What kid doesn't love monkeys or not want to feed them? None. This is my 5th trek over the years to Saruyama aka Monkey Mountain in Arashiyama. There is a lot to do and see in Arashiyama. But all I've ever done there is shop and go to Monkey Mountain.
I notice the train station is new, it used to be just a tiny stop, now it's bigger. Once I came here, there was an orchid house/exhibit right outside the station. This time we tracked down a shop that made traditional roof tiles as well as made them small for magnets, hangy things(think ornament) and incense burner.
Good thing my Mom didn't want to see the monkeys or climb up the mountain because the road is a lot rougher than I remember it. Erosion. As it was I had to carry Aidan a good portion of it. We stopped every time there was a monkey quiz in English. Monkey Mountain(this is the foreigner name for it), is higher then the Kyoto Tower!
The rules are: don't yell, don't stare at the monkey, don't show you have any food. Back in the day, they made you leave your bags at the bottom, so the monkeys wouldn't attack you for any food you were carrying. It's much popular now, many more people, so I guess they stopped that. They just advise to put any smaller bags you may be carrying into your purse or backpack so the monkeys don't take it from you.
Upon reaching the top we immediately went into the cage, got some drinks for us and food for the monkeys. They liked the food in the order of apple, sweet potato then peanuts. The littlest monkeys are the cutest, as the bigger monkeys make a pig of themself. Kind of grossed out there was no soap in the bathroom to wash our hands after feeding the monkeys. Good thing I had hand sanitizer with me.
The climb down goes around the backside to a playground. Kids were playing here, but I'm not sure if it's really supposed to be for people or monkeys?
The boys enjoyed ice cream sitting on the sidewalk. I had a yummy blueberry yogurt. I really wanted to try the chocolate macha twist, but they didn't have it yet, probably after the sakura season. I already had a sakura and macha twist. It was okay.
When we got back to Kyoto station this older guy sidled up to us to ask where we are from in America because he had gone there many times. He was a jolly old fellow that when he found out we just went to Monkey Mountain, said he didn't have any hair because the monkey scraped it off. Ha, ha!
This being our last day we had to go up to the look out stop at Kyoto station. The stairs were lit up different spring/sakura scenes. To get to the top you take at least 5 escalators. I wish I had more time here, is what I was thinking looking out over the city lights past the Kyoto Tower. All the kids wanted to do was to go up and down the enormous lighted stairs.
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