I think a visit to Kyoto isn't complete without checking out Arashiyama and its myriad of temples and gardens. Personally, I ended up enjoying the time I spent at Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama Park and Gardens, and the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Before I got to these places though, I made sure to take one of the most scenic train rides via the Sagano Romantic Train.
Operated by the Sagano Scenic Railway Co. Ltd., the Sagano Romantic Train passes through 4 total stations along its 7.3 kilometer route. While not the station closest to where I was staying, I still decided to start my journey at Torokko Kameoka. Now you're probably thinking that I should’ve started at Torokko Saga since that's the closest to Kyoto's city center.
My Ride on the Sagano Romantic Train
The thing is though, starting from Torokko Saga would mean that you'll get to Arashiyama first and then finish here. If you're staying in the Kameoka area then that route is going to be great but if your lodging is in Kyoto city proper then you're looking at a round trip. Now this might be okay if the cost of a Sagano Romantic Train ticket is the same as that of a regular train.
Since it's a tourist-centric ride, the Sagano Romantic Train is relatively costly compared to the regular JR Sagano Line train. If you're staying in Kyoto then the best way to go about an Arashiyama visit is to take the regular JR Sagano Line to Umahori Station first and then go from there to the Torokko Kameoka Station which is just a short walk. From there you can then finally take the scenic train ride to get back to Arashiyama.
Going inside and up the steps of the station, you'll notice plenty of signs advertising the Sagano Romantic Train. Here is one showing its front and back end. The locomotive used here is actually diesel powered and it hauls a total of 5 cars for passengers.
Depending on the season, you might want to book a seat for the Sagano Romantic Train in advance. My visit was during early winter so it wasn’t as crowded as the peak fall season. There are times though (especially during winter when you might run out of seats due to this train ride being such a popular tourist attraction.
Here’s what the platform for the Torokko Kameoka Station looks like. Across from it, you can see the San’in Main Line. As for how they differ, well the Sagano Scenic Railway line actually uses the old tracks of the old San’in Main Line that hugs the Hozugawa River gorge (whereas the newer line goes through tunnels).
From here, you also get to see a picturesque view of Kameoka. While it is classified as a city, it’s actually quite rural with it being known more for its agriculture and rustic atmosphere. There are actually other notable attractions here though I won’t be able to cover them for now.
If you’re interested in getting souvenirs then there’s a shop here inside the Torokko Kameoka Station that has a display featuring standard Tomica die-cast toy cars (some of which I heard are collectibles though I’m not sure if the ones here are). On top of the toy car display are remote control Mario Kart toys. There were quite a lot of really nice souvenirs here that I was actually tempted to get one or two for myself.
It wasn’t just me who got excited at the sight of the toys and souvenirs though. Like I said earlier, the Sagano Romantic Train is quite popular so even if it was an off-peak season, there were still a number of people who were loitering in the area while waiting for their ride. Since I wasn’t a big fan of crowds, I then decided to just wait outside.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. A short while after going out on the platform, the train finally arrived. Even though I’d already seen what it looked like in pictures, it was still quite impressive when I saw it in person.
From what I’ve read about the train, its cars are actually conversions of old freight gondolas. You can actually see from this image how the ceiling of the car is quite different from its sides (in terms of color as well as material. This is because freight gondolas typically don’t have ceilings and what you see here is basically one of the conversions to make the car passenger-ready.
So this is the car number that I was able to book. The line was actually quite long and I was worried that it would end up being too crowded inside. Thankfully, I managed to get in pretty quick and my worries about it being crowded was actually quite unfounded.
While the car was close to full, the seats were actually spacious. Moreover, only two people were allowed to be seated on each side of the aisle. Thanks to this, there was plenty of leg and elbow room which allowed me to easily swivel around.
Since the train makes use of a cross seat configuration, being able to swivel is very important for appreciating the views. Here you can see a couple of passengers making use of the wide elbow and leg room to appreciate the scenery outside. One thing that you’ll also notice is the unusually wide windows.
Initially I thought that it was weird to have such wide windows but I eventually realized that this was a conscious design decision. This actually allows passengers to get a better view of the scenery outside even if they were seated on the opposite aisle.
Now despite the wide windows, there are going to be instances where you’re going to want to stand up and get closer to them to take a better picture of the scenic views. Personally, I ended up just staying in my seat. I did see a number of other passengers who couldn’t resist and stood up close to the windows to take pictures and videos.
