Hozugawa – Arashiyama

posted in: +++, Class 1, Class 3, Rivers, Temples, Wildlife | 0

This trip is in the Kyoto area and can take a variety of forms and each one is certainly worth the trip.

Take the JR to Kyoto and change for the train going to Kameoka.

Trip A – get off at Saga station, take the “Romantic Train”; tickets can be bought next to the station. This open air train will follow the river and lets you off a few JR stops upriver and you can return to Saga by non-romantic train.
Class 1
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Trip B – Get off at Kameoka, about three stops past Saga. After leaving the station turn left and after a short walk there are boats that go down the river. It takes about two hours to get to Arashiyama.
Class 1
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Trip C – Get off one stop past Saga (Hozukyo??). This station is on a bridge across the river. After leaving the station follow the river (right, uphill). Stay on this road and after you pass a red bridge there will be a turn off on a trail down to a stream. Take this trail and follow the stream – an interesting walk. After about an hour you come to what looks like a village (hotels). Make a sharp turn uphill on a road and eventually through a tunnel. After the tunnel just keep going down hill and you will reach Arashiyama. There are many ways to go. Try to stay right toward the river.
Class 3
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If you end up in Arashiyama, there is much to see and do; monkeys, row boats to rent, people watching, food and nearby temples, bike rentals at the Hankyu station and the Saga JR station. Return trip can be by the JR Saga station or by Hankyu Arashiyama station. The Hankyu station is across the river to the left. Change at Katsura to the Express train going to Umeda (Osaka), change at Juso or Umeda to the Limited Express back to Kobe.

photo by Tomomarusan

Awaji Shima

posted in: +++, Class 3, Islands, Shrines, Temples | 0

Awaji is a very large island with many things to see. Once you get away from the coast road it is a rural place. One possible walk will take about two hours once you are on the island. Take the JR to Akashi. Walk toward the harbour away from park-castle towers. There are two feries to Awaji, one for cars and the other for people. The people ferry is on the first big street to the right as you leave the station. It is not a very big place. About a 25 minute ferry ride.

On Awaji, turn right on the road outside the ferry terminal; continue for a short distance and you will come to a shopping street on the left. Follow the shopping street until you come to a stream (encased in concrete). Turn left, following the stream uphill. You will pass a cemetery on the right and then after a little more walking there will be a small bridge on the right. Cross the bridge onto a paved path. Woods, rice fields, an old shrine. Easy walking but uphill. Eventually you will come to an open area of rice fields and roads. There is a temple on a rise to the right that doesn’t look like a temple. Take a left until you reach a T and turn right following the signs to “Awaji Accommodation”. Eventually you will see a sign to a spring; go that way. You will pass some ponds and maybe a cow or two, a swimming pool and not many people. There is a sign to “Eight Mat Rock” – don’t go that way, but go downhill and eventually you will come to another ferry. That ferry (much larger than the Akashi Ferry) will take you to Suma.

Class 3
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photo by 663highland

Uji

posted in: +++, Rivers, Temples | 0

Uji is south of Kyoto; a beautiful river and temple. Good for hiking and bike riding (bikes can be rented at the train station). From Kyoto take the Keihan Uji line to the last stop. This may require some changing. If you end up on the main line, the Yodo station is the station for the Kyoto race track (also interesting). You can get to the Keihan line near the Hankyu-Kawaramachi station. This is a tea growing area. Many possibilities.

Class ? (depends on what you do!)
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photo by David Monniaux

Koya-san

posted in: +++, Class 3, Mountains, Temples, Woods | 0

If all the temples and shrines in Kyoto are too much for you, here is a smaller version up in the mountains south of Osaka. There are good mountain views both on the train and once you get there.

Take the JR to Umeda (or your favourite alternative!). From there take the Midosuji line to Namba. Change to the Nankai-Koya line to the last stop. At the ticket machine for the Nankai-Koya line there is a button for the Koya-san which gives you a ticket for both the train and the cable car up the mountain. The trip from Kobe is about 2 hours.

