Kim KnightSenior journalist - Premium lifestyle·NZ Herald·1 Jun, 2026 07:00 PM6 mins to read‌If you look up, you can't see all the other tourists at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, a major visitor attraction near Kyoto, Japan.Kim Knight finds peace - and guidance - in the crowded bamboo groves of Kyoto: A Princess Cruises shore excursion worth slowing down for.“How long do you think it takes to grow?” asks Mr Yasuda.

Our group gazes 20m skyward and starts throwing out numbers. Eighty years? Ten years?