most guidebooks & travel sites touch on e 'standard route' covering e main sights - starting with e Togetsu-kyo (bridge) over e Katsura-gawa, & ploughing through e must-see temples & villas on e north bank. but e public park on e north bank (亀山公園 Kameyama-koen) & a path running some distance upriver along e south bank deserve their fair share of attention too.
e round hill (is it Iwata-yama?) on e south bank looks like a yummy multi-coloured gum drop =P
e famous 渡月橋 Togetsukyo crowded with tourists:
this guy found a way to escape (above) from e massive hordes. walking upriver along e south bank of e Katsura-gawa, where there were far fewer tail-less monkeys (humans) than 'tail-ed' ones (in Iwatayama Monkey Park):
Atago-san (above), climbed 9 days ago....
autumn colours of Kameyama-koen:
further upriver:
& even further upriver, as e path started to climb uphill:
Kyoto city has been left far behind by this point:
just like stepping into a full-colour version of a 水墨画 (Chinese inkbrush painting)....
beyond this point (above), e path ended at an onsen resort & a long steep climb up to Daihikakuji temple, perched high up on e mountainside overlooking e river. more views from e path:
Daihikakuji aka. Senkoji temple must be quite a deserted place, being rather out of e way. copies of (magazine? news?) articles with photos of e temple were pasted on signboards along e way, promising great views for 400 yen (e admission fee):
gave it a miss as e cat's knee was still lousy.
tourists disembarking after e boat ride down e Hozu-gawa from Kameoka :
toriigata daimonji:
finally seen all 6 of them! =)
warning sign (below left) at Iwatayama-koen - to warn e public against celebrating hanabi by setting off fireworks on this side of e river in summer?
a channel of e Katsura-gawa (above right)
at e southern end of Togetsukyo is a toy shop full of cute stuff including soft toy versions of Totoro & Jiji, e kuro neko from Majo no Takkyubin:
e store sells CD compilations of instrumental music, & e chiming music played in e store can be heard from afar =)
rickshaws on e opposite bank of e Katsura-gawa:
setting off after passengers have fastened e seatbelt across their laps beneath e red blanket:
on e way to Nonomiya-jinja & Okochi Sanso villa:
cute jizo outside Tenryuji - e last guy looks quite constipated:
CARPARK FULL at Tenryuji (& just about every other temple & attraction in Arashiyama):
Arashiyama on a Friday afternoon at e peak of e maple-viewing season - some of e main streets were converted into one-way roads to cope with e surge in traffic, leaving many confused people hunting around for e correct bus stops:
so glad to have visited Tenryuji about a week ago. it was madness today - e photo above shows e less often-used back gate. many of e temples sent staff out in bright yellow caps & vests to help direct traffic:
e matcha & vanilla ice cream sold in cones at just about everywhere in Arashiyama is advertised in e background (above). e cat tried this (below right) instead:
no matter how chilly e weather, enjoying matcha ice cream (& pudding & cream puff & chocolate) is a MUST while in Kyoto prefecture, e home of Uji city & e best green tea in Japan =)) e wagashi sweets (above left) were too horribly ex to try.
this guy seemed kinda lost in e crowd surging by:
Lovely images of Arashiyama
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