The town of Arashiyama is a mere 45 minute train ride from Kyoto, and there’s a bevy of natural and historical sites within a few square miles. In fact I see so much during my 8 hours here that it will take me three posts just to cover the highlights.

After emerging from the train station, I head north towards the main river on my way into town. White puffy clouds dot the sky; I couldn’t ask for better weather.

The river is wide and shallow, with a pretty green hue.

Boat rides are available. I skip them in favor of taking photos on land.

Since I have the whole day ahead of me, I wander up to this overlook. My plan is to seek out the bamboo forrest and a number of temples, but there’s time for a few distractions. I love this view point — I had no idea Japan looked like this.

Without consulting my map, I stumble upon the bamboo forrest. I can tell I’ve approached it from the opposite direction as most people are walking towards me, and sure enough I find the main entrance at the other end. Regardless, I am here!

The giant bamboo trees form a canopy overhead, with warm beams of sunlight streaming through. I’ll pause my commentary for a moment and let the photos speak for themselves.

It’s a short path — maybe only 10 minutes each way — but the joy on everyone’s face is clear. It’s a magical place to wander and I feel exceptionally lucky to have an opportunity to photograph it.

More from this corner of the world tomorrow!