The Sagano bamboo grove on the western edge of the city is among the most photographed natural settings in Japan: a 500-metre paved path through dense stands of moso bamboo, the green stalks closing overhead and filtering the light to underwater colour. The sound of wind moving through the grove is officially classified by the Japanese government as one of the country's hundred most important soundscapes.
The grove is small and the path is short, which means it is essentially never empty. Come at first light — around 6 a.m. in summer — or in a steady rain to have any chance of the experience the photographs promise. The grove sits next to Tenryū-ji and the rickshaw stand at Nonomiya Shrine; combining the three plus a walk down to the Hozu River and the Togetsukyō Bridge makes for an excellent half-day in Arashiyama.