Sagano Romantic Train in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan 2023 🚂 Review, Guide & Tips

Guide to the Sagano Romantic Train in Arashiyama (Kyoto, Japan), including how to get tickets, where to go and what it's like, plus a walk around Kyoto.
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I really enjoyed the Sagano Romantic Train - it's definitely worth it! Even in early spring, before cherry blossom season, the scenery's still stunning. We took the scenic railway to Kameoka, then the Hozugawa River Cruise back to Arashiyama (that'll be in my next video). You can also take the regular JR train back. After the sightseeing train ride, we take a walk around Arashiyama looking at shops and restaurants, including the cute Rilakkuma onsen cafe and shop and the Snoopy chocolate shop. Then we see how busy it is in the famous bamboo forest, and walk through the trails to more off-the-beaten path areas. It is possible to avoid the crowds in Kyoto!
Filmed in early Spring 2023 (first week of March).
00:00 Intro
01:20 How to get to Arashiyama
02:40 How to get to the romantic train station
04:34 How to get tickets
05:30 Sagano Romantic Train ride
09:56 Walk around Arashiyama
13:17 Bamboo forest
14:48 Walk around Arashiyama
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#japan #kyoto #japantravel #arashiyama #saganoromantictrain

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

i love seeing you tubers going around japan and ginza in the snow

[@aarizmushtaq4301]

Arashiyama is beautiful 🥬🥬

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's lovely how it feels like the countryside but so close to the city.

[@isistonesek]

Thanks for sharing your video ❤

[@cakeswithfaces]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🥰

[@nikolaosnikoloudis8667]

Very helpfull video...thanks a lot

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks, enjoy planning your trip!

[@jennifermorton3675]

This looks like a great day out. Looking forward to seeing the boat trip!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Beauitful scenery - I'd definitely recommend it! I enjoyed the boat trip even more than the train!

[@GeronimoJus]

Just received your book today for me and my gfs Japan Trip and it is absolutely lovely. Love the content! Thank you so much 🫶🏼

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thank you so much, that means a lot! Where are you planning on going in Japan?

[@mariojsworld]

Great train trip from Japan.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Such beautiful scenery! 😍

[@FrolickingDalish]

Your videos are so helpful! They're making me so excited for my trip in 2 weeks! Thank you 😊

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks so much! Have an amazing time!

[@adellhammel8849]

Squee! I can't believe I forgot your video would come out today since it's one of the two things I really look forward to on Thursdays. Well, at least this way, it was a nice surprise. 😅😊😂

[@cakeswithfaces]

Aww that's lovely to know!! Thank you! 🥰

[@amandahayward]

This video has been added to my Japan Wishlist. Thanks to you, my trip is going to be awesome. Thank you Amy for such great content ☺️ 🫶

[@cakeswithfaces]

Look out for the boat ride video next week - I liked that even more than the train! :-)

[@amandahayward]

@@cakeswithfaces I can't wait 👏

[@bedivere20]

Awesome timing, I just bought my ticket two days ago! Thank you for the video!!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Excellent, have a wonderful time in Arashiyama!

[@fboa01]

We wandered into "Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street" and it's such a gorgeous area, was a suprise highlight of our time in Kyoto. The Philosopher's Path was also really nice.

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's lovely when you stumble across these gorgeous places! 😍

[@user-vq7lw4of3x]

I always enjoy watching videos of people traveling around Japan. I look forward to seeing you next time. Please come to Arima Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture! We are rooting for you! ! !

[@cakeswithfaces]

Actually I was looking at Arima Onsen for this trip, then decided on Kinosaki in the end. I'd love to visit one day!

[@niaredgirl]

oh my gosh I am doing this exact thing in a few weeks time and not only have you got me super excited but also really helped me on how to navigate :) thank you, great video

[@stuartstripling3495]

You won't be alone....I hope you have booked the train already....its already full a month in advance...FYI

[@cakeswithfaces]

Excellent, have a wonderful time in Kyoto!!

[@niaredgirl]

@@stuartstripling3495 I have thankfully, did my research and was up at 2am battling it out for tickets & was very lucky :)

[@niaredgirl]

@@cakeswithfaces thank you so much, I am beyond excited!

