Once our IAMAS meeting ended the Bureau members travelled to the Syoenso Hozugawetei Japanese-style inn (Ryokan) in the northwestern part of Kyoto where we spent one night. The inn provides an authentic Japanese experience with traditionally furnished rooms and beautifully presented cuisine.
Before dinner we went out to have a look around the area to see some birds. It wasn’t ideal birding territory but we did see a few urban birds, including Brown-eared Bulbul, Meadow Bunting, Grey Wagtail, Tree Sparrow and Asian Tit.
Once we’d checked out of the Ryokan on 15 April we took taxis to the nearby Kameoka railway station to catch the Sagano Scenic Railway, which travels along the beautiful Hozugawa River to Arashiyama. The journey is only 7 km, but the views from the large windows of the carriages are spectacular.
Once we arrived in Arashiyama we walked north from the station to explore the beautiful suburbs of the town, admiring the quaint houses and cherry trees in full bloom.
After lunch at a small restaurant we visited the famous Bamboo Forest, which is a popular tourist attraction in Arashiyama. The forest attracts many visitors, some in traditional Japanese dress.
From the Bamboo Forest we walked the short distance to the Tenryu Buddhist Zen Temple and its Garden of a Hundred Flowers. The gardens were very beautiful at this time of year with vivid coloured leaves on the bushes and trees.
We saw a number of birds in the gardens, including Grey and Japanese Wagtail, Varied Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Hawfinch and Warbling White-eye.
After a wonderful day exploring the Arashima district of Kyoto we got a taxi back to the city centre and the Aranvert hotel where we stayed for the next four nights. We had three full days free in Kyoto and wanted to do some birding and also visit cultural sites. While I had been working, Maggie had visited a couple of interesting sites, including the Imperial Palace. A highlight was seeing a Japanese Grosbeak, a bird only found in Japan and eastern China. In the gardens there were also Rock Dove, Asian Tit, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Oriental Turtle Dove.
On our first free day in Kyoto (16 April) we wanted to go birding in a different habit outside of the city centre so took the train to the suburb of Mukaijima a few kilometres south of where we were staying. This is an agricultural area of small fields and drainage ditches that attracts a range of birds seeking food and raptors looking for small animals. Birds photographed on the ground included Eurasian Skylark, Black-faced Bunting (female), Large-billed Crow and Meadow Bunting. Flying over were Black Kite, Grey-headed Lapwing and Barn Swallow.
We spent 17 April visiting a number of cultural sites around Kyoto and enjoying the beautiful parks and gardens, along with the traditional Japanese buildings around the city.
Many of the visitors to Kyoto rent traditional Japanese clothes, adding to the historical feel of the city.
The narrow passages and thoroughfares of Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward are filled with restaurants and at night the area looks spectacular.
On our final day in Kyoto (18 April) to decided to visit the Imperial Palace Gardens, which we’d read were a good birding location in the centre of the city. This proved to be the case and we came across other bird photographers, especially near a water feature that was drawing in some interesting birds.
Although it was rather gloomy at the water feature, we still managed to get acceptable photos of some interesting birds, such as Narcissus Flycatcher, Varied Tit, Warbling White-eye and Asian Stubtail. More common birds there included Long-tailed and Asian Tit.
Elsewhere in the gardens we saw Bambling, Dusky Thrush, Oriental Greenfinch, and had distant views of a Yellow-throated Bunting.
