About Mika Tsujimura
I’m a national government-licensed guide-interpreter in Kyoto, born a ten-minute walk from the bamboo grove in Saga-Tenryūji. My grandfather cut hachiku bamboo for a Kyoto bamboo-ware workshop. I walk the Arashiyama path most mornings before the first tour bus reaches the bridge. I write this site to close a gap: nobody explains clearly that the grove is free and open 24 hours, so what are you actually paying for?
Why this site exists
The biggest keyword cluster we rank for is “entrance fee,” “tickets,” “is it free” — roughly 340 searches a month. Every competing page either dodges it or buries it under a booking button. I lead with it. There is no entrance fee. There is no ticket. The grove is free and open 24 hours.
Having been honest about the free part, I earn on the things that genuinely do cost money and that visitors genuinely do get wrong: timing (free at 7 a.m., a queue at 10 a.m.), the paid sites next to it (Tenryū-ji, Monkey Park, the train and boat), access you cannot buy at the door (a licensed guide, a rickshaw in the private lane, a night walk). This site helps you choose what’s worth paying for based on real traveller feedback, not marketing copy.
What I do
I research the tours and tickets available around the bamboo grove, read through traveller reviews on GetYourGuide, and write honest, practical guidance on which tour suits which visitor. I am not the grove, not Kyoto City, not any temple or operator. When you’re ready to book, I send you to GetYourGuide, a licensed reseller. I don’t sell tickets.
How I’m funded
I earn a small affiliate commission when you book a tour through my GetYourGuide links, at no extra cost to you. That’s what keeps the site free. It never changes which tours I recommend; see my affiliate disclosure for the full picture.
Questions or corrections? Get in touch.