Kameyama Park

Introduction

Kameyama Park occupies a low hill above the north bank of the Oi River, just north-west of Togetsukyo, and is the easiest elevated view in Arashiyama. A ten-minute climb from the bamboo grove or past the north side of Tenryuji opens the trees onto a lookout facing the river and Hozu Gorge: the water turns away at the foot of the mountain, the opposite slopes turn red and gold in autumn, and the bridge and town sit below. The name is usually traced to Emperor Kameyama, whose poem also gave Togetsukyo its name, tying the hill to the classical imagery of Arashiyama. Halfway up stands a monument well known to Chinese visitors, the stele of Zhou Enlai's poem 'Arashiyama in the Rain', unveiled on 16 April 1979. Cut from Kyoto's Kurama stone and 2.4 metres high, it carries the text in Liao Chengzhi's calligraphy for the poem written in 1919 before Zhou left Japan after his studies; a second stele for 'Arashiyama After Rain' was raised at Daibikaku Senkoji in 2022, the two facing each other across the river. The park is free and open at all hours, but the hill paths have no lighting, so plan the view and the monument for daylight. Mid to late November is the busiest and most colourful time, with early mornings quiet; downhill it rejoins Tenryuji, the bamboo grove and Togetsukyo for the most natural half-day loop in Arashiyama.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info