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Storm mountain

 Arashiyama

Arashiyama was one of my favourite places in Kyoto. It’s name means ‘Storm Mountain’ and almost every time I went there it poured with rain, but this only added to the atmosphere as a thick mist settled over the hills.

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Arashiyama will always be special as the place where my man proposed, but I love it for other reasons too – the bamboo forest, the quiet Japanese gardens, The Temple of the Heavenly Dragon, and its host of delicate cafes and sweet little shops.

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Shortly before we left Japan we met up with Noriko, a friend of more than 15 years who I first met when she came to study at the same university as me for a year.

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We settled ourselves into Sagano-yu, a café/shop born out of an old bath house, and caught up on news over steaming bowls of hot chocolate.

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Arashiyama always has a new gate to peer behind, a new café to sample, a new path to explore.

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Even if it rains, it is special.

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Why not visit some time?

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