Arashiyama

While most of Kyoto’s main attractions are located to the east, you’ll need to head over to Arashiyama in the west for the quintessential “bamboo forest” experience. This cool AF area has long been popular as a natural retreat with Japanese, dating well back to the Heian era. In addition to the stunning bamboo forest, you’ll also want to be sure to check out the Tenryu-ji temple and the Iwayatama Monkey Park. When accounting for travel time, you’ll want to budget for at least half of a day for Arashiyama.