投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Roadside Rest Area Ocha-no-Kyoto Minamiyamashiro Village

This rest area encapsulates the wonderful everyday life of Minamiyamashiro Village. You can immerse yourself in the village life and discover their traditional wisdom through eating, drinking and so on.
They sell a wide variety of local specialties, including tea and fresh vegetables at the market called Nomon Ichiba. Delicious tea sweets would make great gifts for your loved ones.
You can savor genuine tea with ease on the spot, at the sweets and tea shop, Muracha-ya. Their soft serve made with the village’s high-quality matcha green tea is famous for its authentic flavor. The rich matcha syrup poured on it is amazing, too. You can enjoy the beautiful balance of sweetness and pleasurable bitterness. (430 yen, tax included.)
This rest area also has Murafudo Shokudo Tsuchi-no-Ubu, a cozy place where you can relax and enjoy a delicious meal. Savor their dishes incorporating tea. They have delicious ones modeled after the local villagers' meals.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Nagarebashi (Kouzuyabashi)

Nagarebashi, officially known as Kouzuyabashi, is a 356.5-meter-long bridge crossing the Kizu River. It is one of the longest wooden bridges in Japan. The name "Nagarebashi" means "a flowing bridge" in English. Sometimes the river experiences a significant water level rise by heavy rain, especially in a typhoon season. Instead of resisting the water flow, the bridge is designed to flow along with it. Of course, it’s not completely washed away. Its walkway naturally gets separated into several parts, and they drift apart from the bridge and float on water, but they’re connected to the bridge piers by wire ropes, actually. To return the washed-away parts to their original positions on the piers, you can pull up the ropes. This is a bridge that adapts to the natural conditions around the river, rather than resisting them.
The wooden bridge has a charming and nostalgic atmosphere. It has been used as a filming location for many historical films and TV shows.
Right beside the bridge, you can see tea plantations. It’s a great place where fertile soil is naturally carried by the river. This area is famous for producing high-quality tea. To ensure the safety of residents, the embankment was strategically constructed to circumvent the tea plantations. It’s a wonderful place to feel the culture of Yawata. The Nagarebashi and the surrounding tea plantations are a part of the Japan Heritage (Japanese Tea: Eight Centuries of Tradition), certified by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Kamikoma Tea Wholesaler District

The Yamashiro area, located in the southern part of Kyoto, is famous for its tea. In and around the Kamikoma area, southern Yamashiro, tea cultivation dates back to the Muromachi Period (1336-1573).
In 1868, Port of Kobe (Hyogo Port) opened, which revolutionized the tea industry. With the exports from the port, tea production skyrocketed. Tea leaves from this and surrounding areas were transported here, and processed by tea merchants. They were then shipped to the port via Kizu River and Yodo River for export overseas.
This area flourished as a tea wholesaler district.
Even today, there remain about 40 tea wholesalers. You can also see a monument of the tea industry of Yamashiro. Take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the quaint atmosphere, feeling the history and tradition.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Kanimanji Temple

While the exact origins of Kanimanji Temple are shrouded in mystery, it is estimated to have been founded in the end of the Hakuho Period (around 645-710). Larger than it is today, the temple was initially referred to as Kabata-tera in ancient documents.
Its principal image, a colossal 2.2-ton sitting statue of Shaka Nyorai, is a designated National Treasure and a masterpiece surviving from the temple's founding.
The temple is renowned for the story, Kani no Ongaeshi (Crab's Return of a Favor) in the Konjaku Monogatari (Tales of Times Now Past). The story goes as follows:
One day, a young lady who was a devout believer in Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) Bodhisattva saved a crab that was being bullied by villagers. Later, Kannon transformed into a crab and saved her from a terrible fate. Filled with reverence and gratitude, she and her father built the temple to enshrine the crab.
Even now, a crab-releasing festival is held at this temple every year on April 18th.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

The Original Yamada Residence

In the Edo Period (from 1603 to around 1868), the Yamada family served as O-shoya (the head of a local community, who managed the people) of thirteen villages in the area called Mimaki-go. They managed the fishing operations around Ogura-ike Pond that once spread over a large area.
Their residence was strategically built on the stone foundation to protect it from flooding. The nagaya-mon (one of Japanese traditional gatehouse styles) at its entrance, with its imposing appearance reminiscent of a Buke-Yashiki (samurai house), offers a glimpse into the family's former status. The nagaya-mon, the long wall and the main house inside are nationally-registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
You can also see materials related to the Ogura-ike Pond inside. There is an exhibit of traditional fishing tools, including traps and a boat-shaped fish tank as well. The remaining carp-designed ranma (decorative panel seen in the upper part of a room) and a dragon painting on fusuma (Japanese sliding partition) still exude the family’s grandeur.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Machinoeki Crosspeer Kumiyama

Machinoeki Crosspeer Kumiyama has a bus terminal and a waiting lobby for bus passengers. It’s also used as a public space where people can relax and interact.
They sell local specialties, including fresh local vegetables, food processed in and around the town, and more. A variety of breads are one of the facility’s attractions.
The second floor can be used for meetings, coworking, socializing and other activities.
Electric bicycle rental is available, too. (This is a great place to begin a cycling tour of the town.)
The facility serves as a hub for disseminating information about local industries, facilitating collaboration among local businesses, and so on.

