Kameoka – The Must-Visit City in Kyoto Next to Arashiyama

This railway, also known as Sagano Romantic Train or Sagano Torokko Ressha (嵯峨野トロッコ列車), connects Arashiyama in Sagano with Kameoka. Throughout the 25-minute train ride, the amazing views of Hozugawa Valley (保津川渓谷) will unfold little by little in front of you.

For more information, please refer to our article on Sagano Scenic Railway HERE!

Since we mentioned the Hozu River, some of you might be wondering if there are sightseeing boats you can hop onto.

The 16 km Hozugawa River Boat Ride, also known as Hozugawa River Cruises, has a long history going back more than 400 years. The Hozu River was once an important waterway to transport supplies to Kyoto and Osaka from the Tamba region (丹波地方) in northern Kyoto.

A novel way to get to the Hozugawa River Boat ride’s boarding wharf is via horse carriage!

A horse will drag the carriage along the riverbed of the Hozu River. Although it will take slightly longer to get to your next destination, the 25-minute one-way tour is a great way to enjoy the nature of Kameoka (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.

You might even be able to feed and/or pet the horses!

On the other hand, if you plan to spend more time in Kameoka (which is also a great idea), you can take their excursion course, a cheaper 15-minute round trip course (^_-)-☆.

For more information, please refer to their website HERE. And to book your spot online instead of a phone call, you can do so HERE.

Boarding for the horse carriage is at Torokko Kameoka Station’s north exit.

The castle was built in 1577. It was also the base from which he departed to take down Oda Nobunaga, which is what is now known as the Honnō-ji Incident (本能寺の変).

Although the Tamba Kameyama Castle was dismantled in 1877 by the decree ordered by the Meiji government to abandon castles around the country, the stone walls were gradually restored from 1919 after it was taken over by Oomoto Shinto Sect (宗教法人 大本).

Even though the castle ruins are now privately owned, a majority of the castle can be freely accessed.

Before you do so, please let the staff at the reception in Miroku-kaikan (みろく会館) know.

While there, you can also check with the staff to see where the Kameyama Castle’s exhibition is located. The location of this exhibition sometimes changes, but it should still be inside Miroku-kaikan.

You can refer to a map of the entire castle ruins HERE. There is a Japanese map in the article. If you plan to walk to Kameyama Castle Ruins, you will be entering from the bottom right where it says “正門”.

If you were given a Japanese map on the day, please refrain from entering the areas that are marked by “禁足地”. They aren’t open to the public.

• Tamba Kameyama Castle Ruins are open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
  • The last admission is at 3:30 pm.
• The admission fee is 300 yen for senior high school students and above.
• From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), it is around a 10-minute walk.

In 962, one of the more powerful officials of the Tamba Province requested a Kannon statue from the head monk of Anao-ji Temple. After spending three months, the statue was completed. The government official was pleased with the wonderful workmanship and gifted the monk his horse to express his appreciation.

This official later regretted giving his horse away and ordered his subject to kill the monk. Later, the official sent a messenger to check out how Anao-ji Temple was doing.

Having witnessed this scene, the official and his subject who fired the arrow at the monk deeply regretted what they had done and devoted themselves to Budhissim afterwards.

Sadly, the Kannon statue that the monk made more than 1,000 years ago was stolen in 1968. So nowadays, when we visit Anao-ji Temple, we will instead see a statue made by a famous craftsman in the Showa era (1926 – 1989).

At the back of the main worship hall, there is a wooden statue of a reclining Buddha made in the Kamakura period (1192 – 1333).

If any part of your body is unhealthy, you are welcome to turn over the futon and stroke the part of the Buddha. It is like a simple ritual of praying for your health.

To see the reclining Buddha, you will need to visit the Honbō Shoin (本坊書院), located just next to the main worship hall.

The admission fee to enter the main worship hall is 300 yen. But we would recommend you pay for your entry to Honbō Shoin (本坊書院) as well. Together, it will be just 500 yen. This is so you can see the gorgeous garden built in the Edo period. You should also be able to admire the traditional settings and paintings.

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• Anao-ji Temple is open from 8 am to 5 pm.
• From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Keihan Kyoto Kotsū’s (京阪京都交通) route 34 or 59 and get off at Anaoji-mae (穴太寺前).
  • Please refer to pages 62 (weekdays) and 63 (weekends and public holidays) HERE for the service’s timetable.
• You can also take route 60 and get off at Anaoguchi (穴太口).
  • Please refer to pages 68 to 69 (weekdays) and 70 (weekends and public holidays) HERE for the timetable.

In 2022, the garden was open from 9 am to 4 pm from October to the 3rd of November. On weekends and public holidays, you get to stay in the garden until 4:30 pm (^_-)-☆.

The garden’s opening period is announced on their website HERE. You can translate the webpage using Google Chrome’s translation function at the right of the address bar.

The admission fee is as below.

• Weekdays
  • Adults: 600 yen
  • Elementary and middle school students: 300 yen
• Weekends and public holidays
  • Adults: 800 yen
  • Elementary and middle school students: 400 yen

If you are coming to Kameoka during the cherry blossom season, the Nanatani River, with 1,500 cherry trees spread over 1 km along the banks, is definitely a place to visit!

