Woman standing in the middle of the little stone monk statues. She is hunched down, smiling and holding an umbrella
Japan,  The Archives,  The places we've been

A Rainy Walk in the Kimono and Bamboo Forests

April 1, 2023 /

Kyoto, Miyajima and Hiroshima were some of THE MOST picturesque places we’d ever seen. But the universe was like, “Hold my beer”. Wait until you see the day we went on a rainy walk in the Kimono and Bamboo Forests. Oh and these two places weren’t even the best part. We spent the afternoon with probably a thousand stone mini-monks. Grab a cup of cozy and join us for the last leg of our Kyoto adventure.

The Glorious Beginning

Table containing two wooden trays and multiple square plates. On them are dumplings, salmon, salad and chop sticks
Salad, it’s not just for breakfast anymore

Like every morning, the breakfast provided by our hotel, the Sotetsu Fresa Inn, was OUTSTANDING. I didn’t know how I would feel about salad and fish for the first meal of the day but after just one day…I was sold. Bellies full and hearts ready for adventure, we looked out the window and saw it. The weather. It was going to be cold and rainy all morning.

But you know what’s great about that??? Less tourists! We LOVE having places all to ourselves. So we loaded up our winter coats, boots, gloves and umbrellas and set off.

First Stop – The Kimono Forest

I literally had NO IDEA this place existed but Stephen is a HECK of a researcher. We were strolling through a neighborhood and bam…there it was.

Field of acrylic posts in bright colors.
Acrylic posts in bright colors lining a stone path
The Kimono Path

These pillars were erected at the train station to welcome visitors and to commemorate the history of the area. Each one showcases one of thirty two kimono patterns. At the center of the “Kimono Lane” is a small pond called Ryu no Atago (Pond of Dragon). People can stop here to pray. Dipping your hands in the water is said to bring peace and happiness. And, well, who COULDN’T use a little more of that?

Man dipping his hands in the water of elliptical shaped pond. There is a small orb statue in the water. Behind the pool are acrylic posts in bright colors.
Come on, peace and happiness!
Post with writing on it that reads “Pond of Dragon” and speaks about how dipping your hands in the water can bring you peace and happiness.

Passing by the Togetsu-Kyo Bridge

This 400 year old wooden bridge spans the Katsura River in front of the Arashiyama Mountain. Young children, clad in kimonos, cross it after receiving a blessing from their local temple. If they make it all the way across without looking back, they’ll be blessed with good luck. Since we were cold…we figured we’d leave the crossing to them.

Wooden across a river. There are mountains in the background.
Wooden sign that looks like a little house. On it is written sentences in Japanese.

The Stone Monks

A funny thing happened on the way to the temple…we ran into an army of mini-monks. Each one commemorates an actual person who served at Tenryuji temple. I had only heard of this idea in one other place…but more on that soon.

A stone monk statue in front of the sand feature of a zen garden
Zen stone monk
Rows of stone monks standing in the grass
All the little monks, right in a row
A grouping of little stone Buddhist monks in a grassy field.
Stone Buddhist monk, pulling a cloak over his head

The Tenryuji Temple

There has been a temple in this location since the 1300’s but war and fire repeatedly took the buildings. The last time these were rebuilt was in the late 1800’s.

Woman holding an umbrella in front of a Buddhist temple. It’s a while building with brown wooden beams and a traditional Japanese roof.
The temple
Stone steps leading to a red torii
The torii
Man wearing traditional Buddhist monk clothing, holding an umbrella and walking to the temple. The clothes are a gray tunic and balloon bottomed pants.
Monk walking to the Temple
Multiple white buildings with brown beams. The roofs are in the traditional Japanese fashion.
Portait of a Buddhist monk in a red hood
Daruma Daishi, who brought Zen teaching to Japan from India

The garden, however, has survived in its original form. Never having seen a life-sized Zen garden, I was really awed by the experience.

Sand showing rake grooves in a zen garden. There are trees in the background and a mountain beyond that
The zen garden
Pond framed by mountains and trees. There is a temple in the background.
The pond at the temple
Sand with rake marks in the zen garden leading up to a pond surrounded by trees
Sand with rake lines leading up to a pond that is surrounded by trees
Wooden rail standing in front of a pond, surrounded by trees

And then the Bamboo Forest

This beautiful grove is preserved by the government as part of the “soundscape” of Japan. Unfortunately the “Insta-famous” consider it a great place to take a picture with a bamboo umbrella while holding up their heart hands. Fortunately for us, we got there before they did!

