Less than an hour to the west of Kyoto by train, Arashiyama is an area’s that’s popular for sightseeing, with its famous bamboo groves, temples with beautiful grounds, and the view of the hills around the Togetsukyo Bridge, so it’s not surprising students selected it as a favorite. Arashiyama was the third most popular nature spot in Kyoto with the international students we surveyed. While you may not always have enough time to visit Arashiyama on a school day, living in Kyoto means you can beat the crowds by visiting earlier or later on your days off!

So what does a student-friendly day in Arashiyama look like? “I like to get there via Hankyu Arashiyama Station, cross the Togetsukyo Bridge, and then walk around sampling food,” one student shared (luckily, Arashiyama is reachable on both the Hankyu and JR train lines!). “You can relax with a walk through the bamboo grove, or take in the beautiful World Heritage Site gardens at Tenryu-ji Temple.”

Since you’re just outside of the city, you can also get a view of nature at a larger scale. This student also recommended the Sagano Romantic Train, which travels through the dramatic vistas of the Hozukyo Gorge in Kameoka. Plus, as the student pointed out, “Arashiyama also has a lot of wonderful places to eat, like cafés with matcha foods and kaiseki restaurants. It’s within walking distance of the station[s], and you can get there by city buses, too.”

The Kyoto Imperial Palace (gosho) and its surrounding gardens (gyoen) are located north of Kyoto’s downtown area. This is an area you likely won’t find mobbed with tourists. Instead, you’ll find the large grounds–multiple city blocks worth!–filled with grass, lush trees, and many seasonal flowers and plants. Many people visit to walk through the gravel paths or sit on the grass beneath the trees. The grounds also contain the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kyoto State Guest House, and several shrines.

Like some of the other spots on this list, students praised the gardens for their seasonal scenery. Ease of access, of course, is another important factor, as this student commented: “The Kyoto Gyoen Imperial Gardens are close to my university, and entry is free, so I like to go there to take walks.”

You can see an English-language guide map of the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden here. You can also find more information about parking, access, and regulations here: Kyoto Gyoen National Garden [Ministry of the Environment].

When it came to number five, our respondents left us with a four-way tie! It’s difficult to choose when Kyoto is home to so many beautiful locations. Both Mt. Daimonji and Mt. Hiei (pictured above) provide hikes easy enough for beginners, and some wonderful views of Kyoto. Umekoji Park is a park close to Kyoto Station and the Kyoto Aquarium where students also said they like to enjoy cherry blossoms and the markets for hand-made goods that are sometimes held there. If you want an even larger space, though, head further north to the Kyoto Botanical Gardens (pictured below) and you’ll find sprawling grounds with everything from manicured flower gardens to wilder-looking groves.

Of course, there are even more nature spots all across the city for you to discover! Maybe you’ll hop on your bike or a bus to head far north to the pastoral Ohara or Keihoku areas. Or maybe you’ll find a beautiful little patch of green right near your home. Kyoto students have different ideas about their favorite location, but across the board, they agreed that Kyoto’s natural beauty made it a wonderful place to study. So, when you study abroad in Kyoto, why don’t you grab your friends and meet us at the Kamo River Delta?