Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (嵐山 竹林の小径)

 Woke up super early in the morning to take the early bus to Arashiyama.

There was only 1 other couple walking along this path with us when we were there.

We walked past Nonomiya Shrine (野宮神社), which is a well-known shinto shrine which provides blessings for marriage while on our way to the bamboo forest.

It seems they also sell enmusubi charms.

Finally at the bamboo forest!

We were not alone as there were several groups of photographers there to get the best spot for pictures too.

We too set up our tripod for some pictures. These were all taken with a tripod.

While J was preparing the tripod for us to snap a picture together, I was standing in front of the camera so that we will know where to shoot. Just as the timer was set and I was rushing for J to get in front of the camera next to me, he took out a ring and proposed.

I definitely didn't expect that and didn't know how to react at that time as there were other people there too, who were passing us by. I think the first thing I probably said was, "There are other people looking!". Not a romantic response, but I did say yes!

So that was how the surprise proposal happened on 29th February 2020.

Here are more pictures to commemorate the moment! :D

J put the ring on me but as it was too big, it had to be resized.

With the ring safe in my bag, we continued on the journey of exploring Arashiyama.

As it was cold, we got hungry quickly and decided to grab a second breakfast at a Tully's nearby.

As it was a second breakfast, we decided to just share a hotdog sandwich.

This was actually my second time in Arashiyama. I had visited many years ago with Dad.

I guess because it is such a popular tourist spot, the place is continuously being renewed to look nicer.

There were also new attractions like this Kimono forest which lights up at night.

We also crossed the famous bridge Togetsu-kyō (渡月橋) bridge to the other side, where we took the bus back to Kyoto Teramachi.

This bridge is always on the the news when they want to show how busy Arashiyama is. It is usually filled with tourists. But again, as we were there early and none of the shops are open for lunch yet, there weren't many people around.

As I'm always visiting Arashiyama only during winter, I would love to be back again during autumn to catch the autumn colours.