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

Thank you for an enchanted moment apart from the rotten adverts butting in i enjoyed it well ill watch japan explorer now

[@j3j3monbuster]

I was in kyoto around this time and actually ran into you guys at yasaka koshinda. It was such a pleasant surprise and was definitely a highlight of my trip. I also got on the sagano romantic train spontaneously after another tourist i was chatting with suggested I tag along with her. It was lovely and i’d go again just to take the river cruise back. Thanks for your content. Entertaining and informative as usual.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Ah that was you! I remember!! :-) Wasn't it so busy at Yasaka Koshindo?! That video will be coming up :-) So glad you enjoyed the train ride too!

[@user-wb3wg3we8w]

I have ridden the Sagano Romantic Train during the autumn leaves season before. 🍁😌 It was crowded, but it was very good. 💖✨👍 I came back by train, but I'm looking forward to your video of the boat ride. 💓

[@cakeswithfaces]

That must have been beautiful! 😍🍂 I liked the boat even better than the train, can't wait to show the video!

[@user-wb3wg3we8w]

@@cakeswithfaces Thank you for reply. Can't wait !

[@EdSmed20]

ahh i love your videos so much!! have u been to the bamboo grove by Kodaji Temple? i went this year and loved it! there were very few people, so it felt magical

[@cakeswithfaces]

Those are the best kinds of places! Actually I missed that one, even though I was right in that area! Always one for next time...! It sounds lovely.

[@melgordon2490]

Was it as good?

[@IceCream-hp7mm]

Train with a show lol that looked so fun!

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's a fantastic train journey! I enjoyed the boat trip back even more.

[@fatcrruise6508]

You can also ride from the kamaeko station and arrive at bamboo forest

[@cakeswithfaces]

Yes, you can take the train both ways :-)

[@jmy1030]

Dear Amy, I always enjoy your videos. Thank you. Can I ask you where you got your stamp book. I am looking here in the Netherlands so I would have it before my trip and they are either to small, to big, to heavy, has lines etc. and yours looked just perfect. I hope to buy it early on my trip so I won't miss out on to many stamps. It looks to me such a nice souvenir.

[@cakeswithfaces]

I ordered it from Neko Neko Post (run by Sharla in Japan & her friend Ushka): www.nekonekopost.com/shop/product/4724788271 If you don't have time for it to arrive, Rainbowholic also made a stamp book. You can buy it from her shop in Jujo Ginza, which is just a station or two away from Ikebukuro. Highly recommended if you like stationery & cute stuff! 💕

[@12morganna]

Went to Arashiyama 2 weeks ago, you can also go there by bus, I had a direct one from the guest house I was staying at (it's cheaper).

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks for the tip!

[@NA-xi3tt]

Awesome! Where did you get your stamp book from?

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's from Neko Neko Post (run by Sharla in Japan & her friend Ushka): www.nekonekopost.com/shop/product/4724788271

[@primokarmasilver]

ah man that curry looks so good

[@cakeswithfaces]

Can't beat a Coco Curry!

[@justincosplay]

had the train booked but lots track of time while in the bamboo forest but didn't realize it stopped at torokko so ran like a mad man all the way to saga to catch it.... so silly ..great trip though

[@cakeswithfaces]

😂😂 Happy memories! I can see how you can easily lose track of time in the bamboo forest! Glad you managed to catch it!

[@YonathanG]

Such a cool experience, it’s a bummer I didn’t have enough time to do it :(

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's always the way, there's never enough time for everything in Japan! Another thing for next time!!

[@nchavoshi]

Hi! Which row numbers would be forward facing in the train in the direction you went? I get car sick if I’m back facing. Thanks

[@cakeswithfaces]

Here's the seat plan - so you can work out which seat to get, depending which direction you're getting the train :-) www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/en/seat/

[@kerri-annkumar5752]

I love your book! The river, can you do shorter trips? I don’t think we would cope with 2 hours with kids

[@cakeswithfaces]

There's only one course for the Hozugawa River Cruise, but there are other boat rentals closer to the main area of Arashiyama: www.insidekyoto.com/arashiyama-boat-rental-arashiyama-tsusen

[@Omni0404]

Phil looks like he's working at a bank behind that plastic shield lol

[@cakeswithfaces]

😂😂 It stops us stealing each other's food...!

[@Johnswanderlust]

It's what I'm doing tomorrow, hopefully everything goes well, I'm finding out I'm not the best trip planner😅

[@cakeswithfaces]

Oh no, what's happened so far?

