Japan Day 4, Part 4: Arashiyama bamboo forest and surroundings

Seiryo-Ji was conveniently on the way between sites, so I walked my bike through the grounds. The gate was beautiful, and the whole temple was aesthetically pleasing.

I stopped by Arashiyama for some lunch and ice cream to beat the notable heat. As I sat eating my ice cream and planning my next few stops, I admired the old wooden bridge that had been converted to motor vehicle use. 

I also noticed some sand sculptures across the river, and cycled over to check them out. 

One of the biggest tourist attractions in Kyoto is the Arashiyama bamboo forest. 

I'll be honest: it didn't live up to the hype. The grove is not particularly extensive, and the single trail through it is incredibly crowded. It took me lagging behind for a while to get a shot of the trail with so few people in it. 

Vendors line the whole way in, and tourists buy a bunch of nonsense trinkets that they carry through the bamboo. That is to say, it wasn't exactly the peaceful and contemplative area I imagined. It was still rather pretty, even though wasn't not the extraordinary and magical place promised.

Nearby was Tenryu-ji, the temple of the heavenly dragon. 

The gardens were impressive, if crowded.  

I remember being in a rotten mood that afternoon and having to take time to remind myself I was somewhere awesome. I managed to get away from both the press of humanity and the direct heat of the sun in some of the further out trails through the shady forest. Relaxing there helped my state of mind so I was able to appreciate the rest of my time in the temple grounds. 

The top of this (relatively modern) temple building was rather captivating.

The bamboo grove in the temple grounds was smaller, but much more peaceful than its famous neighbor.

I had made much better time than I had anticipated that day, and I didn't want to cycle back on exposed road during the worst heat of the day, so I decided to wander around the area a bit. I cycled on a trail around an island in the river, then started back towards central Kyoto. The fields of rice between rows of houses would have fit in well in my neighborhood in Daejeon Korea.