Togetsukyo Bridge
Togetsukyo is a 155-meter bridge over the Katsura River in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
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Togetsukyo Bridge
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Togetsukyo is a 155-meter bridge over the Katsura River in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
Free to cross at any hour, it is one part of a river-and-mountain view known for spring cherries and autumn maples.
MoreWhat kind of place
The first bridge was built in the Jowa era (834 to 847) by Dosho, who founded Horinji temple, according to Kyoto Prefecture, and it burned or washed away many times afterward. The present bridge was completed in June 1934, and its name comes from Retired Emperor Kameyama's remark that the bridge looked like the moon crossing without a cloud.
With kidsThe part that matters
In that river-and-mountain view, the river is where children spend the time. Pleasure boats drift past, thrilling one toddler, and small boats can be rented nearby.
Rickshaws cross too, and Japan's national tourism organization lists the ride among its not-to-miss things. On foot, the paved riverside path to the left after crossing from the south side is easy with a stroller.
From Arashiyama Park's Kameyama area, a 10-minute hill climb gives another view of the bridge. The stairs up from the river are steep, and strollers must be carried.
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1A family with a 1-year-7-month-old covered the whole walk from Saga-Arashiyama Station through Tenryuji temple and the bamboo path to the bridge with a stroller, carrying it in places inside the temple. At the bridge itself, they simply lingered at the foot, watching the river and taking photos.
- Ages 2-3A 2-year-old's family walked with a stroller until she fell asleep, then sat on a bench across the bridge looking at the river.
- Ages 4-6Not checked yet
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayRain thins the crowds in Arashiyama, and one visitor found the town even more beautiful in it. In that rain, one family's rickshaw ride came with blankets and hand warmers, and their youngest child fell asleep.
- Hot dayIn July one visitor found the heat too much, and another measured over 32°C in the daytime in May, though early morning and evening were quieter and easier. On a summer night, though, the bridge felt very cool to one visitor because it stands over the river.
- Cold dayAt one early-morning visit in leaf season in November 2016, when the day's high was only 11°C, the cold was severe enough that warm clothes were needed.
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details.
Not yet checked: 5
Lost-child support, Official family-friendly certification, High chair, Kids' menu, Best-fit ages (guide)
* Not at this spot — nearest options (6)
- Elevator: not at the spot itself. We read 91 pages and found 2 nearby instead.
- Nursing space: not at the spot itself. We read 91 pages and found 1 nearby instead.
- A 2022 renovation notice says the third floor of Randen Arashiyama Station has a nursing room and a powder room; the station is a 2-minute walk from the bridge. source
- Diaper changing table: not at the spot itself. We read 91 pages and found 8 nearby instead.
- The women-only Nakanoshima West restroom has a multipurpose (accessible) stall with a changing table and a children's urinal, open all day. source
- The Randen Arashiyama Station restroom has a multipurpose (accessible) stall with a changing table, baby chair and ostomy facilities, open 8 a.m. to midnight. source
- Diaper disposal bin: not at the spot itself. We read 91 pages and found 1 nearby instead.
- Family restroom: not at the spot itself. We read 91 pages and found 3 nearby instead.
- Kids' toilet seat & step stool: not at the spot itself. We read 91 pages and found 2 nearby instead.
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Togetsukyo Bridge · Links & reads ▾
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Where to go next
With a baby (0–1)
- Sagano Romantic TrainStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table10 min walkA sightseeing train running 7.3 km along the Hozu River, 25 minutes one way.
- Arashiyama Bamboo GroveBamboo pathStroller friendly10 min walkA 400-meter path walled on both sides by tended bamboo, from a shrine to a villa.
- Tenryu-ji TempleZen temple & gardenStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableFamily restroom5 min walkA Zen temple from 1339 around a pond garden, Japan's first Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
- Arashiyama GyateiKyoto home-style set meals5 min walkA restaurant serving Kyoto home-style obanzai for about thirty years, with eighty seats.
For sights
- Sagano Romantic TrainStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table10 min walkA sightseeing train running 7.3 km along the Hozu River, 25 minutes one way.
- Daikakuji Temple1.8 kmDaikakuji is a Kyoto temple that was once Emperor Saga's retreat palace.
- Arashiyama Bamboo GroveBamboo pathStroller friendly10 min walkA 400-meter path walled on both sides by tended bamboo, from a shrine to a villa.
- Tenryu-ji TempleZen temple & gardenStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableFamily restroom5 min walkA Zen temple from 1339 around a pond garden, Japan's first Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
Where it is
The Kyoto City Tourism Association lists the address as Nakashimano-cho, Saga, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, though other listings give a different district name.source
Before you go
- The Kyoto City Tourism Association says the bridge fills with visitors mainly in spring and autumn, and in peak leaf season it can become a crush even though it is free and always open: on one busy day in November 2017 cars were barred because so many people were crossing, and at 11 a.m. on another visit in November 2016, entry was being limited.
- A family with a 4-year-old, a 1-year-old and grandparents (November 2017, leaf season) found crossing the bridge hard and shops impossible to enter, while early morning at the bridge was nearly empty, so their rule was to come before 10 a.m. or after 19:00; the Kyoto City Tourism Association's page also has a live camera at the bridge's north end and a five-level comfort forecast by time and weather, up to about two months ahead.
- The bridge carries a roadway: buses cross it, visitors taking photos spill into the road when it is crowded, and the sidewalks around it are narrow, so keep children close.
