Kyoto is a city renowned for its many ancient buildings and natural beauty, one of which is the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. However, due to its fame and popularity, the forest often attracts large crowds, making it challenging to capture a perfect photo without people in the frame. Unless you arrive very early or invest significant time in photo editing, it's almost impossible to snap a shot without someone walking into the picture.
Therefore, today I will introduce to you a second bamboo forest in Kyoto, which is just as beautiful as Arashiyama, but very few people know about it. Therefore, we can freely take pictures with Kimono, or take pictures with friends without having to worry about encountering too many people passing by. And that is the Takenomichi Bamboo Forest (竹の径).
Address: Google Map.
In early 2025, Takenomichi was renamed Kyoto City Rakusai Bamboo Park (京都市洛西竹林公園) , please pay attention.
These photos were taken around 3-4pm, an extremely crowded time in Arashiyama. But for Takenomichi, this whole road seems to belong to you entirely 😀
This road is long and winding, offering plenty of curves that create beautiful depth for your photos. So, you don’t have to worry about running out of great angles to capture!
The total length of this road is 1.8km, approximately three times longer than the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, which stretches for just over 500 meters.
Takenomichi is also very easy to reach, just about 25 minutes by train and bus from Kyoto Station.
From Kyoto Station, take the Tokaido-Sanyo Line (A) to Katsuragawa Station, then exit the gate, and take the bus right outside the gate to Minamifukunishicho (Chikurinkoen-mae) – (11 minutes, 6 stops), then walk about 5 minutes to get there.
According to the map above, our journey will take us through 8 different types of bamboo fences. The names of each type of bamboo fence are also included in the photos for reference.
At the end of this road, you'll find a park where you can relax, grab a bite to eat, and there are also public restrooms available for your convenience.
This place can be visited year-round and remains beautiful in all four seasons. In winter, the road and bamboo fences are covered in snow, while in spring and summer, the atmosphere is cool and refreshing. During the fall, you can enjoy a walk through the forest and also explore the famous yellow ginkgo leaf path, which is right at the forest's exit in Kyoto.
The best time to visit the yellow-leafed road is between October and November, when the ginkgo trees are at their most vibrant. This area also experiences little traffic, making it an ideal spot for taking photos without distractions.
Address of the yellow leaf road for you to easily follow: Google Map.
And finally, today's author 😀 Thank you for reading to the end.
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