Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
BUJŌ-JI
( 峰定寺 ; Hanase-Harachi-cho, off route 38, 2km east of Daihizan-guchi bus stop; admission ¥500, no children under
12yr; 9am-3.30pm, closed on rainy/snowy days) Bujō-ji is a shugendo (mountain asceticism) temple
that is also called 'the Northern Omine', a reference to Mt Omine-san in Nara Prefecture,
which is a centre for Japan's yamabushi (mountain mystics).
| TEMPLE
It's a 430-step climb to the main hall. First, you surrender your bags and cameras, and
get a special pilgrim's bag and staff, plus a printout of a mantra to chant as you climb. Only
then can you pass through the gate and climb to the hall. Just before the hall, ring the bell,
focus your thoughts and then climb to the veranda to soak up the views.
ASHIU
( 芦生 ; off route 38 in Miyama-cho, take the turning after descending from Sasari-tōge pass) This quiet and tiny
village sits on the eastern edge of Miyama-chō. The main attraction is a 4200-hectare virgin
forest to the east of the village. Administered by Kyoto University's Department of Agri-
culture, this is about the only remaining virgin forest in Kansai. Hiking trails enter the
forest from above the stone hut at Sarari-tōge Pass and from Ashiu, at the bottom of the
pass (note that you should register at the office in Ashiu before entering the forest). The
most basic walk follows old train tracks along the undammed Yura-gawa River. More in-
volved hikes continue beyond the tracks up the river or up side valleys. If you intend to do
serious hiking here, grab a copy of Shobunsha's Yama-to-Kogen Kitayama map at a Kyoto
bookshop.
| NEIGHBOURHOOD
KITAMURA (KAYABUKI-NO-SATO)
( 北村 ; along route 38 in Miyama-chō, about 20min drive west of Ashiu) Miyama-chō's star attraction is
Kitamura (North Village) a hamlet boasting a cluster of some 50 thatched-roof farmhouses.
In 1994 the village was designated a national preservation site, and since then the local
government has been generously subsidising the exorbitant cost of rethatching the roofs (at
an average cost of ¥6 million - around US$50,000).
| NEIGHBOURHOOD
Sometimes known as 'Kayabuki-no-Sato' (the Village of Thatched-Roof Houses; かや
ぶきの里 ), this quaint hamlet is said to contain the thickest concentration of thatched-roof
houses in all Japan.
Sights worth seeing here include the Minzoku Shiryokan (Folk Museum) and the Chis-
ana Aibijutsukan (Little Indigo Museum).
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