What is the best time to visit the Bamboo Forest in November?
Before 8 am at weekends in the busiest part of the month. Sunrise is around 6:30 am, so that gives you about 90 quiet minutes of daylight.
The autumn leaves usually peak from mid-November to early December, and the timing shifts with the temperature.
Waiting for the evening does not work in November: the crowd only thins out after 6:30 pm, and the sun sets around 4:55 pm.
How does the crowd change through November?
| Dates | Weekday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 November | Quiet before 8:30 am Busy 9:30 am to 5:30 pm | Quiet before 8:30 am Busy 9 am to 6 pm |
| 10 to 30 November | Quiet before 8:30 am Busy 9 am to 6 pm | Quiet before 8 am Busy 9 am to 6:30 pm |
How busy is each hour in the busiest part of November?
| Time | Weekday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|
| 6 am | Quiet | Quiet |
| 7 am | Quiet | Quiet |
| 8 am | Quiet | Moderate |
| 9 am | Busy | Busy |
| 10 am | Very busy | Very busy |
| 11 am | Very busy | Very busy |
| 12 pm | Very busy | Very busy |
| 1 pm | Very busy | Very busy |
| 2 pm | Very busy | Very busy |
| 3 pm | Very busy | Very busy |
| 4 pm | Very busy | Very busy |
| 5 pm | Busy | Very busy |
| 6 pm | Moderate | Busy |
How much daylight is there in November?
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November | 6:20 am | 5:05 pm |
| 15 November | 6:30 am | 4:55 pm |
| 30 November | 6:45 am | 4:45 pm |
Which dates are different in November 2026?
- 3 November 2026: a public holiday, as busy as a weekend in our estimate.
- 23 November 2026: a public holiday, as busy as a weekend in our estimate.
- 30 to 8 November: The Arashiyama Tsukitouro light-up runs from 6 pm to 9 pm, and bad weather can cancel it. Our estimate does not include it, so expect more people on the path after dark.
- 14 to 30 November: Tenryu-ji opens its garden early, at 7:30 am, through the main garden entrance only. Its north gate on the bamboo path keeps normal hours, from 8:30 am.
- 21 November: Kyoto City is placing staff on the path by Okochi Sanso to direct walkers toward Oku-Saga or Kameyama Park and spread out the crowd.
- 22 November: Kyoto City is placing staff on the path by Okochi Sanso to direct walkers toward Oku-Saga or Kameyama Park and spread out the crowd.
- 23 November: Kyoto City is placing staff on the path by Okochi Sanso to direct walkers toward Oku-Saga or Kameyama Park and spread out the crowd.
- 28 November: Kyoto City is placing staff on the path by Okochi Sanso to direct walkers toward Oku-Saga or Kameyama Park and spread out the crowd.
- 29 November: Kyoto City is placing staff on the path by Okochi Sanso to direct walkers toward Oku-Saga or Kameyama Park and spread out the crowd.
The forecast for the next two weeks
These levels are estimates from typical patterns, without rain, not live counts. How the estimate works