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Cherry Blossoms Along Tama River

Tama River, located in Ide Town, is a wonderful hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) spot. Cherry trees form elegant rows for approximately 1,500 meters along both banks of the river, and amazing tunnels of cherry blossoms appear in the spring (around late March and early April). In this season, a festival is held to celebrate the fascinating sight. You can even experience the magic of the blossoms illuminated at night.
The gentle flow of the river provides a peaceful atmosphere. It’s a perfect place for families to unwind and enjoy the beauty of nature. It’s also fun to imagine how it was a long time ago when the gentle murmur of waterwheels accompanied the daily lives of people living around the river. Also, adults and children alike can enjoy crossing the river by hopping across the stepping stones.
Tama River is so clear that it is one of the "Selected 100 Exquisite and Well-conserved Waters" of the Heisei Era (1989-2019). Since ancient times, the river has been woven into artworks such as famous poetry, stories and so on.
In this area, you can also see early-blooming cherry blossoms at Ide Town Machizukuri Center Tsubakizaka, and an about 300-year-old cherry tree at Jizozen-in Temple.
Around the Tama River, following the beauty of somei-yoshino (the most popular variety of sakura), yamabuki (Japanese kerria, also known as Japanese rose) flowers bloom, dyeing the surroundings a beautiful rich yellow.
In early summer, you can see fireflies around the river (near Tamamizu Station), too.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Yamashiro Forest Park

This forest park is blessed with abundant nature in all seasons, but offers especially beautiful spots for viewing the colorful autumn leaves. Enjoy a panoramic view of the Soraku area from the Mt. Sanjoyama Observatory in the park.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Takayama Dam

Enjoy driving and hiking while viewing a row of cherry trees.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Uji City Botanical Park

Opened in October 1996, Uji City Botanical Park has land 10 hectares large, rich in undulation, and interwoven with canals and water fountains. The welcoming 3D waterfront at the entrance, "Tapestry of Flower and Water", is a spectacular view and among the best in Japan. It is 62 meters long and 18 meters high, with close to 3000 flower pots lined up in 46 rows to present a theme or a character related to Uji. The north-eastern (right) side of the park is the autumn area with red leaves, and the south-western (left) side is the spring area with seasonal flowers. There is also the summer area with lotus from Oguraike, and in the greenhouse there are tropical and subtropical flowers available all year. The symbolic plant of the park, the weeping cherry tree, blossoms from mid-March to end of March, during which the park will be open at night free of entrance fee.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Manpuku-ji Temple

Obaku-san Manpuku-ji is the head temple of the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism. In 2024, three of its buildings, including the main hall, were designated as National Treasures.
This temple was founded in 1661 by Ingen Ryuki (Yinyuan Longqi), a Chinese Zen Buddhist priest who came to Japan in 1654.
He introduced not only Zen Buddhism but also many things and cultural elements to Japan, such as ingen (common beans) and lotus roots.
One of them, Fucha Ryori (Chinese Buddhist cuisine), can actually be enjoyed at the temple (reservations required). It is characterized by its diverse offerings, with some artfully mimicking other foods, like one that resembles eel. It is fun to experience Chinese culture through food.
Also, the Chinese-style sutra chanting called Bonbai sounds like a song.
The precincts, with their historic buildings, are filled with a Chinese atmosphere. Other impressive sights include the Kaipan (wooden fish board), said to be the original form of mokugyo (a percussion instrument used to keep rhythm during sutra chanting), the golden statue of a deity Hotei Son (Budai), and the statue of Ragora Sonja (Rahula), from whose chest the face of Buddha emerges.

投稿タイプ：sightseeing

Ujikami Shrine

Ujikami Shrine is one of the World Heritage sites. It was once a single shrine together with Uji-Shrine, as a guardian shrine for Byodoin Temple.
The main hall (a National Treasure), built in the late Heian Period (794-1185), is the oldest existing shrine building in Japan. Built in the Nagare-zukuri style characterized by its long, flowing roof, it houses three structures to enshrine deities, which are two larger shrines flanking a smaller one in the center.
The worship hall (a National Treasure) is part of a building constructed in the Shinden-zukuri, the representative architectural style of aristocratic residences in the Heian Period.
The enshrined deities are Emperor Ojin, Uji no Wakiiratsuko, and Emperor Nintoku.
Legend has it that when Uji no Wakiiratsuko lost his way, a rabbit appeared and guided him, looking back repeatedly to ensure he was following. According to one theory, this is the origin of the place name Uji (rabbit path). Ujikami Shrine offers charming rabbit omamori (Japanese amulets), omikuji (small items containing fortune-telling slips), and so on.