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.

Kimono show

Since we still had extra time after Arashiyama and we had only one more item on our itinenary which was the Heian Shrine....the tour guide asked if we wanted to pay extra to go to a kimono show and later to Shinsaibashi for some shopping. Naturally we all agreed to pay the extra 1.5k yen per person.

I found 2 kimonos that I like from the kimono show and they both happened to be red.

One is this one with the short sleeve. No idea what it is called. I wonder if this is a type of 'komon' as it has small, repeated patterns throughout the kimono.

The other one is this long sleeved one which is also known as furisode (swinging sleeves) which is the most formal kind of kimono for unmarried woman. This type is usually worn at 'seijin shiki' (coming of age ceremonies).

Some of the other kimonos. The ones with patterns only below the waistline and have short sleeves might be called 'tomesode'. Married women will wear these.

ooo...how nice it is to be young, to be able to wear the ones with the swinging sleeves.

Arashiyama

Arashiyama is one of Kyoto's most popular spot for cherry blossom viewing. It is beautiful and as I have said earlier.....early winter is not a good season. I think spring/ autumn would've been better as it would really bring out the beauty of the mountains- white/pink of the sakuras, red of the maple trees and yellow of the ginko trees.....

Even so, you can still see some very beautiful trees and amazing view.

You can even ride a rickshaw here.

I love trees in Japan....so pretty~

We walked across the bridge to the park- 'Arashiyama Koen', where we saw many closed stalls. I guessed this place is really lively at night when business starts.

At Japan, you can be sure that it is safe to use any public toilet!

Just look at the view from the bridge...

awww...I wished I had time for a boat ride too...

This is the Katsura River.

Walk along the river and you'll see the signs to a shrine nearby and also a monkey park.

A small shrine located at the top of the hill.


Always wash your hands first!

Look! Ema! which are small wodden plaques on which worshippers write their prayers/ wishes and hang it there.

I wrote one 5 years ago at Meiji Shrine and my wish got granted~! *Thanks for answering my prayers* So I'm writing another one here~!!

Don't forget to follow the instructions and pay the required amount!!

Walking back across the bridge....

.....and I found an apple tree!!

Look at some of the sweets sold at a small shop here.

Pretty aren't they????

I assume they're sweets- 'okashi' used for the tea ceremony.

Kyoto tram ride

Day 3- Kyoto

We left the hotel early and rode all the way from Toyota to Kyoto.

Passed by Nagoya Stadium....

An amusement park by the sea....

Look at the rollercoaster! I lost my breath just staring at it~~

I could imagine myself screaming like a mad woman on this....

Next, we stopped by Tsuchiyama service area.

On a cold day like this.....it's great to know that toilets too provide us with warm tap water to wash our hands. Look out for the sign.

We finally arrived an old town in Kyoto where we got to experience an old tram ride. hehe....ppl from my tour taking a peek at how to buy tickets.

Traditional tram cars which has been around even before our parents were born???

Look at the conductor's controls.

For adults, it costs only 200 yen per rife.

Yay...finally we arrived at Arashiyama.

You can already see stalls selling local snacks at the station....

....and traditional goods.

You can even spot Hello Kitty at a small traditional town such as this.

This is the restaurant where we dined at- "Arashiyama restaurant".

It looks like a canteen. There are many tables but there were all empty by the time we arrived because we were late.

During this time of the year, the school students will be having their graduation trip so we saw many students- elementary/ high school/ middle school, in many of the area we visited. There were a few buses of students and tourists who left before us.

Spaghetti?? hahaa.....

A traditional yuudofu meal.

Furikake on japanese rice is the best!!