West of Arashiyama, where Kyoto's suburbs finally give way to real mountain terrain, Kameoka and Takao see a fraction of the visitors that pour into the city centre — genuinely quiet ground, even in peak season.
Hozugawa river rafting
Traditional wooden boats depart from near Kameoka and run rapids down the Hozu-gawa gorge, finishing in Arashiyama roughly two hours later — a genuinely different way to arrive in Arashiyama than by train, and a good half-day activity in its own right, especially in spring and autumn when the gorge's foliage is at its best.
The Sagano Romantic Train
A slow, open-window scenic railway running along the same river gorge between Kameoka (Kameoka Torokko Station) and Arashiyama, purpose-built for the view rather than for speed — it pairs naturally with the boat trip as a one-way each: train out, raft back, or vice versa.
Takao's mountain temples
Further into the hills, Takao is home to Jingō-ji, a mountain temple with a long, steep approach and some of the region's best autumn colour, and Kōzan-ji, a small temple famous for housing the Chōjū-giga scrolls — playful ink drawings of frolicking animals, widely regarded as an early ancestor of Japanese manga. Both draw a small fraction of the crowds at comparably significant sights closer to the centre.