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| Togetsukyo ("moon crossing") Bridge |
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| views of Mount Arashiyama |
Misterpiggy sorely miscalculated how much there was to see and do in Kyoto. On this warm day, he returned to Kyoto to see beautiful Arashiyama, which is most popular during the cherry blossom and fall colour seasons . He took the Nankai Rapid express train that brought him right near the Togetsukyo Bridge, also known as the Moon Crossing bridge. He crossed the Moon crossing bridge and took in the views of Mount Arashiyama, which had distinct patches of green foliage.
For fun, he took a short boat ride up the river and back. In the shallow parts, the Boatsman used a long pole to push the boat along and but later he grabbed a cable that was in the water and pulled the boat along with his sheer energy. Other boats would pull up alongside and sell you hot food or drink. It was all very idyllic.
After the boat ride, one could follow a stone path leading up a hill and after a bit of a hike, eventually this took you to a garden with lots of flowering bushes and trees. He saw a tree that had two different colour blossoms on it! Upon exiting the gardens, Misterpiggy enjoyed the serenity of a temple and pond.
Back on the path, it lead into the famous bamboo forest. There were lots of people enjoying the forest, some riding bikes, some in rickshaws and most walking, but Misterpiggy was surprised by taxis driving along the forest path. The passengers apparently wanted to see the forest but didn't want to take the time to walk it. With all the crowds it was already very congested and one would think that motor vehicles would be prohibited in the forest!
Misterpiggy had planned to take the train to Sagano, but all the seats were fully booked and the next train wasn't for another hour, so he explored the shops on the main street instead, and gorged himself on green tea and sakura soft ice cream, twice!
By the time he realized it, the day had raced by and it was late afternoon. Misterpiggy had intended to visit the Golden temple Kinkakuji but he would have to save that for another visit in the future.
