Arashiyama with Chiikawa plushies: 4 photo spots for the autumn leaves
Opening hours, fees and access checked on official sites on Nov 9, 2026.
This is episode 1 of Chiifan’s X series of Chiikawa plushies traveling around Japan’s autumn-leaf spots. In Arashiyama, spots with very different views sit within walking distance of Togetsukyo Bridge, so you can cover them with your plushies in half a day. Here are the four spots in walking order. The river and the busy streets are close everywhere, so the basic rule is: never hold your plushie out past a railing, and set it on a wide, flat surface.
The plushie images on this page are AI-generated travel scenes that Chiifan made with San-Arrow’s product photos of the “Potetama” plushies as a reference. They are not photos taken at the places and may differ from how the places really look. © nagano / chiikawa committee
- Area
- Arashiyama, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto
- Autumn leaves
- Usually late November to early December
- From Kyoto Station
- About 11 min by JR Sagano Line rapid to Saga-Arashiyama
- Tenryu-ji
- Garden opens at 7:30 from Nov 14 to 30, 2026 (usually 8:30)
Togetsukyo Bridge: shoot from the riverbank, not the bridge
Step back to the riverbank and you can fit both the bridge and the autumn mountain into one picture. Put your plushie in the foreground and lower your phone to its eye level so the background looks big.
- Nagatsuji-dori, the street leading to the bridge, gets very crowded, and Kyoto City’s tourism association asks people to stay on the sidewalk. Don’t stop on the bridge to shoot; go down to the riverbank first.
- Getting there: about 8 min on foot from Saga-Arashiyama Station (JR Sagano Line). Crossing the bridge is free.
The Bamboo Grove path: don’t touch the bamboo, keep it short
The Bamboo Grove path is a public road, and there are people on it most of the day. To get the tall bamboo in, set your plushie low and point your phone upward.
- Graffiti and damage to the bamboo have become a problem, and Kyoto City has taken measures. Don’t touch the bamboo, and don’t lean plushies against the bamboo or put them inside the fence; just hold them at the edge of the path.
- Walking the path is free.
Randen Arashiyama Station: with the purple tram behind
Randen (Keifuku Electric Railroad) is a tram line with purple cars. Fares are flat: adults ¥250, children ¥120. Riding one stop and coming back makes a nice travel shot too.
- Station benches and platforms are for passengers. Only set your plushies down when it’s quiet, and put them away as soon as a tram comes.
- Getting there: Arashiyama Station is the last stop of the Randen line, a short walk from Togetsukyo Bridge.
A riverside teahouse: dango and matcha
When you get tired, stop at a teahouse by the river for dango or matcha. For a food shot, keep the plushies a little away from the plate, behind the dishes, so they don’t get stained.
- Inside a shop, ask first whether you can take photos, and check that other customers won’t be in the frame.
- Where: around Togetsukyo Bridge and along the Katsura River there are shops serving dango and matcha. You only pay for what you eat.
When do the leaves peak in Arashiyama? Plus Tenryu-ji’s early opening
The leaves in Arashiyama usually peak from late November to early December. This year, tenki.jp’s Nov 1 forecast put the start of the peak around Nov 13. Colors vary by spot and sunlight, so check the latest report just before you go.
- Tenryu-ji early opening
- Sogenchi Garden opens at 7:30 from Nov 14 to 30 (usually 8:30–17:00, last entry 16:50)
- Tenryu-ji garden
- High school age and up ¥500, elementary and junior high ¥300. Add ¥300 to see the halls
- Cloud Dragon painting
- Separate ¥500 (open daily until Dec 6)
- Jojakko-ji
- At the foot of Mt. Ogura past the Bamboo Grove. 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), ¥600
- The Bamboo Grove light-up, “Arashiyama Tsukitoro” (嵐山月灯路), ended on Nov 8 in 2026.
- Inside temple grounds, look at the temple’s rules and the people around you before taking your plushie out. Mornings are quieter for plushie photos.
