We had not initially planned to come here – but we needed a break in the trip.

If you are coming to Japan and visiting Kyoto… there are many things you can do… such as see temples – or you can choose to do a loop ride. This was our choice. We thought we would head to Arashiyama.. and back.

First up was Toji Temple… and the autumn leaves did not disappoint.

Next Kym had planned for us to stop at a local coffee shop. It was suppose to be for breakfast but we were taking a leisurely pace so it ended up being lunch.

It was a true find. My omelette was the best I’ve had – and yes the music note is in tomato sauce. All the flavours on the plate went do well together- there was a light dressing on the salad. I was really disappointed to finish lunch it was that good.

Next we cycled towards our goal, passed many small farmers gardens, along a river, and all different types of houses.

We got to Arashimyama.. and while we had previously been to this location at least three times – we had never seen so many tourists in one spot – ever. The main stretch of the town with all the shops was packed, so much people were walking on the road. When you hear there are a lot of tourists in Japan – I think they are all in this spot. It was pretty unpleasant. Thankfully we were on a bike and we could follow a car which was creating space… until we turned off where there were less tourists.

We headed for Okachi Samso Gardens. The 1000 yen entrance fee does put some people off thankfully. The garden bathed in sunlight and autumn leaves did not disappoint.

After we went up an old style road, stopped for a coffee and took backroads towards the centre of Kyoto to pick up bags and go to the train station for the next location.

It ended up being just over 39+km.. and really enjoyable. While I enjoy Japan the extreme amount of tourists was a little crazy, so I would definitely leave it off the list – as it really can’t be enjoyed.