Amanohashidate is quite hard to get to without a car.
I finally got to go to Amanohashidate, which I had wanted to visit someday, using the train.
Itinerary and Seikirou on the previous day (May 2)
I had stayed at Seikirou in Miyazu since the previous day.
For some reason, I will omit the itinerary to Fukuchiyama, but I took the Tango Relay No. 3 train to Miyazu, departing from Fukuchiyama Station at 12:53 pm.
Kyoto Tango Railway unreserved seat limited express ticket (hard ticket)
The express ticket I bought at Fukuchiyama was a hard ticket. I miss it.
When I was in kindergarten, there were no automatic ticket vending machines and tickets were sold over the counter. When I told the station attendant where I was going, he would sell me a pre-printed hard ticket like this one, after putting the date on it with a dating machine. I don’t remember if scissors were included or not.
But since we often bought round-trip tickets, I am sure there were scissors in the outbound ticket as well.
I don’t remember the shape of the scissors at the local station. But I do remember that the scissors at Ueno station were shaped like a crown with three corners.
It would be even better if Kyoto Tango Railway had scissors as well. But I guess they use them as stamps because it is hard to clean up small trash.
Unreserved seat of Tango Relay No. 3
This is what the “free seat” of the Tango Relay No. 3 looks like. I told the conductor, “It’s gorgeous,” and he told me that it was designed by Eiji Mitooka, who has designed many trains for JR Kyushu.
Strong-motion earthquake observation facility (K-NET)
When I arrived in Miyazu, the first thing I noticed was the strong-motion earthquake observation facility (K-NET). This is the third of about 1,000 such facilities in Japan. I wonder where 997 more are located.
Statue of Hosokawa Galasha
Galasha Hosokawa, famous among Christians, lived here.
Former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa is a descendant of Galasha Hosokawa in the genealogy, and his name is written in the explanation.
Seikirou (photo taken May 5)
I stayed at Seikirou.
The exterior of the building is very splendid.
The Seikirou was founded in the Genroku era of the Edo period (1688-1868) and is registered as a Tangible Cultural Property.
Noguchi Ujyo, Kikuchi Kan, Yoshikawa Eiji, and many others are listed in the inn’s guest book.
It is said that famous writers stay at the inn even today. However, for various reasons, this information has not been made public.
Seikirou room with a small cosmetic room
Sorry for the futon in the picture, but you can feel the history in the room as well. The small room with a window is said to be a room for putting on makeup. There were also many paintings on the sliding doors.
Dinner at Seikirou
Dinner in the hall was also very good.
Especially, the cockle on the left side was delicious. It is lightly roasted over a fire and dipped in soy sauce. The crunchy texture is the best. I would like to go back again just to eat them.
Rent a bicycle and enjoy the Amanohashidate area
Breakfast
Breakfast was also delicious, with a “this is Japanese food” feel.
The onsen egg had a hard shell and a tough eggshell membrane, and I felt that it was a carefully selected ingredient. It seems that flounder is eaten more often in this area than in the Kanto region, and a large area was reserved for it in the fish section of the supermarket we visited yesterday.
Now, today, I would like to introduce a plan for a day using a rented bicycle.
Roadside Station Umi-no-Kyoto Miyazu
About 100 meters west of Seikirou is “Roadside Station Umi-no-Kyoto Miyazu” where you can rent bicycles. On holidays, it is recommended to make a reservation, as there is a lot of competition. However, please note that even if you have made a reservation, the service will be provided in the order of receipt.
On the east side of the bike rental area is the Miyazu Magokoroichi Agricultural Products Market. It will be closed by the time you return, so if you want to buy some minor souvenirs, I recommend that you stop by after renting a bicycle before going out for cycling.
Shopping mall Mipple
Nearby, there is also a shopping mall, Mipple. This one is open until 10 p.m., so you can get there after you leave. Major souvenirs can be bought on the first floor here.
Electric bicycle
Here is the bike I rented. It is the first electric bicycle in my life. It’s a mama-chari.
Kanabiki waterfall
If you are only going to ride along the seaside, there is no need to use an electric.
The reason we rented an electric was to go to this Kanabiki waterfall.
Even though I went up from sea level to nearly 100 meters in elevation, it felt like riding on a level road. Electric bicycles are amazing.
