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.
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.
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.
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.
Arashiyama always has a new gate to peer behind, a new café to sample, a new path to explore.
Even if it rains, it is special.
Why not visit some time?
