Arashiyama With Kids

Arashiyama nearly didn’t make our Kyoto itinerary. I’d seen the photos of that bamboo grove — impossibly tall, impossibly green, impossibly empty — and assumed we’d turn up to find it rammed with travelers and completely underwhelming. I was wrong. Well, half wrong. It is rammed with travelers. But it’s also genuinely magical, especially if you know when to go and what to skip.

We’ve visited Arashiyama twice now with our three kids (ages 3, 6, and 9 on our last trip), and I’ve got strong feelings about what’s worth your time here. Some of it is brilliant. Some of it is overhyped. Here’s the honest version.

Getting to Arashiyama

Two main options, and the right one depends on what rail pass you’re holding.

If you’ve got a JR Pass, take the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto Station to JR Saga-Arashiyama. It’s about 15 minutes, completely covered by the pass, and dead simple. The station drops you a short walk from the main drag.

Without a JR Pass, the Hankyu Line runs to Hankyu Arashiyama station for ¥230 (~£1.20) per adult. It’s on the other side of the river, so you’ll cross Togetsukyo Bridge on foot to reach the bamboo grove area. Honestly, that’s no bad thing — the bridge approach gives you a lovely first impression of the whole district.

Either way, aim to arrive early. I mean properly early. 8am early. Yes, that means dragging reluctant children out of the hotel before breakfast. Yes, it’s worth it. Grab onigiri from a konbini on the way and eat on the train — the kids will think it’s an adventure.

The Bamboo Grove — Yes, It’s Worth It

Right. The bamboo grove. Sagano Bamboo Forest. Whatever you want to call it. It’s free, it’s open all the time, and it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk through. That’s it. Fifteen minutes.

But those fifteen minutes are something else entirely at 8am. The light filters through in these gorgeous green shafts, the bamboo creaks and sways overhead, and there’s actual space to stop and look up without someone’s selfie stick poking you in the ear. By 10am? Forget it. Wall-to-wall tour groups shuffling through shoulder to shoulder. The atmosphere evaporates completely.

Our best visit was in the rain. Sounds miserable, I know. But the rain on bamboo makes this incredible hollow drumming sound, the crowds thin out dramatically, and the colour of the leaves turns almost electric. Pack a lightweight waterproof and go. The kids thought it was brilliant — they kept calling it a “secret forest.”

One thing to manage expectations on: the grove is a path, not a forest you can wander into. You walk through it in one direction. Smaller children might need a bit of encouragement to keep moving if they want to stop and touch everything (mine did), but it’s flat and stroller-friendly. There’s a beautiful cemetery at the far end that most people walk straight past, which is a shame — it’s atmospheric and quiet, and on our second visit the kids spent ten minutes counting the moss-covered statues.

Tenryuji Temple

The north entrance of Tenryuji Temple connects directly to the bamboo grove, which makes it a natural pairing. Entry is ¥500 (~£2.60) for adults and ¥300 (~£1.60) for children, and the main draw is the Sogenchi Garden — a 700-year-old landscape garden built around a pond.

I’ll be honest, our kids weren’t especially interested in the temple buildings themselves. But the garden? They loved it. There are koi in the pond, turtles sunning themselves on rocks, and enough space to let a toddler toddle without you having a heart attack about them breaking something priceless. It’s peaceful in a way that most of Arashiyama isn’t, and it only takes 20 to 30 minutes to walk through properly.

Worth the money. Genuinely.

Togetsukyo Bridge and the River

Togetsukyo Bridge is the postcard shot of Arashiyama — a long, low wooden bridge spanning the Katsura River with mountains behind it. It’s pretty. It’s also just a bridge, so don’t expect the kids to be overwhelmed with excitement about standing on it.

What will excite them: the river activities. You can hire paddle boats for about ¥1,500 (~£7.90) per 30 minutes, which our older two adored. The river is calm and shallow enough that it feels safe, though obviously you’ll want to keep a close eye on little ones.

For a bigger adventure, the Hozugawa River cruise runs downstream through a gorge back towards Arashiyama. It’s ¥4,100 (~£21.60) for adults and ¥2,700 (~£14.20) for children, lasts about two hours, and is genuinely beautiful — wooded hillsides, small rapids, the lot. That said, two hours on a boat with a restless toddler is a gamble. We did it with our eldest when she was seven and it was perfect. I wouldn’t attempt it with a three-year-old.

Iwatayama Monkey Park — An Honest Review

Here’s where I’ll probably annoy some people. The monkey park is Arashiyama’s big kid-friendly attraction, and I think it’s overrated for young families.

The deal: you hike 20 minutes up a steep hillside to reach an enclosure where about 120 Japanese macaques roam freely. At the top, there’s a hut where you can buy food (¥100 per bag) and feed them through a wire fence. Entry is ¥550 (~£2.90) for adults and ¥250 (~£1.30) for kids aged 4 and up.

