Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

After walking back from the Kyoto Train Museum to the JR Kyoto Station we decided to take a train to Osaka for fun. First we walked around the platforms of the station some.

Kyoto - Kyoto Train Museum

After heading back to JR Kyoto Station from Fushimi Inari Taisha we took a walk to the Kyoto Train Museum. On our way to the museum we walked through the Umekoji Park and saw these old street cars.

Kyoto - Fushimi Inari Taisha

We went to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. The primary shrine at the base of the mountain is  Fushimi Inari Taisha. There are shrines up and down the mountain along with many many torii (Japanese gates). Holly and I would recommend arriving early before the large crowds.

Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

JR Kyoto Station the next morning we took a local train to Mount Inari and the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. We rode a 103 Series, likely some of the older rolling stock we rode on our trip.

Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

The JR Kyoto Station was quite interesting. It had a lot of shopping, restaurants, and so on. It also was a meeting and public gathering place for many people. It also has some sections that are nice promenades as well as parks. There are also offices and hotels. After long days of walking, hiking, and sightseeing we really enjoyed exploring the station.

Kyoto - Togetsukyo Bridge (and Surrounding Area)

Next we visited the Togetsukyo Bridge and its surrounding area. The entire area is rather picturesque, but also has a lot of foot and vehicle traffic.

Kyoto - Saga Kameno-o-cho

From Arashiyama Park  we walked along the Saga Kameno-o-cho area. There were very nice views of the river as well as some eateries along the way.

Kyoto - Arashiyama Park and Observation Point

The Arashiyama Bamboo Path led us to Arashiyama Park which had an observation point of the valley and mountains. There was also a nice set of stairs and a path we decided to go down.

Kyoto - Arashiyama Bamboo Path

From the Tenryu-ji Temple Garden we got back on the Arashiyama Bamboo Path so that we could finish walking the path.

Kyoto - Tenryu-ji Temple Garden

On our walk through the Arashiyama Bamboo Path we took a break to go through the Tenryu-ji Temple Garden. Lots of flowers, blossoming trees, and so on.

Kyoto - Arashiyama Bamboo Path

Our first touristy stop in Kyoto was the Arashiyama Bamboo Path in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. The photos online that show this path empty had to have been taken at a different time of year or very early in the morning. It was rather packed when we were there. Also, this is not just a preserve but an actively harvested bamboo grove.

Kyoto - Saga Arashiyama Station

On our first day in Kyoto we went to the Ukyō-ku ward. We left JR Kyoto Station and went to Saga Arashiyama Station.

Kyoto - Ibis Styles Kyoto Station

In Kyoto we stayed in the Ibis Styles Kyoto Station hotel. While it was very close to the JR Kyoto Station there were hotels within the track layout which would have given us views similar to those in Nagoya. The hotel room was medium sized for Japan and small by US standards. The hotel included a respectable breakfast buffet each morning.

Kyoto - JR Kyoto Station

We arrived at JR Kyoto Station and took our first pictures of the platforms in the evening. There are lots of restaurants in this train station and our hotel was just across the street from one of the main entrances.