Kyoto from above or how to avoid the crowds in Arashiyama

Leaving the wonderful Ine boathouses behind I returned to my beloved Kyoto City. Even though I have only spent about a year here – six months during my study abroad and another six on my working holiday - the city really grew close to my heart. I would really love to live here again someday.

Kyoto is full of historic places and amazing architecture, afterall it has been the nations capital for more than a thousand years. But another great thing about the city is how it exists in harmony with the nature. It is surrounded by mountains from all sides with the Kamogawa river running through its center. Yes, it makes it super hot and humid in Summer, but you can always escape to the surrounding green hills or chill by the rivers.

Speaking of rivers, the banks of the Kamogawa river are a great place to spend summer nights as they become bustling with couples, groups of friends and a few street performers singing or playing instruments. If you know the right spots, you can also enjoy a magical scene of fireflies dancing around in a small stream ext to the walking path.

In the morning, I took a walk around the Gion area and the Yasaka shrine before they get too crowded. I stopped by for an ice coffee at the Sanjo Starbucks (a much recommended place) and chilled by the river for a bit. I had a whole day ahead but nothing planned so I decided to got to Arashiyama. Not very creative, I know, but even though it is one of the most touristy places in Kyoto, it was always one of my favorite places to visit.

When I got off at the station, I started doubting my decision for a second. The main streets were already quite packed, however, I had hope and continued walking up the river. And sure enough, after getting a bit further away from the main area, the busyness calmed downed and I was able to find a lovely restaurant for lunch with a great view and almost no wait time.

I got their boiled tofu set and was surprised with about 15 small dishes. I knew.. most of them, and most of them were really delicious. About some others I had mixed feelings but gotta try everything right? It really was an amazing lunch with an element of adventure to it :)

I finished my lunch and went on a walk around the Arashiyama park. There is a great observation deck if you are willing to walk up a few steep stairs.

You can see a great view of the valley, the river is cradled by lush green mountains from both sides. On the opposite side of the river you can see the Daihikaku Seikoji temple and also the buildings of Hoshinoya Kyoto – one of "a few" hotels on my bucket list.

There was almost no one around, but I was lucky enough that one guy showed up. Our eyes met for a second and we both knew what we wanted – “Could you please take a photo for me?”. So thank you, stranger, for taking this nice shot of me with the view.

I was planning to get back to the station as I was starting to get a bit tired, but as I was passing through the Arashiyama park, there was someone helping some tourists find their way. I stopped by to see if there is anything I could help with but seemed like he knew the area very well. He even gave me a tip – try going up the Ogura mauntain. It is just a 20 minute hike and offers great views from the top.

Well, there was no other choice but to go. As I was walking up for and even after 20 minutes was not reaching the top, I did start thinking that maybe I should not believe everything strangers tell me. But after 5 more minutes I was taking in the amaying view of the Kyoto city while resting on a make shift bench.

That was quite a nice highlight from the Arashiyama trip and as I was meeting some frineds in the evening, I slowly made my way back to my hostel – The Millenials Kyoto. Recently I always stay here when travelling to Kyoto. You could describe it as a fancy capsule hotel. The capsules are spacious and controlled by a smartphone controller which allows you to set up the bed, turn the lights on and off and set up an alarm that will turn your bed into a sofa to wake you up.

The lounge looks like a co-working café and as they have an all-you-can-drink beer happy hour everyday, making it a great place to meet new people when travelling. They also have locations in Tokyo and Fukuoka and I would highly recommend them expecially for everyone travelling solo!

Anyway, now it was time to go to sleep as I was getting up early the next day to get on a train with a very cool name – “The Thunderbird”