Kyoto and just go to one sightseeing tourist spot, Arashiyama Bamboo Groves, because I enjoyed the slow day, which felt right for a quiet city like Kyoto. You can get to Arashiyama by bus 28 (get off at Arashiyama-Tenryuji-mae about 30 minutes later)
Alternatively, from Kyoto Station, San-in Line you can take JR Sagano to Saga-Arashiyama Station, where Arashiyama Bamboo Groves is located.
Most trains in Japan have rapid or local trains, with the rapid trains skipping a few stations and Kyoto's no exception. It's always a good idea to take a photo of the stations the rapid and local trains go to so you have an idea of where you are, especially if you're not familar with Japanese. In this case, both trains go to Saga-Arashiyama Station.
Somehow, I missed my station and ended up in Chiyokawa, adding on to my list of unlucky things that happened on my travels. However, I managed to cach some magnificent sights of Kyoto's quiet countryside, an aura of stillness and calmness very much oppsite of what I'm accustomed to in Singapore's everyday life.
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| Walking to Arashiyama Bamboo Groves from Saga-Arashiyama Station |
Trying to look at the bright side of everything; people mostly stayed indoors or took less photos in the rain so I had all the time in the world to slowly figure a good angle and not get photobombed by tourists.
The walk to Arashiyama Bamboo Groves took about 20 minutes, and I stopped along a roadside store of a piping hot Taiyaki in the cold winter.
Everything was written in Japanese, I had a hard time figuring out what was what, and the shopkeeper was getting impatient so I simply pointed to one Taiyaki. Don't know what flavour Taiyaki I got, but I'm guessing it's maple from the colour. Yes, I have terrible tastebuds and can't even tell the difference between beef, pork and chicken.