The hike is the problem. It’s steep, it’s uneven, and there’s no way to do it with a stroller. Our nine-year-old was fine. Our six-year-old managed but complained. Our three-year-old had to be carried, which meant 20 minutes uphill with a toddler on my husband’s shoulders in 30-degree heat. Not fun.

At the top, some of the monkeys are quite aggressive — snatching at bags, baring teeth. It’s natural behaviour and the staff manage it well, but it frightened our youngest. The feeding-through-the-fence bit is good fun for older kids who understand the rules, but little ones tend to wave food around outside the hut and that’s when things get dicey.

My advice: brilliant for kids five and up who are steady on their feet and won’t be spooked by wildlife with attitude. Skip it with toddlers. The views from the top are nice, but not ¥550-and-a-meltdown nice.

Rickshaw Rides

Now this is worth the money. The jinrikisha (rickshaw) rides are everywhere in Arashiyama, and they’re one of the best things we did with the kids.

A ride costs between ¥3,000 and ¥5,000 (~£15.80–£26.30) depending on the route length. The runners are incredibly fit, surprisingly chatty (most speak some English), and they take you through quieter back streets that you’d never find on your own. They’ll point out hidden temples, explain the history, and pose for photos.

The secret weapon for parents of small children: our three-year-old fell asleep within five minutes, tucked under the blanket they provide. Forty minutes of peace while someone else did the navigating. Worth every yen.

You can book in advance through Klook, which I’d recommend during peak season (March–April for cherry blossom, November for autumn leaves). Outside those times, you can just turn up and grab one near Togetsukyo Bridge.

Eating in Arashiyama With Kids

This is where Arashiyama lets families down a bit. Food options are heavily skewed towards traditional Japanese — lots of udon, lots of tofu, lots of beautiful but unfamiliar things that fussy eaters will refuse point-blank.

If your children are adventurous eaters, wonderful. The tofu restaurants near Tenryuji are lovely and the udon shops do big comforting bowls that even our middle child (the difficult one) will eat. But if you’ve got a child who survives on chicken nuggets and plain pasta, you’ll struggle. Western options are almost nonexistent here.

Street food is your friend. Along the main shopping street (Saga-Toriimoto), you’ll find yakitori skewers for ¥200–400 (~£1–2), matcha ice cream that even our pickiest will demolish, and taiyaki — those fish-shaped pastries filled with sweet red bean or custard. These saved us more than once.

Critical warning: most restaurants in Arashiyama close between 5pm and 6pm. If you’re planning a full day, eat lunch by 1pm at the latest and don’t count on a sit-down dinner in the area. We learned this the hard way, standing outside a locked restaurant at 5:15pm with three hungry children. Bring snacks. Lots of snacks.

Getting Around: Bikes and Strollers

Bike hire with child seats is available near both stations for around ¥1,000 (~£5.30) per day. If you’ve got one child small enough for a seat, this is a fantastic way to cover ground. The flat roads along the river are perfect for cycling, and you can reach quieter spots like Adashino Nenbutsuji temple without the crowds.

Strollers work fine on the main streets and through the bamboo grove. The pavements are mostly flat, the paths are paved, and the shopping street is wide enough to navigate even when busy. However — and this is important — strollers are completely useless for the monkey park hike and awkward on some of the narrower temple paths. If you’re bringing one, accept that you’ll be parking it at certain points.

How Long Do You Need?

Half a day is the minimum. Bamboo grove, Tenryuji Temple, a wander along the river, some street food — that’s a solid morning and you can be back in central Kyoto by early afternoon.

A full day lets you add the monkey park (if your kids are old enough), a rickshaw ride, the river cruise, and a proper lunch. We preferred the full day on our second visit because it meant we weren’t rushing, but with very small children, the morning-only approach honestly works better. Everyone’s happier, nobody melts down, and you’ve still seen the best bits.

If you’re planning a wider trip around Japan, have a look at our complete family guide to Japan for the bigger picture, and if you want somewhere special to stay in Kyoto, our family-friendly ryokan guide covers the best options.

The Bottom Line

Arashiyama is one of those rare places that actually lives up to the hype — as long as you arrive early, bring snacks, and choose your activities based on what your specific kids can handle rather than what TripAdvisor tells you to do. The bamboo grove at 8am is extraordinary. The rickshaw rides are a genuine highlight. The monkey park is fine but not essential. And the whole area has this quiet, green, unhurried quality that’s a lovely break from the sensory overload of central Kyoto.

Just don’t turn up at noon expecting a peaceful stroll through empty bamboo. That ship sailed about ten years ago. Go early, go prepared, and let the kids lead. They’ll find things to love here that you didn’t plan for — a koi fish, a strange-looking tree, a taiyaki shaped like a puffer fish. That’s the best kind of travelling.