Arashiyama is situated on the western outskirts of Kyoto, and is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. The bamboo grove is one of the top tourist attractions and the most photographed sight in the city, it is something unlike most have seen. Thick green bamboo stalks extend endlessly in all directions, and there is a beautiful quality to the light. The grove runs from outside the north gate of Tenryu-ji to below the Okochi Sanso villa.