This famous, seemingly endless forest of waving bamboo boughs is located at the base of the “Storm Mountains” to the north of the city of Kyoto. It is a great place to relax in nature while you are in Japan.

You can visit the Arashiyama bamboo grove for free and at any time. The nearby Arashiyama area is also worth a visit. It is famous for its unique ways of fishing with trained cormorant birds.

People have called Arashiyama’s main street and the Togetsu-kyo Bridge a “tourist circus,” but beyond these busy areas, you can have a real, unique Japanese experience. Find out how the bamboo forest is only the start by reading on.

This area with its many sights is a great day trip from Kyoto. Arashiyama is a beautiful place to look at, with its lush woods, cherry flowers, and bright fall koyo colors.

Arashiyama Forest of Bamboo

The Sagano Bamboo Forest, also called the Bamboo Grove, in Arashiyama is popular all over Japan and the world. People can walk along roads that are lined with endless rows of tall bamboo. People have said that the experience was out of this world, peaceful, and like a dream.

It was chosen by the Japanese Ministry of Environment as one of the “100 Soundscapes of Japan” to hear the fluttering bamboo in this forest. When you visit Kyoto, you should not miss this, along with Fushimi Inari and Kinkaku-ji.

Since the bamboo grove is open 24 hours a day and doesn’t charge to enter, the best times to go during peak season are early in the morning or at sunset.