This here Chikurin, lemme tell ya, it’s somethin’ else. Ain’t nothin’ but bamboo, tall as the sky, swayin’ in the wind. Makes ya feel small, like an ant in a jungle. If you wanna see it, best get yourself to Kyoto, that’s where it’s at. Kyoto, that big fancy city, but this here is all natural, not like them city buildings.
Now, how to get there? That’s the question, right? Well, you can take a train, one of them fast ones. From that big Kyoto Station, you gotta hop on the JR Sagano, or maybe it’s the San-in Main Line, goes to a place called Saga-Arashiyama. Takes ’bout fifteen minutes, they say. Then you gotta walk some, maybe ten minutes more, and you’ll find this Chikurin place. Or you could take the Hankyu line, but you gotta switch at Katsura.
If you’re feelin’ lazy, there’s a bus too, number 11 or 93, I think. Get off at Nonomiya, and you’re almost there. Less walkin’ that way. Just look for all them tall bamboo stalks, can’t miss ’em. Like a green ocean, they are.
Folks say it’s a touristy spot, this Chikurin. Lots of people snappin’ pictures. Can’t blame ’em, it’s pretty. It is near the Fushimi Inari Shrine and Kinkakuji Temple, people like to see all the sights there. They say it is always open, so you can go any time you want. Imagine that, a forest that’s always open!
- Get on that train, the JR Sagano somethin’ line.
- Or the bus, 11 or 93.
- Look for the tall bamboo.
- Lots of folks takin’ pictures.
- Always open, they say.
They say you can walk through the whole thing in ’bout an hour, if you don’t stop. But who wouldn’t wanna stop? Look up at them tall bamboo, listen to the wind rustlin’ through. Might take ya three, four hours if ya really wanna enjoy it. Take your time, I say. Ain’t no rush in a bamboo forest. This Chikurin is good for the soul, I reckon.
It’s right near somethin’ called Tenryu-ji Temple. North of it, they say. If ya go to that temple, just go out the north gate, turn left, and boom, you’re in the Chikurin. Easy peasy. Just one path through the whole thing, goin’ uphill kinda slow.
I heard tell there’s another one of these bamboo places in Tokyo, too, in a place called Higashi Kurume. Chikurin Park, they call it. Two thousand trees, they say. Not as big as the one in Kyoto, maybe, but still, two thousand bamboo trees is a lot of bamboo. This Chikurin in Kyoto is bigger though, much bigger, they take pictures of it all the time. Must be a real gem, they say.
So there you have it. This here Chikurin, a big ol’ bamboo forest. Pretty as a picture, and good for the soul. You can walk alongside a river, the Katsuragawa River. They made a bench made of bamboo, too. It’s a whole lot of bamboo, I tell ya. If you’re ever in Kyoto, go check it out. You won’t regret it. Just remember to take your time, and listen to the wind in the bamboo. It’s like nothin’ else.
Now, don’t go lookin’ for no fancy words from me. I just tell it like it is. This Chikurin is somethin’ special, that’s all I know. Go see it for yourself. And don’t forget to breathe deep, that bamboo air is good for ya. Good for the lungs, good for the heart, good for everything, I reckon. You just can’t beat nature, can ya?
That is all that I can say about this Chikurin. It is just a place with many bamboo, so many that it is like a forest. But it is a pretty place, and people like to go there and walk around, and see the sights, and get some fresh air. It is good to be in nature.
