I recently made a weekend to Amanohashidate, Maizuru, and the north of Kyoto-fu. This is a trip report, with information for anyone interested in visiting the region.
OVERVIEW
The north coast of Kyoto-fu is a land of jagged capes projecting into the sea, deep bays surrounded by greenery, old volcanoes rising above the coast. It's gorgeous. With historic sights, interesting villages, and some naval history, it's a fascinating corner of the country to explore.
TRANSPORT
There are regular buses linking Maizuru to Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto. This is a handy way to make the trip from Kansai's main cities. There are also buses from Amanohashidate to Kyoto and Osaka. There are Limited Express services making their way to the region, though local train connections are slow and convoluted.
It's easy to link Maizuru with Amanohashidate, using the scenic Tango Railway.
ACCOMMODATION
There's a youth hostel in Amanohashidate, on the other side of the sandbar from the railway station. As a touristy place, there are many Ryokan and other options around Amanohashidate. Those wanting to stay in Maizuru should check out the helpful website of the local tourist association.
AMANOHASHIDATE AND AROUND
Amanohashidate is the region's one well-known sight. While it's interesting enough for a couple of hours or so, there are other places to visit nearby. You could easily spend a day (or longer) here.
AMANOHASHIDATE
Amanohashidate is Japan's most glorified sandbar. As far as glorified sandbars go, it's not bad. I don't know what it's like in summer, but in winter, it's a wonderfully peaceful, quiet place. The two times I walked across it, I had it mostly to myself, with only a few locals around stretching their legs or fishing. The sandbar is home to many impressive trees, and not only pines, as well as a myriad of singing birds.
While walking across, keep your eye out for some interesting landmarks. These include a seemingly miraculous spring, producing freshwater, despite being surrounded by salty bays; and an inscription of a poem of Basho, carved in the mid-18th century. Basho had nothing whatsoever to do with Amanohashidate, but the locals loved Haiku, and so carved this memorial anyway.
Just south of the sandbar is Chion-ji temple, which you can wander for free. The highlight is a pretty Tahoto, dating from 1500. North of the sandbar is Kono Jinja, the Ichinomiya of Tango. It has some connection with Ise, which I don't entirely understand. Nevertheless, if you've been to Ise, you'll notice some similarities in the architecture and layout of the shrine. While visiting, make sure to keep an eye out for the two impressive stone guardian "dogs", watching over the shrine's entrance. Believed to date to the Kamakura era, they're an impressive example of ancient Japanese stone sculpture.
VIEWPOINTS
Hills north and south of the sandbar provide views over Amanohashidate and neighboring bays, and various chairlifts/funiculars have been built to take people up. I couldn't find an obvious footpath on the south side. On the north side, an easy hiking trail next to the lifts leads up to a fine viewpoint. Continue uphill for a further kilometer or so, and you come to Nariai-ji temple. There are some nice older buildings here, as well as a modern pagoda. The highlight, though, is the temple's collection of Heian era statues, which can be seen up close. At least one is an ICP.
KOKUBUNJI AND AROUND
Tango's Kokubun-ji is about a 20 minute walk along the lakeshore from Kono Jinja. It's been built and rebuilt several times over the ages. There's a small modern temple, which seems to be of limited interest. Three structures from the Nara era have been excavated - the Kondo, Pagoda, and one of the temple gates. You can see foundation stones of these buildings.
Next to the Kokubun-ji is a small local museum, with a modest collection on local history and culture. Keep an eye out for photos of whale hunting at Ine. The ticket includes a visit to a well-built 19th century farmhouse, which sits just across the road.
WILDLIFE
In winter, the waters around Amanohashidate teem with ducks, grebes, gulls cormorants, and other waterfowl. Tourist pamphlets indicate the presence of a family of swans who fly in from Siberia every year, but I wasn't lucky enough to see them. I did, however, catch a family of rare oriental white storks, hanging out in a paddy field along the Tango Railway. Keep your eye out for them! I also saw deer.
INE
Ine's a rather unique village several kilometers north of Amanohashidate. It's linked to Amanohashidate and Miyazu by regular buses; you can catch them either side of the sandbar.
Ine has rather unique geography - it's a circular bay, surrounded by steep hills, with an island partly blocking the bay's entrance. The bay is deep, with the mountain slopes plunging down into the water. All this makes the bay unusually calm, with very small tidal movements, and lots of fish. This has led to the establishment of rather unique houses in the village.
They're known as funaya - "boat houses". They line the bay, and there are hundreds of them. Some are merely sheds for boats, with room for nets, buckets and other fishing gear. Others have second storeys built on top, with living quarters. Many of the funaya also have standard Edo-style warehouses attached to them, where fishing gear was stored.
Originally built in the early Meiji era, the funaya have adapted over the years to modern living, but they're nearly all being used, and many are family homes. The village is a scenic place to wander around, take in the views, and admire the unique set-up. As with Amanohashidate, it's a very quiet, relaxing place in winter. A few of the buildings have been converted to minshuku or restaurants. Boat rides are on offer (nearly everyone in the village seems to own a boat). But tourism is pretty low-key.
MIYAZU
Amanohashidate is part of the "city" of Miyazu, and the main town center is within reasonable walking distance of the southern side of the sandbar. If you find yourself with some time to kill here, there a few low-key sights.
Very little remains of Miyazu castle, but if you follow signs around the train station, you'll eventually bump into a large rock which used to form part of the castle. Nearby, across the river, is Miyazu's Catholic Church. It's a handsome wooden building from the 1890's. Tourist pamphlets claim that it's the oldest church in Japan still used for regular services, but I don't know if this is true.
A short walk away is the Mikami Residence, a sprawling residence dating from the late Edo era. It's an ICP, and can be visited (with a ticket purchase).
COOL STUFF I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO VISIT
Close to the Hyogo border, Hongan-ji is a temple with a Kamakura era hall. Several kilometers further north from Ine, the northernmost point in Kansai is marked by a lighthouse overlooking the Kyoga Misaki Cape.
The town of Yosano is based in a small valley, from where a river flows into the bay behind Amanohashidate. It's home to a small old town (or perhaps merely an old street?), as well as a railway museum, showcasing old trains from the era when it was profitable to run a rail line up the valley.
.jpg)
