Everyone who's done this two-hour river journey from Kameoka to Arashiyama says we really missed out. Apparently gliding down the Hozugawa River in these traditional flat-bottomed boats gives you a completely different perspective on Kyoto's countryside - the kind of views you can't get any other way.

The timing changes with the seasons - boats run hourly from March through December, and they even offer heated boats in winter. Friends who did it in autumn said watching the colorful leaves reflect in the water while drifting through the ravine was almost meditative.