Do you want to get out of Kyoto city and discover rural Japan without driving? Kyoto prefecture has much more to offer than Kyoto city itself, but not many people know about it! From rural traditional little villages hidden in the mountain like Miyama, to breathtaking sea landscapes like Amanohashidate area, Kyoto prefecture has it all!
If you take a look at Kyoto prefecture map you will realize that going all the way up to the northwest, you will end up reaching the Sea of Japan, an amazing quite untouched beautiful sea landscape surrounded by little hills, empty beaches with crystal waters and pine trees all the way to the water.
However, ones of the main problems of discovering isolated, rural or remote areas in Japan is that it might take a long time to reach with public transport. This is the reason why we decided a while ago to design mini tours within Kyoto prefecture by private car. Renting a car, driving on the left side, reading traffic signs, getting lost in the complicated Japanese highways, the whole thing can feel very stressing for many people, plus time consuming if you make little mistakes throughout the way.
We do really encourage you to choose one of these tours if you want to get to know a bit of Kyoto outside of Kyoto city, another side of a more authentic and relaxed Japan, hard to discover on your own.
Casa Miyama is actually one of the highlights of this experience. Why? There are many types of hotels in Japan, but non of them will make you feel the same way as being in a traditional Japanese house all made of wood. The smell of tatami floors, the beauty of hand painted sliding doors, the traditional chicken sukiyaki dinner cooked with charcoal at the hearth while chatting with your loved ones, the attic gallery with its straw-covered ceiling, a hinoki bath with a rotenburo in a private garden, etc. A 100 year old stay in a Kominka has no comparison to any other experience in Japanese lodging. This is why this is the starting point of all of our tours. And also because it is the house we reformed ourselves and we put a huge amount of love on doing so, and we want you to enjoy it!
Our shortest tour lasts 21 hours, for those with a really tight schedule! And our longest lasts four days, three nights. I will tell you all about it right away, so you can choose the one that fits you the best!
Our Kyoto prefecture tours have all a few things in common. Check below which tour suits you the best!
- They all start with a pick-up service at Hiyoshi station (40 minutes train ride from Kyoto station). And they all end with a drop-off service at the same station.
- They all include a guided tour by us to Kayabuki no sato village, a very well preserved thatched roof countryside village. Entrance to Aizome museum and traditional museum if open on the day.
- They all include our delicious local chicken sukiyaki diner at Casa Miyama, cooked with charcoal at the center of the dining table. There is no food experience more Japanese than this, sharing a hot pot cooked by the hearth!
- They all include our highly appreciated Spanish breakfast with Spanish omelette (tortilla de patatas), our sausages and cheese selection and our delicious “pan con tomate” (toasted bread with tomato and olive oil, best of Catalan tradition!).
One night stay at Casa Miyama + Kayabuki no sato tour
Day 1
>>>Pick up at Hiyoshi Station at 1.54pm. >>>Driving to Kayabuki no sato, arrival 2.30 pm. >>>Visit the village and its hidden gems for a couple of hours. >>>Head to Casa Miyama around 4.40pm. >>>Enjoy the house, the attic gallery, the baths (interior wooden one and exterior one). >>>Dinner served by the hearth: local chicken sukiyaki (homemade umeshu, starter and dessert included!).
Day 2
>>>Spanish breakfast at our breakfast charming room with morning light and mountain view. >>>Feed our goats, if you like! >>>Departure to Hiyoshi station at 10.00.
Two nights stay at Casa Miyama + Ine tour
Day 1
>>>Pick up at Hiyoshi Station at 1.54pm. >>>Driving to Kayabuki no sato, arrival 2.30 pm. >>>Visit the village and its hidden gems for a couple of hours. >>>Head to Casa Miyama around 4.40pm. >>>Enjoy the house, the attic gallery, the baths (interior wooden one and exterior one). >>>Dinner served by the hearth: local chicken sukiyaki (homemade umeshu, starter and dessert included!)
