There are no pandas in Arashiyama, but there are bamboo; and lots of it too. If you are not familiar with the name of this town, you will once you see the pictures of the infamous bamboo forest in many many travel bucket list.

At Arashiyama, I had the opportunity to hike up and down a mountain to see this stunning view. To be extremely honest, I was actually lost trying to find a restaurant that I made reservations for, but the view of this valley was just gorgeous.

After a delicious lunch, why not take a stroll by the river side. That's what I did. But if you are lazy, you can take a gondola - a Japanese style gondola ride on the Oi River.

At the end of the river, there is a long bridge stretching out to the other side where more food and attractions await.

Finally, if you don't think you had enough exercise already, try going to the Monkey Park. It's an steep upward hike, and tiring on a hot day, but to see the view of Arashiyama, I think it's worth it.

Not to mention, there are actual monkeys in the park! Wait until their feeding time! It's actually quite scary! Remember, don't feed them unless you are in the hut, or else they might attack you. Here's one just chilling at the top of the mountain.

It did get very busy in Arashiyama by late afternoon. After all, Arashiyama isn't all about hikes, monkeys and bamboo, there are boutique shops too. If I had a bit more time, I would definitely check out more of their shops; it's different from those in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo for sure.

That's all about Arashiyama for now. And my apologies to all panda lovers, there are no pandas in Arashiyama.