Once you get to the last stop the cable care is right there at the end of the platform. At the top there are buses, but the walk is a good one. You can go right or left. If you go right, the walk is along a “highway” with some good views of the valley below. A fairly long walk until you reach the gate to the “town”. I am not sure where the buses go. Once you get to the centre there are many temples to visit. Probably the most interesting place is the ancient cemetery with gigantic cedar trees; a very interesting place.

Class 3
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photo by 663highland

Takeda Castle

posted in: ++++, Castles, Class 4, Shrines, Temples, Woods | 0

Probably my favourite place (at least for now). A place the tourists haven’t found yet. A great place to bring a bottle of wine, a little cheese, and anything else. In winter be ready for snow. There isn’t much there, just the remains of a castle, extensive series of walls, and a wonderful view of the valleys below.

Take the JR to Himeji and change for the Bantan Line going to Todayama. Get off at Takeda (don’t take the express!). From the station you can see the castle walls on the hill across the tracks. There are some stores in the town straight ahead as you leave the station, if you want some food. There are two ways to get to the castle, the woods route and the road route. The woods route: across the tracks there is a shrine (long red steps) and a temple (white wall). Keep the shrine on your right and go along the white wall up the hill. This path will lead through a cedar grove and wind its way up to the castle. The road route: walk straight from the station, make the first right and walk through town. After about ten minutes make a right turn across the tracks and follow the road up the hill to the castle.

George liked to joke that these were the ruins of the car port.

Editor’s note: I think George would be both disappointed and amused to know that the tourists have indeed finally discovered this place and it’s now referred to in guide books as the “Machu Picchu of Japan.” It’s heavily promoted by local tourism boards, and now features an extensive system of paths covered with some type of synthetic material and lined with ropes. Kind of a drag since you used to be able to roam freely and have a picnic on the grass. We went on a rainy day and it wasn’t too busy, but it sees a lot of visitors these days.

Model of Takeda at its Height in a Nearby Train Station — Model of Takeda in its former glory in a nearby train station

The paths and signs really detract from the overall atmosphere, but it's still definitely worth a visit! — The paths and signs really detract from the overall atmosphere, but it’s still definitely worth a visit!

Nishiwaki

posted in: ++, Class 2, Rivers, Temples | 0

There is no reason to go to Nishiwaki, there is nothing the tourist would want to see in Nishiwaki. But if there exists a typical mid-American town somewhere in the states, then this is the typical mid-Japanese town.

There is a river, a temple, some light industry. A short distance away, by train is Hezo-Koen which is the geographic centre of Japan. A little museum there has some work by local artists. Not the place to go if you are looking for excitement. Take the JR to Kagogawa and change there for the Kagogawa line to Nishiwaki.

There is a spur line that goes to Hezo-Koen.

Class 2
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photo by LERK

Mt. Sosha (Engyoji Temple)

posted in: ++, Class 2, Mountains, Temples | 0

While you are in Himeji this is a good “other trip” if you are tired of castles and not yet tired of temples. This is a temple that is a little bit different and not really a tourist place. You may see pilgrims in traditional clothing making the trip from temple to temple. There are also very good views of the city of Himeji and the hills to the north. This can be a very quiet place and people go there to pray. Take the JR to Himeji (or Sanyo). At Himeji station cross the street (straight ahead) to the bus terminal. Take the #6 or #8 bus to Mt. Sosha (the buses are marked in romaji). I think the #11 goes there too as I took one back from there. These are city buses and the ride may be crowded and bumpy, but it is only about 20 minutes. When you get to Mt. Sosha (the last stop) there is a rope way up the mountain. At the top, there is a pleasant uphill walk through cedar trees. There are horse-drawn carts that can take you up but that is not really necessary. There are a number of buildings associated with the temple, and most have a brief explanation in English. There is also a shop where you can get something to eat.

