Arashiyama Park viewpoint

The Arashiyama Park viewpoint sits on a hillside ledge overlooking the Hozugawa River. It holds a collection of cherry trees planted in the early twentieth century by the local government to encourage tourism after the area served for centuries as a private playground for the Kyoto nobility. Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the famous novelist, spent time sitting on these slopes in the nineteen twenties, writing letters about the way the light hit the water below. He found the river view perfect for his solitary habits.