Arashiyama

I am hoping someone can outline for me a good plan for a day spent in Arashiyama that includes the Bamboo Groves, the Iwatayama Monkey Park and the Sagano Romantic Train. Is it possible to do all of this in one day, and what would be the best way to go about it? We would be coming from the Kyoto station area (staying at the Rhiga Royal) and have JR passes, but are happy to buy additional tickets if required. Two fit adults. Can someone advise??
Thanks so much!!

I posted this several days ago, and really need to know if there is someone who can help me plan my day in Arashiyama!! Please help!!
Thanks!

your best bet is to ask the tourist office inside the JR Kyoto station (on the mezzanine on the west side). They speak English and are very helpful and of course you take the JR train for Arashiyama there. I went to Arashiyama and walked around every which way, mostly interested in the bridge by the river, the bamboo grove and numerous temples and shrines. It was very easy to find(street signs in English). Sorry but I can't help about the rest: caged monkeys are horrible things and any train can be romantic is there are 2 of you!. HOWEVER http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3912.html
has all the info you need, with photos and maps. You have ample time to do what you plan to do in 1/2 day.

You can definitely do all the things on your list in one day, although if you take the river boat ride that is an optional counterpart to the Sagano Romantic Train it could be a pretty full day.

I took the Sagano "Romantic Train" in June and thought it was delightful. There is great scenery and the experience is just plain fun. I would definitely recommend it. I did not take the boat ride back; I probably would have enjoyed it but there were too many other things competing for my time and limited funds. I used my JR pass to get back instead. After you get off the "romantic train" you walk a few minutes to JR Umahori station (via a clearly marked path) on the JR Sagano line and catch one of the fairly frequent trains back to Arashiyama. Or alternatively, you could take the "romantic" train back. But JR is faster.

Out of curiosity, on the way back I stopped and got off at the Hozu Gorge station, which is between Umahori and Arashiyama. This was kind of interesting. While I was there, I watched the boats going down the river and also saw the "romantic train" making its way back. I was fascinated by how remote this spot felt, despite being only a few short minutes from the city of Kyoto. (Via a long tunnel through the mountain.)

One thing to keep in mind about the "romantic" train is that it can fill up. Monkey See's advice to ask at the tourist office is good. (I have used the one that is on something like the ninth floor of the complex, not on the mezannine, and those people were really helpful!) You can get more information there about the ins and outs of reserving tickets on this train. In my case, we showed up to the "romantic train" terminal in Arashiyama about 45 minutes before the first train in the morning and had no trouble getting tickets on the spot, but if you go on a busy weekend or during fall color season it might be harder.

The bamboo forest is definitely worth a visit and is not far from the JR station in Arashiyama (maybe a 10-minute walk?). My only advice there is to just make sure you have a map.

I went to the monkey park once but it was years ago. I found it interesting (and not really depressing; the monkeys are confined but it is a large enclosure). It is not as pleasant as the monkey park at Jigokudani, but if you are seriously interested in seeing monkeys and it's your only chance, I would say go for it. As I recall, it's a bit of a steep climb but nothing too bad. It's definitely walking distance from other places in Arashiyama, but not right in the middle of things. Again, be sure you have a map.

If you want another Arashiyama suggestion, I can recommend visiting the temple Jojakoji, which is quite close (5-10 minute walk) to the end of the bamboo forest. Beautiful temple grounds and you can get a nice view of the Kyoto basin if you walk up past the building complex. It's not particularly famous but this means it isn't terribly crowded. Peaceful and atmospheric. (Unlike Kiyomizudera, which was so crowded when I went that it was no fun at all to visit.)

So in summary, I did the "romantic train," a stop at Hozu Gorge, a stroll through the bamboo forest, and a visit to Jojakkoji, plus a leisurely lunch and a bit of shopping in one day, and it was slow-paced and very enjoyable. You could probably fit in both the monkey park and the boat ride, but that would make for a pretty long day, I think.

You HAVE to do the boatride - it's great!!

That is great info! I will definitely try to include the boat ride, it all sounds so good....can't wait to get there!

Apart from the above, you should definitely go for the cormorant fishing or "ukai" but it only takes place at night so it would entail staying the night which is very pleasant also as Arashiyama is so much nicer after the day trippers leave. I think ukai only takes place during certain months of the year so you should check this.