Class 2
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photo by 663highland

Hikone

posted in: +++, Castles, Class 3, Lakes, Mountains, Shores, Shrines, Temples | 0

This is a long trip with a little bit of walking and little or no train changing. Hikone is a castle town on Lake Biwa, there is a beach on the lake, mountains with a shrine and Zen temple above the town and a castle in the middle of the town. There is a lot to see in a small area.

Take the JR towards Kyoto. There is a train that goes to Maibara which is the stop after Hikone. If you don’t catch that one you will probably have to change in Kyoto, but stay on the same line (Tokaido main line). From the station if you walk straight ahead you will come to the castle. From the castle you can make your way to the beach or in the other direction to the mountains. It may be difficult to find a way to cross the railroad tracks – there are not many crossings. There is a good climb up the hills to the shrine and temple with great views of the city and castle below, and Lake Biwa.

Class 3
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Futaba

posted in: ++, Class 4, Lakes, Mountains, Temples | 0

This is a walk in the hills above Kobe. Not all that difficult but all uphill until you turn around. Your destination is the Foreigner’s Cemetery on the top of the mountain.

From Motomachi JR west exit walk uphill (towards the mountains). Any street will do. When you reach the last east-west street turn left until you come to a small park with a baseball field on the right a very short distance. Take a right there and you will come to a large girls’ school then you know you are on the right road. Just continue up following a stream on the left. After a series of stairs you will come to a road. If you take the road to the right, you can pick up a trail that ends up behind the Shin Kobe station; a good return route (long). To continue up the mountain, cross the road. There is a pond there and the trail goes to the left of the pond. About halfway up you will come to a temple; the path goes to the left. There are some places to stop along the way. At the top you will come to another road, this one traveled. In fact, there is a bus that comes back to Kobe but it doesn’t run everyday. Cross the road and there is a small lake with boats to rent, a coffee shop and a small beach. Beyond the beach you pick up the road again and to the right is the Foreigner’s Cemetery, which is the interesting thing to see. The Cemetery is locked but if you are a foreigner you can get in or you can get a view of the grounds from a walkway to the left of the gate.

Class 4
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Miyajima

posted in: ++++, Class 4, Islands, Mountains, Shores, Shrines, Temples, Wildlife | 0

While at Hiroshima you should see Miyajima. It is about 20 minutes from Hiroshima station and then a very short ride to the island. This is a beautiful shrine built right on the water. Beyond the shrine and small town is a mountain that is difficult to climb but worth it. There are temples along the way. It would be about a two hour walk with many steps. But you can take the rope way down and there is a tea house at the bottom of the way. Of course, you could also take the rope way up. There is plenty of information about Miyajima available. Lots of monkeys and deer.

Class 4
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photo by Nihonjoe

Nara

posted in: ++, Class 2, Shrines, Temples, Wildlife | 0

Lots of information is available in guide books, so no reason to go into it here. Easy to get to. Nice walking.

Class 2
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photo by NFA999

Ohara

posted in: ++, Class 2, Temples | 0

This is a good quiet spot just north of Kyoto. A little walking and a good day trip. Two very nice (if small) temples in the country-side.

Take the JR to Kyoto. The fast express is the best. In front of the train station there are many buses. Take the one going to Ohara which can be found furthest away from the train station (bus #17 or #18) platform #1. This is all marked. You can buy a ticket before (there is a ticket window) or on the bus (¥ 520). It takes about an hour on the bus with many stops in the city. Get off at the last stop. Here you can walk to the right or left. Eventually, do both. To the left, follow a stream uphill, not difficult, pass some shops, some rice fields, some more shops. Shortly after a pottery shop there will be a stairway on your right to the temple.

If you cross the street at the bus stop simply go uphill through the usual shop to the larger of the two temples. Both places are very pleasant. The walking is easy and both can be visited in a day.

Class 2
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