Sagano Autumn Foliage Train Ride Plus Highlights
You will be picked up at either the Umeda (8:30am) or Namba (9am) meeting point location.
Upon arrival at your first stop (around 10:29am), you will ride the Sagano Scenic Railway (also known as Sagano Romantic Train) for approx. 15min. The railway runs along the Hozugawa River between Arashiyama and Kameoka. Its old-fashioned trains wind their way through the mountains at a relatively slow pace, giving you a pleasant view of the scenery as you travel from Arashiyama through the forested ravine and into rural Kameoka.
After the train ride, you will eat lunch and have to stroll Arashiyama for about an hour. Arashiyama is a district is located in the western part of Kyoto. This area becomes most attractive around early April and late November when the cherry blossoms bloom and fall color seasons usually peak. During the summer months, traditional cormorant fishing is practiced on the Hozu River for tourists to watch. One highly recommended spot is the Sagano Bamboo Forest. It is a pleasantly cool 100m long walkway that begins from the side of the world heritage Tenryuji Temple.
Next, you will board the bus and head to Nanzenji Temple (around 13:40), where you will have a little over an hour to tour the grounds.
The Nanzenji Temple is home to many great constructions in Japan. It has a 22 meters high, 'Sanmon', the most important gate of a Japanese Buddhist Zen Temple, which is also one of Japan’s great three 'Sanmon'. Near 'Sanmon', there is a 6 meters high 'Toro', which is Japan’s biggest stone lantern. In the deeper part of the temple, there is a 13 meter high, waterway bridge 'Suirokaku' made out of exotic bricks in Nanzen temple area in 1888.
The final stop is the Fushimi Inari Shrine (around 3:30pm.). At this point, you will have about an hour to tour the grounds.
This shrine is the head shrine for some 30,000 Inari shrines all across Japan. It is especially famous for its seemingly endless 1,000 vermilion shrine torii (gates). Fushimi Inari was dedicated to the gods of agriculture, the deities were enrolled to ensure prosperity in business, a bountiful harvest and traffic safety.
This concludes your tour at which piont you will be dropped off at any of the following locations: Namba 'OCAT' (18:00 pm), or the Hearton Hotel Nishi-Umeda (18:30 pm).
Attention: The timetable to board Sagano Romantic Train may be changed. In case it changes, we will change the order of each sightseeing spots. The seats will be designated for you by the tour conductor.
