11 Nov 2023 - Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama

After crossing Togetsu-kyo Bridge, we decided to pay a visit to Iwatayama Monkey Park.  The entrance to the park was next to Ichitani-Munakata-Jinja Shrine.

At this time, it was about 4pm.  At the ticket counter, we saw that the park closure time was 4:30pm.  As we were not sure if we were able to make it to the summit of the hill in time, we consulted the counter staff.  She told us not to worry because the climb to the top should only take 20 minutes and we should still have about 10-15 minutes staying at the summit where the monkeys gathered.

However, the moment we started the climb, we immediately felt uneasy.  It's quite a steep climb and soon we knew we likely could not make it.

After about 15 minutes of our ascend, we saw a board showing the remaining climb to the summit.  At this point, we confirmed there was no way for us to reach the top.  

Jerlene, Javier and I tried to follow the trail a bit and when we arrived at the start of yet another climb, we gave up and turned back.  As it was slightly passed the park closure time and sky would turn dark soon, we decided to make our way out of the park.

We then strolled along the riverbank of Katsura River before returning to Arashiyama main streets.

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