Arashiyama Bamboo Grove to Togetsukyo, Kyoto: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove to Togetsukyo in Kyoto: 5 stops, about 2.0 km, about 25 minutes of walking plus about 32 minutes of listening. Start in the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, where stalks nearly 30 meters tall lean over a path of about 400 meters. At its top end is Ōkōchi Sansō, the hillside garden a period-film star shaped for thirty years. Walk back to Nonomiya Shrine, where imperial princesses purified themselves before serving at Ise, then to Tenryū-ji, the Zen temple Ashikaga Takauji founded in 1339, and finish on Togetsukyo, the 155-meter bridge over the Katsura River.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 2.0 km
- Walking:
- about 25 min
- Listening:
- about 32 min
Two ways to do this walk
Kyoto with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsArashiyama Bamboo Grove to Togetsukyo, Kyoto: how long does the walk take?
About 57 minutes in all: about 25 minutes on foot over about 2.0 km, plus about 32 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove to Togetsukyo, Kyoto: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Ōkōchi Sansō, Nonomiya Shrine, Tenryū-ji, and Togetsukyo. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.7 km, about 9 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
A path of about 400 meters under bamboo nearly 30 meters tall, leaning inward into a living tunnel at the foot of the Arashiyama hills.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Ōkōchi Sansō · about 0.2 km, about 3 min on foot
Stop 2
The hillside garden of about 20,000 square meters on Mount Ogura that period-film star Ōkōchi Denjirō kept shaping for thirty years, until his death.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Nonomiya Shrine · about 0.5 km, about 7 min on foot
Stop 3
A small Sagano shrine to the sun goddess, where Heian princesses chosen to serve at Ise purified themselves, with a gate of unpeeled tree trunks.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Tenryū-ji · about 0.6 km, about 8 min on foot
Stop 4
The Rinzai Zen head temple Ashikaga Takauji founded in 1339 for the rival emperor he had defeated, with a garden by Musō Soseki and World Heritage status.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Togetsukyo · about 0.7 km, about 9 min on foot
Stop 5
The 155-meter bridge over the Katsura River, completed in 1934, whose name means crossing the moon, the symbol of Arashiyama between Sagano and the hills.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Kyoto?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
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Plan more days in Kyoto
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Kyoto. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.