Is the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest worth it?
Yes, if you get there before 8:30 am. At midday it is a short, slow walk in a crowd.
Facts checked on 8 November 2026.
The bamboo path is about 400 metres long and free to walk. Early in the morning you have room to stop and look up. From mid-morning the path fills with people, and the empty-path photos you may have seen are hard to take. If you cannot come early, the best time page shows which hours are calmer.
What is the walk actually like?
- It is a paved public road, with a long gentle slope.
- It runs from near Nonomiya Shrine, past the north gate of Tenryu-ji, to Okochi Sanso.
- Brushwood fences line both sides. In 2026 the city began replacing them with new fences about 1.8 metres high.
- It is free and open 24 hours, so the earlier you go, the fewer people you share it with.
Can you walk the bamboo path with a suitcase?
You can, but the path has a long slope and is crowded for most of the day, so it is slow going with luggage. If you are flying home from Kansai Airport, Bag2Gate can take your suitcase for you. It stores bags in Osaka and delivers them to the Yamato counter at KIX, where you collect them before check-in. It does not keep bags in Arashiyama.
See how luggage delivery to Kansai Airport works
Arashiyama Bamboo is run by Bag2Gate.
Where can you go if the bamboo path is packed?
On its busiest autumn days, Kyoto City itself sends walkers on from the path toward Oku-Saga and Kameyama Park to spread out the crowd. These are the nearest alternatives.
- The city's bamboo walking path. A separate, wider path running north from Nonomiya Shrine. Free, open 9 am to 5 pm, and it can close without notice.
- Okochi Sanso Garden. At the top end of the bamboo path. A paid garden, ¥1,000 for adults, 9 am to 5 pm.
- Tenryu-ji garden. Its north gate opens onto the bamboo path. ¥500 for adults, 8:30 am to 5 pm.
- Adashino Nenbutsu-ji. Farther north, with its own bamboo-lined path. ¥500 for adults, last entry 4:30 pm.
Bamboo Grove or Adashino Nenbutsu-ji?
| Bamboo Grove | Adashino Nenbutsu-ji | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free (public road) | ¥500 for adults |
| Hours | Open 24 hours | From 9 am, last entry 4:30 pm (3:30 pm in Dec to Feb) |
| What it is | A road through a dense bamboo forest | A temple with a bamboo-lined path in its grounds |
| Our crowd estimate | Hour by hour | We do not estimate it |
What can you see after the bamboo?
Most of Arashiyama is within walking distance: Tenryu-ji, the Togetsukyo Bridge and the riverside. For the rest of the area and the order to see it in on the day, see our sister site Arashiyama Today.
Common questions
- Is the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest worth it in the middle of the day?
- Only if midday is the only time you have. On an ordinary weekday our estimate is Very busy from 11 am to 4 pm. It costs nothing to walk through, so it can still be worth a look on your way past.
- Is it worth visiting in the rain?
- Often, yes. Our estimate assumes rain keeps some people away and is 20% lower for rainy hours. The path is paved, but it has a long slope, so wear shoes with grip.
- Can you visit with a stroller or wheelchair?
- The path is paved, with a long gentle slope. It gets crowded, so go early, when there is room to move.
- Is Adashino Nenbutsu-ji better than the Bamboo Grove?
- It is a different trip. Adashino Nenbutsu-ji is a paid temple farther north with its own bamboo-lined path, and it takes extra time to reach. The Bamboo Grove is free and close to the stations.
Crowd levels on this site are estimates from typical patterns, not live counts. How the estimate works