Arashiyama

My train back to Fukuoka left in the early afternoon, so I had enough time for one last adventure in Kyoto. I woke up, checked out of the hotel, and headed for the station. My plan was to take a bus or train to Arashiyama, the last item on my list. Before that, though, I wanted to stuff my bag in a coin locker.

Twenty minutes and several expletives later, I concluded that every single coin locker in Kyoto Station was being used. With no other choice, I lugged my full bag the rest of the day.

Arashiyama is a mountain in western Kyoto, as well as the name of the district surrounding it. The scenery, parks, and temples make it a popular tourist destination, a fact I learned very well from visiting it.

The train to didn't take more than fifteen minutes to reach the Arashiyama stop. The actual mountain was another fifteen minutes on foot. There were bicycles available for rent, but I decided against it, laden as I was. As soon as I left the station, I noticed the streets were packed with people. It got no better as I neared the mountain itself. (The crowds made for a convenient guide, as I didn't know how exactly to get there.)

After a few minutes, I reached the river that separates the district from the actual mountain. I was shocked more by the sheer numbers of tourists than by the beauty of the landscape. Having made it this far, I resigned myself to joining the swarm.

The bank I was walking along had a fair number of people sitting and enjoying the midmorning weather or, perhaps, working up the resolve to deal with the herd of people filing across the river. The crossing itself was a two-lane bridge all but full of people. The tourists formed roughly two lanes a total of 20-30 abreast, despite the best efforts of traffic police valiantly trying to clear the way for cars.

I'd like to say I saw everything there was to see around Arashiyama. I'd like to say I visited Tenryū temple, site of the founding of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. Most of all, I'd like to say I went to the Iwatayama Monkey Park and fed some monkeys.

However, as I squirmed my way through the crowd and across the bridge, I got tired of the place real quick. Part of it probably had to do with being tired from the whole weekend, as well as the mild nervousness reminding me that I was on a very set schedule, needing to get back to the station by a set time. I contented myself just walking in a big circle, looping back around to the bridge, and heading back. It took a total of an hour from start to finish, and, looking back on it, I wish I'd done more, but at the time I just didn't have the desire to deal with the crowds.

I fought my way against the current, got back to Arashiyama station, and got back to Kyoto Station without incident.