Arashiyama Monkey Park and Bamboo Grove With Kids: A Morning That Actually Works

Arashiyama's bamboo grove and monkey park sit fifteen minutes apart on foot, and combining them into a single morning is one of the best half-days you can spend with children in Kyoto. The bamboo corridor is free, flat, and takes ten minutes to walk through when it's quiet. The monkey park requires a 20-minute uphill hike and an admission fee, but delivers wild Japanese macaques you can feed through wire mesh whilst Kyoto spreads out below. Both are genuinely worth doing—if you get the timing right.

The bamboo grove at 7:00 AM is a different place to the bamboo grove at 10:00 AM. Arrive early, do the grove first whilst it's empty, then climb to the monkeys before the heat builds. This is the order that works.

Start at the bamboo grove before 8:00 AM

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is a 400-metre paved path lined with towering green bamboo stalks that filter sunlight into shifting patterns and create a low rustling sound officially listed as one of Japan's 100 best soundscapes. It's free, open 24 hours, and takes about ten minutes to walk at a relaxed pace with children.

The problem is that by mid-morning it becomes shoulder-to-shoulder with tour groups, and getting a photo without forty other people in frame is impossible. Visiting at 7:15 AM transforms the experience—the light filtering through the bamboo is beautiful, the sound of stalks creaking in the breeze is actually audible, and children can run ahead without disappearing into a crowd. The path is wide enough for strollers in most sections, though it narrows when foot traffic picks up.

The grove runs between Tenryuji Temple's north gate and Okochi Sanso Garden, passing Nonomiya Shrine—a small moss-fringed shrine that sits right on the trail. Most families start at the Tenryuji gate, which drops you directly onto the bamboo path. There are no toilets, drink machines, or shops inside the grove itself, so use the facilities near the entrance before you go in and carry water.

Rain deepens the green of the stalks and thins the crowds further, and the paved surface stays walkable. The path has no lighting after dark.

Walk to the monkey park entrance (15 minutes)

From the southern end of the bamboo grove, walk towards Togetsukyo Bridge—the wide wooden river crossing that appears on every Arashiyama postcard. The Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama entrance sits inside the grounds of Ichitani-Munakata Shrine, about seven minutes' walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Station or fifteen minutes from JR Saga-Arashiyama.

Admission is cash only—¥800 for adults aged 16 and over, ¥400 for children aged 4 to 15, and free for under-threes. There are toilets at the entrance by the ticket booth; use them before you start the climb, since the next facilities are at the summit. Bring water in summer, as drinks aren't sold until the top. Your ticket is valid for 30 minutes from purchase, so don't buy it and then wander off.

The 20-minute uphill hike to the summit

The trail to the monkey park summit starts with 120 stone steps, then eases into a steady forest slope. It's paved, well-maintained, and three-year-olds regularly walk it under their own power—though it takes around 25 minutes with a few breaks, and benches are placed at intervals. The first stretch is the steepest. Strollers can't manage the stairs, so you'll leave one at the bottom and carry babies in a carrier—which is genuinely tiring on a hot day.

Even younger children can complete the hike, and many stop to collect acorns along the way. Wear proper footwear—trainers, not sandals—and start the climb before the midday heat if you're visiting in summer.

The summit sits at 160 metres, with a panoramic view over Kyoto and Kyoto Tower visible on clear days. There are coin-operated binoculars, restrooms, and drinks for sale in the rest building.

Feeding the monkeys at the summit

About 120 wild Japanese macaques roam freely on the forested mountainside, and the setup at Arashiyama Monkey Park flips the usual zoo arrangement: humans go inside a wire-mesh room at the summit rest building and feed the monkeys through the screen. Bags of apple slices, peanuts, and fruit pieces cost ¥100 each, and the macaques gather outside with their hands reaching through the mesh. The monkeys prefer apple and fruit over peanuts, and larger monkeys snatch first—so getting food to the smaller ones takes timing and patience. You place the food on the feeding shelf rather than handing it over directly, since the monkeys will grab fingers.

Children find watching the macaques reach their little hands through the wire endlessly amusing, and this is often the highlight of the visit. Most families spend about an hour at the summit.

Outside the hut, the troop wanders loose—grooming, napping, wrestling, and mostly ignoring visitors who keep their distance. The one rule the bilingual signs stress is not to look the monkeys in the eye, as a direct stare reads as a challenge. Stay about two metres back, don't touch or chase them, and don't eat food in front of them outside the feeding hut. Keep particular distance from mothers with babies. A few times a day, on no fixed schedule, staff scatter feed across the open plaza, which pulls dozens of monkeys into one spot at once and makes for the best photos.

There's a small playground near the summit—long slide, swings, seesaw, horizontal bars—that pulls children in before they've even noticed the monkeys.

How a local nanny helps here

Managing the early bamboo grove start, the uphill monkey park climb with a toddler in a carrier, and the two-hour window when both attractions work best is easier with an extra pair of hands. The Travel Nanny matches families in Kyoto with vetted local nannies who know the Arashiyama area, can help carry little ones up the steeper sections of the trail, keep older children engaged during the hike, and handle the logistics of tickets, toilets, and timing—so parents can focus on the macaques reaching through the mesh and the light filtering through the bamboo.

Getting there and practical notes

Arashiyama sits on Kyoto's western edge, roughly 15 minutes from central Kyoto by train. The Randen (Keifuku) Arashiyama Station is a 10-minute walk to the bamboo grove, JR Saga-Arashiyama is about 13 minutes, and Hankyu Arashiyama is around 21 minutes. The scenic Torokko Arashiyama stop is closest at three minutes. There is no parking lot at the grove itself, so drivers park in the paid lots near Togetsukyo Bridge and walk in—the Park First lot by Hankyu Arashiyama Station refunds ¥200 of its ¥1,000 fee when you show the monkey park receipt at the gate.

The monkey park closes on 1st January and during heavy rain, snow, or typhoons, and can close early any day if the troop heads back up the mountain—check the official site before you go. Last admission is 4:00 PM, though the summit stays open until 4:30 PM. Much of Arashiyama is cash-only, so carry yen.

To cover the spread-out area with children, the Ranbura rental-cycle shop at Randen Arashiyama Station rents bikes with front and back child seats, plus electric bikes. Most Arashiyama restaurants stop serving by 6:00–6:30 PM, so plan lunch before then or eat back in central Kyoto.

Family checklist: Arashiyama bamboo grove and monkey park

• Arrive at the bamboo grove before 8:00 AM—by 9:00 AM tour buses arrive and the path becomes shoulder-to-shoulder
• Carry cash for monkey park admission (¥800 adults, ¥400 children 4–15, under-3s free) and ¥100 feeding bags—no cards or IC payment accepted
• Wear proper trainers for the 120-step start and 20-minute uphill trail—not sandals
• Use toilets at the bamboo grove entrance or monkey park gate before starting—next facilities are at the summit
• Bring water in summer—drinks aren't sold until the monkey park top
• Don't look monkeys in the eye, don't touch or chase them, stay two metres back, and keep distance from mothers with babies
• Check the official monkey park site for closures due to weather—the park can close early if the troop retreats up the mountain
• Leave strollers at the monkey park base—the stairs and slope require carrying babies in a carrier
• Plan lunch before 6:00 PM—most Arashiyama restaurants stop serving early or eat back in central Kyoto