Earthen path surrounded by a canopy of bamboo trees
The path through the bamboo forest
Man standing on a path in a bamboo grove with his arms spread wide
The “no one’s here in the bamboo forest” pose
Looking up at the canopy of leaves in a bamboo forest

The Tiny Green Monks

When I discovered that this place existed, I felt I HAD to see it for myself. I mean, how can I LIVE knowing I could visit these little dudes and NOT do it?? Well, truth be told, not a lot of people come to the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple. And we discovered why. Although it’s not far from civilization, you can’t take a train there nor can you walk it. Your only options are taxi – which is pricey, or a bus – which only runs hourly. Since we are adventurous (ish), the bus it was.

Man in a orange jacket, hat and gloves, riding in a bus.
Heading to adventure

You should know, however, that taking the bus isn’t like taking the train. The signs are not in English nor can you expect the driver or anyone around to help you navigate to where you’re going. So we took a deep breath and hoped for the best. And BOY did it pay off!

Fierce warrior statue standing at the gate of a temple
Scary gate warrior
Small temple with tiny green monk statues leading up to it
The very first monks
Wooden platform in the foreground with rows of little green monk statues in the background
All the little green men
Close up of a smiling monk statue that is covered in moss
Look at the face
Rows of little monk statues covered in moss. Each one is different
Each face is different
Small pagoda with a Buddha statue in it and another statue standing outside it
The little pagoda
Rows of monk statues covered in moss
So many monks
Three large bronze bells with a hammer in the middle of them under a red roof
Bells for worship
Golden Buddha sitting in a small temple
This Buddha was made for the blind. You’re allowed to touch him. So I did.
Standing on a mountain path, looking down at a pagoda and rows of little stone monks covered in moss
Looking down from the path
Woman standing in the middle of the little stone monk statues. She is hunched down, smiling and holding an umbrella
My favorite monk

The path past the pagoda lead us to one more enjoyable find.

Tiny stone egg shaped statue of a monk. There are coins in front of him.
The little egg shaped monk

We spent 45 minutes in the forest with the monks before deciding it was time to go. Unfortunately, the bus schedule didn’t really care that we were cold so we had to wait another 20 minutes.

Woman in a red winter coat, holding an umbrella at a bus stop
My heart was so happy

A Quick Repose before Osaka

Hearts full and fingers chilly, we decided to have lunch at the train station before heading over to Osaka to visit the aquarium. We figured that since we were already wet and cold, the aquariam would certainly be “on theme” for the day.

Two plates of spaghetti, with bread and two glasses of beer on a wooden table
The spaghetti dinner
Man and woman holding their glasses to toast at the camera
Cheers to a successful adventure!

Watching Whale Sharks in Osaka

Exterior of a large building with a split roof. Each side has a large light blue stripe and a large red stripe. The building itself is a dark blue and there are many interesting sculptures in front of it. There is a lane of colorful posts with balls on top of them and something that looks like a curled version of a Christmas tree in the middle.
Kaiyukan Hall

Remember earlier when I said cold and rainy days are good to avoid tourists? Well I really need to qualify that statement. While this holds true for outdoor attractions, the same cannot be said for indoor areas. Do you know who else was at the Osaka Aquarium when we got there? EVERYBODY.

While it was nearly impossible to see any creatures on the top level, we quickly discovered that the further down we went, the more the crowds thinned out. And the tanks were multi-level, so viewing them from below was actually better.

Tank showing the bottom of a simulated ocean floor with two huge crabs inside
The GIANT crabs
Looking up at a tank with a sea lion in it
Looking up at a Sea Lion
Tank with a very large striped and spotted shark
This whale shark was as long as a truck!
A tank holding two giant grey fish and a man in diving gear
The Diver and the Fish
A puffin bobbing in the water, very near to the camera.
The curious puffin
Tank with a giant sea turtle in it
Big old sea turtle
Tank with a hammer head shark in it
Hammer head

We spent a few hours underwater and we came out to DRY WEATHER. What a joy that was. Though we don’t let the weather stop us from adventuring, we did appreciate the break as we wandered over to Tempozan Market Place to check out the shops.

Large white Ferris Wheel
Tempozan Ferris Wheel
Mall interior with several levels, shops and people walking around
Table filled with different foods - all made from plastic
Table at the plastic food shop

From the exterior, I noticed a restaurant that had lit up beer signs in the window. Since this seemed important to verify, I dragged Stephen in for a little repose before heading back home for the night. (He actually wasn’t TOO hard to nudge.)

A window with many round beer logo signs in it
The window at Istanbul Table
A man and woman holding up beer glasses
Kanpai!

We hoped you enjoyed a peek at our last day in Kyoto. Taking a break from our journey through the land of the rising sun to share a post about the PERFECT day in Boston since the marathon is coming up. We’ll be back in two weeks when we unpack in Nagano and hang with the snow monkeys!

If you like these “off-the-beaten-path” type stories, consider subscribing for free. We’re about as off-beat as they come and you’ll get the latest delivered right to your email box. You can also follow us in real time on Instagram at the__travel__oracle.

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