Arashiyama Bamboo Grove to Takao One-day Hiking

What a wonderful day! Koichi was a delightful host. He explained the background of the Arashiyama area and took us through the temple, past the zen garden (and pond) to the Bamboo Forest. By taxi, we saw the “old section of town” to arrive at the start of the hike along the “Kyoto Trail” which took us through a beautiful forest. The hike was relatively flat, and where we needed some help, Koichi was there to help us over some rocks in the path. Halfway through the hike, we stopped by the river and had our lunch we had bought. Koichi shared chocolate “bamboo” cookies. After the hike, we took a bus back to Kyoto to the Nishiki Market, but first, celebrated the hike with some sake and beer that Koichi had bought. Highly recommend this tour, as we really got to “stop and smell the roses.”

We booked this tour with Koichi for our 2nd day with him (see our review of Western Highlights tour). However, due to heavy rain, we had to make a last minute switch in the itinerary. Koichi was great at keeping in touch about the weather and consulting with us about an alternate itinerary. We visited several shrines and temples in eastern Kyoto, had a delicious traditional Japanese lunch, then went to the lovely Lake Biwa/Otsu area. We tried some local sake and had traditional matcha mochi-both were excellent! Koichi knew all the best spots to take photos, and was so wonderful about offering to take photographs of our family on my iPhone at each spot. We have warm memories of our time with Koichi. Our only regret is we didn’t have another day or two with him. Book a tour with him—we highly recommend him as a guide! Thank you Koichi-san!

WOW! This was an amazing adventure, one not possible without Koichi's guidance! We spent an incredible day in the hills outside Kyoto in the bamboo and temples, having a nature walk along a peaceful river (no tourists!) and climbing hundreds of stairs to a magical, serene hillside temple complex unlike any other. Our family loved the tour and how interesting Koichi made it, and what a thoughtful guide he was. Everything was perfect! Koichi even saved the day when we lost a phone on a bus--he's the best!