Kyoto is the most visited city in Japan thanks to its temples and historical sites.

However, on my second visit to Kyoto, I knew that the highlight of my trip here would be completely different than the temples. I love autumn and the colourful leaves, and I was already regretting missing out on a half-day hike through the beautiful hilly countryside last time.

A tourist train there, an old wooden boat on the Hozugawa River back. I was mainly wondering one thing: is it really such a special experience, or rather a tourist attraction that can be skipped without regret?

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Sagano Romantic Train: the first part of the trip

The tourist train runs on the former main railway, which was replaced in 1989 by a new railway through tunnels and bridges.

The old Sagano line winds along the river through a deep wooded canyon.

The train runs once an hour between Arashiyama Station, where you'll find plenty of nearby attractions (such as Tenryu-ji Temple, Bamboo Forest and Monkey Forest), and the town of Kameoka.

As autumn is one of the peak seasons due to the beautifully coloured leaves, I prefer to book tickets in advance via klook.com.

As it turns out later, it's a good decision because the train is completely sold out on the spot.

Just show the e-ticket on your mobile phone when boarding the train.

• 👉 What are the train prices and how to get to Arashiyama? Find out in the article What to do in Kyoto.

Getting on and riding through the valley

The boarding is well organized and as we leave, the staff wave branches with colorful leaves. It's a bit infantile, but as there are lots of children on the train, it's also very nice.

The ride takes about 30 minutes and the whole time it goes through beautiful countryside on steep river banks. We also go through a few tunnels, but they are short and don't impede the views.

The windows stay open and I can move around the car if there happens to be a better view from the other side.

So it doesn't even matter that you can't choose a specific seat when booking and the system seats me in an aisle. The views are awesome anyway.

Looking out over the river crossings, I'm not really sure how we're going to make it back by boat. There are no rafts on the river, but old wooden ferries. Well, we'll see...

Walk or bus between train and boat

I opted for the first train of the morning at 9:02, but not until the second boat trip at 11:30. So I have 2 hours of time.

From the romantic Sagano train, bus line 39 runs directly to the dock, connecting to each train, and its travel time is about 10 minutes. You can pay the bus fare with cash or a transport card (ICOCA, Suica or any other).

However, I walk about 3 km along the road. I have plenty of time, but next time I would rather take the bus and choose a smaller time margin between the train and the boat. The journey is not very exciting.

Hozugawa River cruise: the highlight of the trip

The dock consists of a two-story building where check-in takes place.

At the counter I just show my ticket, which I again booked through klook.com. I'm given a ticket with a number that is used to board each boat.

It pays to arrive as early as possible, as the lower your number, the earlier you will be sailing. Although I am booked on the 11:30am sailing, there are more boats sailing this tour and mine is the first to leave at about 10:55am.

There is a souvenir and snack shop in the port building and of course restrooms.

• 👉 What are the boat trips on Hozugawa? Find out in the article What to do in Kyoto.

Before boarding the boat, I get a life jacket and 3 pilots sort us into our individual seats.

I'm lucky and sit alone in the very last row.

The first 10 minutes of the cruise is very slow through fairly uninteresting scenery, but we see herons and cormorants.

Then we enter a deep canyon with forests, rapids, many bridges of modern railroads and we even meet the historic train I rode 2 hours ago.

The first rapids come in, which looked absolutely terrifying from the train. But the passage is totally fine, I don't even have to hold on.

There are several rapids like this during the cruise, but each time the passage is very gradual and by the end of the cruise I don't have a single drop of water on me!

Between the rapids the water is very slow, so we can enjoy the beautiful autumn landscape.

The three ferrymen are entertaining and chat to the tourists all the way - only in English as there are no Japanese on the boat.

Before the end of the cruise, a refreshment boat comes to us on a wide stretch of river. I have hot rice mochi for 500 jpy.

In total the cruise took just under 2 hours, but according to the pilots, in the spring when there is significantly more water in the river, it only takes about an hour and a quarter!

Was it worth it and would I go again?

Yes and yes.

It was a very enjoyable half day trip and made the constant walking around temples and monuments more enjoyable.

Everything is very well organized and the scenery of the Hozugawa River Canyon really beautiful!

I would definitely go next time in the spring though. Because along the river there are mainly sakura trees that don't have leaves, so while the cruise is beautiful in autumn (there are other trees too), it must be absolutely breathtaking in spring!

Plus, there is significantly more water in the river during spring, making the cruise more adrenaline-pumping!

Morning or afternoon?

I'd also recommend heading out in the afternoon instead. There are more views during the cruise than during the train ride, and most of the journey from Kameoka back to Kyoto is eastbound.

So the morning and mid-morning is against the sun.

Practical info at the end

How much did it all cost me?

• Train ride - 5,65 usd
• Hozugawa boat ride - 39 usd

I left Arashiyama by train at 9:02am and arrived back there at about 12:45pm.

• 🎫 You can book trips via klook.com or getyourguide.com
• ❗ Especially in autumn and spring, book at least 2 weeks in advance
• 👉 Detailed practical in the article What to do in Kyoto