Getting there from Kyoto Station, and where to stay
From Kyoto Station, the JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama is the fastest way. Kyoto City’s tourism association recommends the train over the crowded buses from Kyoto Station.
- JR Sagano Line
- About 11 min by rapid from Kyoto Station. Saga-Arashiyama → Togetsukyo about 8 min on foot
- Randen
- Change at Uzumasa-Tenjingawa (Tozai Subway Line). Flat fare ¥250, 1-day pass ¥700
- Hankyu
- From Kyoto-Kawaramachi, change at Katsura to the Arashiyama Line, about 7 min to Arashiyama
- For early morning shots
- Stay in Arashiyama or Sagano
- To see more of Kyoto
- Stay around Kyoto Station (about 11 min to Arashiyama by JR)
- To shoot at Randen Arashiyama Station without a detour, take Randen one way.
- From Kansai Airport, take the JR limited express Haruka to Kyoto Station (no transfer), then the JR Sagano Line. If you stay in Osaka, Hankyu gets you to Arashiyama with a change at Katsura.
- Sagano Romantic Train (Torokko): online booking opens at 0:00 one month before the ride date, and the ticket window sells that day’s seats first come, first served. Autumn weekends fill up early.
The plushies in the series: Potetama Chiikawa, Hachiware and Usagi
The plushies in the images are San-Arrow’s “Potetama” (ぽてたまぬいぐるみ) Chiikawa, Hachiware and Usagi. The three are about 13–17 cm tall, so clothes and bags for 15 cm plushies fit them.
- Knit scarf
- A scarf for 15–20 cm plushies (8 colors with heart embroidery). It only wraps around the neck, so it fits most body shapes
- Clear mini tote pouch
- A wide pouch that holds two or three 15–20 cm plushies side by side, with a zip on top. You can take pictures without taking them out
- Shoulder bag with a window
- About 22 × 16 × 8.5 cm, with a clear front window and a cover sheet. For 15 cm and 20 cm plushies; strap 70–130 cm
- Miniature tea set
- A tray (about 6 × 4 cm), a teapot (about 3.5 cm wide) and four cups (about 1.5 cm). It is ceramic, so carry it in a small box
- The clothes and bags we used come from Japanese online shops on Rakuten, and many of those shops only ship within Japan, so we don’t link to them here. Use the sizes below when you look for similar items.
- Plush bodies differ in how firmly they are stuffed, so treat any size on a product page as a guide.
- If your plushie has a ball chain, check before you go that the chain doesn’t come off easily.
Chiikawa shops to visit after Arashiyama
Take Hankyu from Arashiyama to Kyoto-Kawaramachi and you can stop at Chiikawa shops. Chiikawa Baby Castella Kyoto Nishiki is scheduled to open in Nishiki Market on Nov 18, 2026.
Plan the trip: tours, kimono rental and travel essentials (KKday)
Tours, kimono rental and travel essentials you can book on KKday for a trip with your plushies. Check the price, what is included and the cancellation rules on each KKday page before you pay.
Arashiyama half-day tour: Sagano Romantic Train & Hozugawa river boat
For riding the Sagano train and the river boat in autumn without booking each one yourself
Kyoto kimono rental (Okamoto, Kiyomizu store)
A kimono shop in Higashiyama near Kiyomizu-dera, handy for the slopes walk
JR Haruka Kansai Airport express ticket
Kansai Airport ⇄ Osaka / Kyoto (JR)
Japan eSIM, unlimited data
For maps and showing QR tickets on your phone. Check that your phone supports eSIM
Frequently asked questions
When do the autumn leaves peak in Arashiyama?
Usually from late November to early December. Check the latest report just before you go.
How do I get to Arashiyama from Kyoto Station?
Take the JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama (about 11 min by rapid), then walk about 8 min to Togetsukyo Bridge.
Are the plushie pictures real photos?
No. They are AI-generated scenes from Chiifan’s X series, made with the official product photos as a reference.
Sources
Pages marked (Japanese) are only available in Japanese.