Day 2
>>>Spanish breakfast at our breakfast room. >>>Departure to Ine at around 10.00 am, a fishing village by the Sea of Japan. >>>One hour drive to one of the Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage temple. >>>Lunch nearby or in Ine, depending on weekday. >>>Visit the amazing fisherman’s village of Ine, from the top view point to understand its peculiar geographical situation and its history, from the sea with a boat ride to see the “funaya” houses from the water, and walking through its streets to appreciate the everyday life of a quiet fisherman’s remote village. >>>Departure to Miyama around 4.00pm or 5pm the latest. One hour and a half drive. >>>Dinner at a local restaurant in Miyama. >>>Enjoy second night stay at Casa Miyama.
Day 3
Japanese breakfast at our breakfast room. >>>Feed our goats, if you like! >>>Departure to Hiyoshi station at 10.00a
Two nights stay at Casa Miyama + Ine and Funaya stay+ Amanohashidate tour
Day 1
>>>Pick up at Hiyoshi Station at 1.54pm. >>>Driving to Kayabuki no sato, arrival 2.30 pm. >>>Visit the village and its hidden gems for a couple of hours. >>>Head to Casa Miyama around 4.40pm. >>>Enjoy the house, the attic gallery, the baths (interior wooden one and exterior one). >>>Dinner served by the hearth: local chicken sukiyaki (homemade umeshu, starter and dessert included!).
Day 2
Spanish breakfast at our breakfast room. >>>Departure to Ine at around 10.00 am, a fishing village by the Sea of Japan. >>>One hour drive to one of the Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage temple. >>>Lunch nearby or in Ine, depending on weekday. >>>Visit the amazing fisherman’s village of Ine, from the top view point to understand its peculiar geographical situation and its history, from the sea with a boat ride to see the “funaya” houses from the water, and walking through its streets to appreciate the everyday life of a quiet fisherman’s remote village. >>>Checkin at our hotel/funaya 4.00pm. >>>Fish course dinner at a local restaurant in Ine to enjoy seafood and fresh fish from the bay. >>>Enjoy your stay at a funaya hotel (fisherman’s house) with a sea-level dock to relax and room with the breathtaking view of the Ine bay.
Day 3
>>>Early morning visit to the local fish market. >>>Japanese or western breakfast at a restaurant. >>>Departure to Amanohashidate at 10.00am >>>In Amanohashidate we will cross the famous 4km sandbar either by bicycle, walking or by boat, to enjoy one of the best pine tree spots in Japan. >>>Chair lift to see the view of sandbar from top. >>>Lunch time in one of the restaurants of the area. >>>Around 3.00pm we will head back to Casa Miyama. 1hour and a half drive. >>>Dinner at a local restaurant in Miyama. >>>Enjoy second night stay at Casa Miyama.
Day 4
>>>Japanese breakfast at our breakfast room. >>>Feed our goats, if you like! >>>Departure to Hiyoshi station at 10.00am
A four day tour is not long enough?
These are all our tours available. If you would like to extend the tour until Kinosaki Onsen town please let us know and we will check prices and availability for you. This would be another extra day at least.
We do really encourage you to choose one of these tours if you want to get to know a bit of Kyoto outside of Kyoto city, another side of a more authentic and relaxed Japan, hard to discover on your own.
For information about prices and availability please visit our websites, Casa Miyama and Akashi Travel. Prices will vary depending on how many participants there are in your group. All tours are private and run by Toru and myself. We are both photographers and have lived in the area for 7 years now. we speak English, Spanish, Catalan, Japanese and … some Swahili! But that is another story … !
All pictures belong to Akashi Photos, a photo agency run by Toru Morimoto and Tina Bagué, both professional photographers, tour leaders of Northern Kyoto Tours, owners of both Casa Miyama and Koya Miyama as well as Miyama Photo Studio. For more information on any of these tours or our houses please send us an email to info@casamiyama.com.
All pictures by ©Tina Bagué & ©Toru Morimoto. Not allowed to use them anywhere without permission and without contacting us.