While this was admittedly past the peak koyo season, a lot of the trees that dotted the landscape here still had some of their fall foliage. It honestly felt like I was looking at a moving painting. The colors of the fall foliage though weren’t as vibrant since this visit was after all, when the winter season was well underway.
So this was quite interesting. While observing the views, I noticed a number of things scattered on the ground. Initially, I thought that these were tin cans purposefully left here.
Upon closer inspection though, these turned out to either be flood lights or spot lights.
Apparently, the Sagano Romantic Train has special evening trains that are only available during the autumn and winter season. These lights are part of the seasonal illumination that serve to showcase the fall foliage for passengers who take the evening trains. Unfortunately, I took this ride in the morning so these obviously weren’t turned on.
I did look it up online and the images of the autumn and winter illumination and they looked absolutely lovely. In some of the images, the lights made it seem like the trees were on fire. If given the chance to return here, I’m definitely going to book a special evening train just to see these views personally.
Here’s a clearer look of the Hozugawa River. It's one of the centerpieces of the tourism industry in the Hozukyo Gorge area. The river doesn’t look that wide or large but it's said to be quite deep in certain areas.
Moreover, I think it's one of the most serene rivers that I've ever had the chance to see here in Japan.
So one thing that you can also look into is the Hozugawa-kudari. Also known as the Hozugawa River Cruise is a 16-km journey through the river that starts at Kameoka and ends at Arashiyama. It's pretty much a longer and relatively more expensive journey (at least when compared to the Sagano Romantic Train) that also happens to be much more immersive.
I've read up on the Hozugawa-kudari and people are actually saying that it's a lot better compared to the train ride. A ticket for this experience though is priced at around 6000 JPY which is more or less 3 round trips on the Sagano Romantic Train. If my itinerary actually wasn't that full, I probably would have reserved a ticket for this as well.
For readers who've religiously followed my write-ups in the past year, they'd know how I enjoy bodies of water. Whether it was ponds or bays, I wouldn't typically miss a chance to visit. As I was observing the waters here though, I realized that I probably dropped the ball by not looking into the Hozugawa-kudari.
In fairness to me though, there's just so much that I could research in between trips and work. It also didn't help that Kyoto Prefecture literally has hundreds of great attractions and locations worth visiting. In fact, I didn't even know that there was a walking trail from Kameoka to Arashiyama that serves as an alternative for either the train ride and boat ride until recently.
Anyway, I did sort of “redeem” myself with a walk on the banks of the Kamo River in Kyoto.
As for the details to that story, you'll have to check out my write-up of it. That river wasn't as scenic but it still had some really memorable views.
Now I said earlier that there was a walking trail from Kameoka to Arashiyama and it's probably the most scenic way to experience the Hozukyo Gorge area. The walking trail is free even for foreigners though it’s also going to take 2 to 3 hours to finish if you're starting from Kameoka. So you'd think that since this is free, I would've grasped the opportunity to go to Arashiyama via this trail right?
Well, the thing is that there was a chance that I'd encounter a bear on the trail. Yes, there have been sightings of Japanese black bears in the Kyoto area though there haven't been any reports of attacks. Still, I didn't want to risk being that one individual unlucky enough to get mauled on the trails.
Another reason why I opted for the Sagano Romantic Train is because of time constraints. Had I gone with either the boat ride or the walking trail, I'd have spent more or less four hours of my time for that day. This would have left me with much less time to spend on sightseeing in Arashiyama.
Now I know it might seem like I'm trashing the train ride if you read the last couple of paragraphs. Make no mistake though, the Sagano Romantic Train still gets a recommendation from me. This stems from the fact that it's the most efficient means of travelling among the available options while also still giving you a glimpse of Hozukyo Gorge's beautiful scenery.
I mean, just look at this! It seemed like everywhere I looked I found myself face to face with a living painting. There was an ethereal quality to the views here that really made this trip (albeit short) very memorable.
Before I knew it, the train was nearing Arashiyama. What you're looking at now is a part of the Katsura River (which is the downstream section of the Hozugawa River) and some of the buildings in the Daihikaku Senko-ji Temple complex. This was honestly one of the more scenic sights that I set my eyes on during this ride.