The waterfall was beautiful. There were only a few people around, probably because it was a long way from the car parking lot and the hill was hard for regular bicycles.
After visiting the waterfall, I went down the hill and returned once near “Roadside Station Umi-no-Kyoto Miyazu. From there, a 2.5-km ride northwest along the sea leads to Amanohashidate.
View from Hiryu Observatory (photo taken May 2)
If you have not climbed Amanohashidate Viewland, do so.
I, in fact, had climbed it the day before. This is the view from Hiryu Observatory in Amanohashidate Viewland. Naturally, I also took a peek at the crotch. If you turn the photo upside down, you will see a similar view. But it is different from what you actually see.
Amanohashidate pudding (photo taken May 2)
At Viewland, I also had Amanohashidate pudding (400 yen). It was smooth and delicious. However, it seems to have been on sale since November 10, 2018, so it is not a traditional specialty.
Like a reindeer struck by lightning (photo taken May 2).
In addition, I saw such a scene in Viewland.
It is like a reindeer struck by lightning. I heard that a four-legged animal is in danger because an electric current flows near the heart when there is a potential difference between the front and hind legs. Humans are not fatal because there is no heart between the right and left legs. But even for humans, when taking shelter from lightning, stay away from trees and keep your legs closed.
If you are not afraid of heights, use the lift to go down from Amanohashidate Viewland. You can fully enjoy the view of Amanohashidate. Even though it was raining a little, many people used the lift.
Hikobei Teahouse
Near Amanohashidate, there are many souvenir shops.
The name “Chie-no-mochi (rice cake of wisdom)” is said to be available only at four teahouses. I took a short break at one of them, Hikobei Teahouse.
Chie-no-mochi
This is the Chie-no-mochi. If you ask for it, they will put soft ice cream on it for 100 yen more.
Amanohashidate
Riding a bicycle through Amanohashidate. The weather is nice and comfortable.
100 best roads in Japan Amanohashidate
Amanohashidate has been selected as one of the 100 best roads in Japan. So far, I have seen Nihonbashi Chuo-dori, Ginza-dori, and Daikehara-juku on Koshu-kaido, so this is the fourth one. Where are the other 96?
Iso-Shimizu
At Iso-Shimizu, fresh water springs up even though it is surrounded by the sea.
This is also one of the 100 best. It is one of the 100 best waters. It says that even though it is famous water, you are not supposed to drink it.
So I licked it. Sure enough, it did not taste salty.
Rosa rugosa
Rosa rugosa was in bloom near the beach.
Rosa rugosa appears in a song called “Shiretoko Ryojo,” so I thought it would grow in Hokkaido, but it seems to grow in Kyoto as well.
Cold udon noodles with crab jelly
After crossing the Amanohashidate, there are many souvenir shops, among which Matsui Bussan offers cold udon noodles with crab jelly.
I also tried some black chikuwa from Yamamoto Bussan, which were not as sweet as regular chikuwa, and had a bit of a blue-fish taste.
On the way there, I found a historic shrine called Konojinja. Unfortunately, I could not get a good picture of it.
Ascending Dragon View (photo taken May 2)
If you haven’t climbed Kasamatsu Park, do so. In fact, I had climbed here the day before. The view from the observatory is called “Ascending Dragon View” and looks like this. Naturally, I did crotch peeking here as well. I still recommend taking the lift down to the top of the mountain.
Aso’s boathouse
Riding a bicycle counterclockwise along the Aso Sea, you will find the Aso Funaya. The structure allows boats to stay inside the house. I had never seen such a scene until now.
Tango Kokubunji Site
A short walk uphill from the boathouse is the Tango Kokubunji Site. I thought it would be a little higher. A little further up is the Kyoto Prefectural Tango Museum. The museum was reserved for a private party.
Turning bridge in rotation
When I returned to Amanohashidate, I found that the Kaisenkyo Bridge was just about to turn.
Cycling data
Course：Seikirou -> Michi-no-eki Umi-no-Kyoto Miyazu -> Kanabiki Waterfall -> Amanohashidate -> Michi-no-eki Umi-no-Kyoto Miyazu -> Seikirou
Distance：28.6km
Time：8h16m (including tour time)