- There is no toilet on the bridge, so go before you cross: Kyoto City lists public toilets in Nakanoshima Park (a sandbar park south of the bridge) and by Togetsu Kobashi (a smaller bridge nearby, where the west-side toilet has just two stalls each for men and women and no accessible stall), plus one at Randen Arashiyama Station. One visitor found a park toilet near the bridge dirty in a review posted in May 2026. For changing, the Randen station restroom (open 8 a.m. to midnight) has a multipurpose (accessible) stall with a changing table, and a 2022 renovation notice says the station's third floor also has a nursing room; the women-only Nakanoshima West restroom has a multipurpose (accessible) stall with a changing table too, while the Nakanoshima East multipurpose (accessible) stall lists none.
- The riverside path just to the left after crossing from the south side is paved and the bridge itself was crossed with a stroller early in the morning in leaf season, but the stairs from the river up to Arashiyama Park's Kameyama area are steep enough that one parent had to carry both child and stroller; river boats from Hozugawa end near the bridge, so the stroller is folded and loaded onto the boat.
- Arashiyama closes early in the evening, so plan dinner at a restaurant by 18:00 to 18:30; at lunch, the soba shop near the bridge where one family was given a booster chair already had a wait just past 11 a.m., in a post from May 2024.
- From Randen Arashiyama Station it is 2 to 5 minutes' walk depending on the listing, from Hankyu Arashiyama Station 8 to 10 and from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station 11 to 15; going from Hankyu to Randen means crossing the bridge, and the listings disagree, so the longer figure is the safer one.
Sources and evidence (41)
- A 2022 renovation notice says the third floor of Randen Arashiyama Station has a nursing room and a powder room; the station is a 2-minute walk from the bridge.source
- The women-only Nakanoshima West restroom has a multipurpose (accessible) stall with a changing table and a children's urinal, open all day.source
- The Randen Arashiyama Station restroom has a multipurpose (accessible) stall with a changing table, baby chair and ostomy facilities, open 8 a.m. to midnight.source
- The Nakanoshima East restroom has one multipurpose (accessible) stall with no changing table listed, and one baby chair in a women's stall.source
- The public toilet west of Togetsu Kobashi has only two men's and two women's stalls and no accessible stall.source
- A stroller crossed the bridge without trouble early in the morning in leaf season, but entry was limited by 11 a.m.source
- The riverside path just to the left after crossing the bridge from the south side is paved concrete and easy with a stroller.source
- The stairs up from the river to Arashiyama Park's Kameyama area are steep, and the stroller has to be carried.source
- Togetsukyo is an outdoor bridge over the Katsura River.source
- A soba shop near the bridge seated one family at a table with a booster chair, and a wait had already formed just after 11 a.m. (in a post from May 2024).source
- There is no fee to cross.source
- The bridge is always open to pass; there are no entrance fees or opening hours.source
- The bridge is open every day.source
- Kyoto Tourism lists the walk to the bridge as 2 minutes from Randen Arashiyama Station, 8 from Hankyu and 11 from JR.source
- Kyoto Tourism says 2 minutes from Randen Arashiyama Station; a map gives about 321 meters, around 4 minutes.source
- Kyoto Tourism says 8 minutes from Hankyu Arashiyama Station; a map gives about 590 meters, around 7 minutes.source
- Kyoto Tourism says 11 minutes from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station.source
- Rurubu lists 5 minutes from Randen, 10 from Hankyu and 15 from JR, longer than Kyoto Tourism's figures.source
- Going from Hankyu Arashiyama Station to Randen Arashiyama Station means crossing the bridge.source
- The Kyoto City Tourism Association lists the address as Nakashimano-cho, Saga, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, though other listings give a different district name.source
- The Kyoto City Tourism Association says the bridge fills with visitors mainly in spring and autumn.source
- The Kyoto City Tourism Association gives a five-level comfort forecast by time and weather, up to about two months ahead.source
- Kyoto City lists public toilets near the bridge; there is no toilet on the bridge itself.source
- The same forecast and a live camera are on the Tourism Association's page.source
- A live camera at the bridge's north end shows the crowd in real time.source
- Kyoto City manages 10 public toilets and 2 tourist toilets in the Arashiyama area, including two in Nakanoshima Park.source
- The Randen station tourist restroom is open from 8 a.m. to midnight.source
- Hozugawa river boats end near the bridge, and strollers are folded and loaded onto the boat.source
- Hankyu Arashiyama Station's page lists a changing table, baby chair and changing shelf; where they are is not known.source
- In peak leaf season, vehicles were barred from the bridge because so many people were walking.source
- In peak leaf season, the bridge was nearly empty early in the morning.source
- In leaf season, entry to the bridge may be limited.source
- In leaf season, entry to the bridge was already limited at 11 a.m.source
- One visitor found a park toilet near the bridge littered and dirty and did not use it (review posted May 2026).source
- The bridge has a roadway, and visitors taking photos can seem to be in danger.source
- When it is crowded, some people step off the sidewalk onto the road.source
- Arashiyama closes early; for dinner at a restaurant, plan to eat by 18:00 to 18:30.source
- Sidewalks around the bridge are narrow, shared by people, cars and rickshaws.source
- Large tour buses use the bridge.source
- In peak leaf season in November 2017, a family with a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old found crossing and entering shops hard.source
- That family's tip: leaf-season Arashiyama is calm before 10 a.m. or after 19:00.source
Basics
- Fee: There is no fee to cross.source
- Hours: The bridge is always open to pass; there are no entrance fees or opening hours.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (2)
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller friendly | Yes | A stroller crossed the bridge without trouble early in the morning in leaf season, but entry was limited by 11 a.m. | Web-checked | checked Nov ’16 | korino-rossa.com |
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Outdoor | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | ja.kyoto.travel | |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| High chair | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' menu | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
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