The Daihikaku Senko-ji Temple complex actually isn't that popular. In fact, I didn't even know it existed when I was planning my itinerary for this trip. It was only when I saw it on this ride that I had this urge of going there.
I mean, the place looks mystical and serene at the same time. From the train, it also seemed like it had some really nice views of the Katsura River. Curious, I ended up learning a lot about the temple complex after doing some really thorough research.
So Daihikaku Senko-ji Temple in Arashiyama is relatively new at least when compared to the popular shrines and temples that I'd visited in Kyoto during this trip. Aside from its age, it's also a lot less accessible and that might have played a factor in it not being as popular. From Arashiyama proper, you'd actually need to walk around 20-45 minutes to get to the temple complex.
It's not shown but there is a dock nearby that I guess can be used to access the temple from the river as well. As for the temple itself, it has plenty of steps carved into the mountain that gives it a sense of verticality (as opposed to the flat layout of places like Chion-in or Yasaka Shrine). In the pictures I saw online, the steps actually lead up to several lookout spots with some really nice views overlooking the river and of kyoto itself.
Dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon, the temple is run by Zen Buddhist monks from the Obaku School. One of the notable attractions in the temple is its principal image of a Thousand-Armed Kannon. What makes this image special is that it is said to have been made by the Buddhist monk Genshin (no connection to the game with a similar name).
I actually think that if you plan to visit the temple then it might be worth looking into the possibility of staying there overnight. Not many people know this but some temples actually offer something called shukubo. These are traditional overnight lodgings that allow guests to get a taste of monastic life.
Admittedly, I'm not quite sure if Daihikaku Senko-ji Temple is able to offer overnight lodgings for their guests. I've read that they do have a guest house but there doesn't seem to be any info on them accepting guests who want to stay overnight. For this, you're probably going to want to speak with the temple's management.
I finally reached the Torokko Arashiyama Station which is the second to the last stop if you're coming from Kameoka. At this point, I was feeling rather excited as my next stop would be the Bamboo Forest of Arashiyama (which I also talk about in detail in a separate write-up). The platform here was rather quaint and the station had this rustic atmosphere that I found to be quite charming.
Here you'll notice one of the trains from the San'in Main Line. I had already disembarked from the train along with other passengers so it was getting crowded in the platform. Noticing this, I decided it was time to go up and exit the station.
The staircase here was rather steep but still manageable. At this point, I was already used to long walks and steep staircases so this wasn't really a big deal. It might look intimidating but these steps are quite safe and you could always use the handrails if you're not too sure of your footing.
After reaching the level of the station where the ticket gate was at, I came across this diorama. It featured a scene of a train with timber as its cargo and what I’m guessing is a station. Whether this is what the station looked like in the past or not though, I'm not quite sure.
There are benches inside the station if you want to rest up before starting your visit to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. In my case, I decided to just go outside of the station to start my walk. One of the first things I saw as I turned left after exiting the station was this guide map of the surrounding area.
Now if you somehow missed the guidemap then don't worry as there are plenty of signs here pointing to the major attractions and landmarks in the area. The one in the image is what you'll see to the right of the entrance to the path that's to the right of the guide map. If you read my writeup of Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, this is the path that leads up to its entrance.
As for this plaque, you'll see this to the right of the path that was to the right of the sign with directions to the notable landmarks in this area. Behind the plaque is the Ogura Pond which I think is part of the Mikami Shrine. Unsurprisingly, the plaque here talks about the shrine and its popularity among hairdressers and people who want to pray for their hair.
This is the road leading up to the Bamboo Forest of Arashiyama. I think I went into detail about how I enjoyed walking up this path in my write-up of my experience at this popular bamboo grove.
This ends my write-up about my experience riding the Sagano Romantic Train. If I were to sum it up, I'd say it was a worthwhile ride. Travel time was just the right length and I was able to take a lot of nice pictures of the Hozukyo Gorge and its myriad of views.
If I were to come back though, I'd probably try out either the Hozugawa Kudari or the walking trail from Kameoka to Arashiyama. Still, if you're in a hurry or are following a strict itinerary then the train ride probably is your best bet.Have you ever gotten the chance to ride the Sagano Romantic Train? If yes then make sure to head on over to the comments section and share what you liked about the experience as well as some tips and tricks for those who've yet to ride on it!
