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So you like Japan and the yen is at an all time low? Plus the fact that the winds of politics have blown away all the Chinese tourists ? Timing could not be better for my trip and I didn’t even plan it for the above scenario. But Kyoto is known to be packed with tourists at this time of the year with the autumn leaves beckoning. Apart from squeezing with the tourists are there any other places to go and see those gorgeous leaves ? I got a taste of autumn recently and I wanted to let my family enjoy some too, so here we go! So I went with my lil un about two years ago and we did the usual places : bamboo forest, clear water temple, geisha district, tori gates and also the aquarium. You can choose to brace the crowds or try out next places. So this time we planned Bamboo forest but take the sagano romantic train Kyoto train museum Nara deer park And the prize - Amanohishidate We will try some nice food places and do a bit of shopping too We got into a nice Denza for the ride to the airport, only 3 weeks old! It takes a little more than six hours, so we have meals in the airport at Sukiya As for Amanohashidate, I first heard this from a friend and decided to look into it in detail and found out it’s one of the top three scenic places in Japan How to get there I like to stay in Kyoto train station because it’s a hub. Most places can be accessed from here including Amanohishidate where a Kintetsu limited express will get you here in about two hours or so. Along the way you’ll see plenty of autumn colors and bamboo forests too. In fact the train passes through Arashiyama. Let's get to the prize first, a simple train ride on a limited express train and you're in Amanohishidate. Walk a few steps and you're at the foot of the Viewland Amusement Park for the cable car ride to the top. Amanohishidate is good enough to occupy your little one for more than a day and tire them out. And if you see the number of parents with little kids, you wouldn’t think Japan has a birth rate issue. The view from the top is something else and this place deserves its spot as one of the top three sights in Japan. This is how you are supposed to see the dragon in the water - by bending over If you look around, you won't think Japan has a birth rate problem with so many kids.. And now for the vital question, how's the crowd? Well, like I said, this is a little out of the way, two hours from Kyoto, so it's not busy at all, and the crowd is largely Japanese.