[@Johnswanderlust]

@@cakeswithfaces ive over packed my days with so much stuff, it's to much, I didn't factor how much time it would take to get from point A to B. You should do a video on time management, I really should have made a time table, kind of mapped it out just to see how long things would take amd such, I just eyeballed it, which now I find out wasn't the best Lol

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@Johnswanderlust That's a good idea for a video! Remember the aim is to have a good time, not see EVERYTHING (although I don't always take my own advice on that...!). I'd recommend having your must-do's for each day, then see how it goes with everything else. Sometimes you're just tired and need to take it easy. You're not going to enjoy yourself if you're just exhausted, especially after walking miles and miles in Japan!

[@cstpa1]

brown earred snoopy is my fav kinda snoopy. it took everything in me to not buy the large one at kiddyland omotesando

[@cakeswithfaces]

Sometimes you have to think of the space limits in your suitcase...! 😝

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

those seat on that train would hurt my back and backside ugh the ones in church hurt mine shame we dont have cushions on them

[@melgordon2490]

How long was the actual walk through the bamboo forest?

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's not huuuuge - I think it's about 500m. I'd recommend getting lost in the paths beyond the forest and around the Arashiyama Park area (in green on Google Maps) as it's much less crowded, and you can find that observation deck in the video with a lovely view of the river.

[@philipmel3456]

coming from arashiyama, is it better to sit on left or right?

[@cakeswithfaces]

The views are better on the left to start with, but the right side gets views for most of the journey, so I'd pick the right side if you can!

[@MsDarouny]

We were planning to do this with our 2 young daughters [ages 6 and 10], but last year we heard there was a tragic accident on the boat ride. So we got scared and took it off our travel plans. The accident occurred in March 2023. We are planning to be in Japan in March 2025. About the same time of year the accident happened. I wonder if the water flow was too crazy at that time of year. What would you suggest after being on the train and boat? Fyi, we don't know how to swim.

[@cakeswithfaces]

The accident was just a few weeks after I went on the boat ride. Honestly, it felt safe when we were on the boat. The white water parts are a gentle rush when you're in the boat so it's nothing extreme (and I got scared when we were on a pontoon boat this summer and it started rocking up and down in the wake of speedboats!). I really enjoyed the boat ride (more than the train) - you can see what it's like in my video next week. With children, all I'd say is it's quite a long trip so they'd need to be ok sitting still for that long. We saw lots of wildlife too!

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

i bet you know more about japan than many japanese people do.

[@user-ly3ve2ur7k]

There were many foreigners in November. Of course, there were many foreign Train Trains

[@cakeswithfaces]

November's a popular time to visit Japan because of the autumn leaves. It must have been beautiful in Arashiyama.

[@tanjem]

can take a boat ride and skip the train to save money too ??

[@cakeswithfaces]

Yes, if you want to you can take the regular JR train to Kameoka and get on the boat there. Here's my video about the boat: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqPap4ikbrhmf6s

[@tanjem]

Thks. If raining ..then ..no ..boat .

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

i meant i love seeing you tubers going around kyoto

[@Serena_9]

Is this train heading to bamboo forest?

[@cakeswithfaces]

The station where it starts (Arashiyama side) is walking distance from the bamboo forest. The bamboo's in the main section of Arashiyama, near the river and shops, etc.

[@Serena_9]

@@cakeswithfaces Aha Thank you 🙏🏿

[@GodAtum]

where's your locker video please?

[@cakeswithfaces]

Agh the footage didn't come out well! But I'll be filming another one soon, so there will be one eventually! 😅

[@GodAtum]

@@cakeswithfaces thanks! I am going from Tokyo to Osaka via Ghibli Park. At Osaka station can I leave suitcase? Are the lockers card or coin only?

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@GodAtum As a major station, there'll be lots of lockers at Osaka Station! There's usually a mixture of lockers that take cards (more often IC cards, like Suica) and older coin lockers: www.osakastation.com/osaka-station-lockers-and-luggage-storage/ When I checked the dimensions, it seemed that a large suitcase would only fit in size XL lockers (quite rare!), but in real life the dimensions vary, and I've found that L size is fine even for our largest suitcase. You can try them for size before paying.

[@MengLeeLim]

No ogre/demon coming up the train?

[@cakeswithfaces]

Does that happen sometimes?? 👹