The road, now called Yawaragi no Michi, originated with the establishment of the Nanatani Outdoor Activity Center (七谷川野外活動センター). At the time, 500 cherry trees were planted close to the center, which slowly expanded in scale to what we have today.

Photos taken along the cherry blossom tunnel will easily earn you numerous “likes” on social media!

The cherry blossom season here is usually from late March to early April. While the flowers bloom, the Cherry Blossom Festival, featuring a nighttime light-up, will also be going on.

The Sakura Park (さくら公園) next to the river also has around 280 cherry trees of 28 different species. This is another place where you may snap some really stunning photos (^_-)-☆.

From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Kameoka City’s Furusato Bus (亀岡市ふるさとバス) along route F11 – Kawahigashi Course (川東コース), and get off at Nanatanigawa (七谷川).

• Refer to HERE and click “ふるさとバス時刻表” for this service’s timetable. Please refer to the second timetable from the right.

• The services marked with ● won’t be operating on weekends and public holidays.
• The services marked with ▲ won’t be operating during school holidays.

Izumo-Daijingū Shrine, established more than 1,300 years ago, is one of the oldest shrines in the region. The gods enshrined here also have storied titles.

Ookuninushi no Mikoto (大国主命), is the head of all the gods in Japan’s Shintoism. He is currently the main god of Izumo Ooyashiro Shrine (出雲大社) in Neshima Prefecture (島根県). According to the local historical documents, Izumo-Daijingū Shrine, built in 709, is actually the origin of the great Izumo Ooyashiro Shrine!

So, if you want to establish fine relationships with those you care about, remember to head to the shrine’s office and get a Go-en Mamori charm (ご縁守).

Remove the red thread attached to the charm and tie the thread together with a five yen coin on the red rope in front of the Meotoiwa (夫婦岩). Remember to say your prayer as you do so (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.

Since time immemorial, Mt. Mikage (御蔭山), located at the back of the shrine, has been regarded as an object of worship. Nowadays, a couple of giant rocks close to the shrine are treated as the dwelling places of the gods.

As sacred as they are, visitors are usually prohibited from seeing these “Iwakura” (磐座) rocks. If you really want to pay your respect to them, please ask for permission from the shrine’s office first.

One of the most amazing festivals at Izumo-Daijingū is the Chinkasai, held on the 18th of April each year.

A long time ago, plagues were believed to spread as flowers scattered. So to appease the plagues, the shrine started performing a ritual when the cherry blossoms’ petals began to fall from the trees.

After the ritual in the worship hall, some gorgeous dancing is performed to pray for a good rainfall as the area used to suffer from drought.

From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Kameoka City’s Furusato Bus (亀岡市ふるさとバス) route F11 – Kawahigashi Course (川東コース), and get off at Izumo Jinja-mae (出雲神社前).

• Refer to HERE and click “ふるさとバス時刻表” for this service’s timetable. Please refer to the second timetable from the right.
• The services marked with ● won’t be operating on weekends and public holidays.
• The services marked with ▲ won’t be operating during school holidays.

If you are looking for autumn foliage in Kameoka, head to Kuwayama Shrine. It is a shrine with so many maple trees that you are guaranteed some stunning photo opportunities no matter where you are and from what angle!

This shrine is one of the few destinations in Kyoto that have the autumn color peak in early to mid-November.

Selfie sticks are not allowed when the shrine is packed.

Tips:
☛ Come on the weekdays. You most likely won’t be surrounded by crowds.
☛ Depending on your preference, you might want to come after 10 am for the fog to clear up.

• Kuwayama Shrine is open from 8 am to 5 pm.
• During autumn foliage season, the admission fee is 300 yen.
• If you are driving, it will cost 500 yen to park your car.
• From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Kameoka City’s Community Bus (亀岡市コミュニティバス)’s East Course (東コース), and get off at Kuwayama Jinja-mae (鍬山神社前).
  • Please refer to pages 81 (weekdays) and 82 (weekends and public holidays) HERE for the service’s timetable.

So, where is the best spot in Kameoka to see the amazing Sea of Clouds view that earned its nickname as the City of Fog (霧の都)?

That spot would be the Kameoka Fog Terrace, located south of Kameoka Station and situated close to the summit of Tatsugaoyama or Mt. Tatsugao (竜ヶ尾山).

When the weather condition is right, it will feel like the terrace is floating above the clouds when you are there!

As the sun rises higher, the temperature will too. This, in turn, causes the fog will start to disappear. So if you can, be there before at least 10 am!

If you accidentally overslept and are wondering if you should still head out, check out the live camera HERE to confirm (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.

But even without the clouds, the terrace that oversees Kameoka City will still give you a magnificent view of the area.

To get to Kameoka Fog Terrace by public transport from JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Keihan Kyoto Kotsū (京阪京都交通) along route 57 or 60 and get off at Nanjōkyoku-mae (南条局前).

• Please refer to pages 68 – 70 HERE for the service’s timetable.
• “平日” means weekdays.
• “土休日” means weekends and public holidays.

If you fancy yourself a bread connoisseur, give Fukukuru Woodfire Bakery a try!

This bakery isn’t too far away from the Kameoka Fog Terrace. It was opened in 2015 by a couple who were particular about the ingredients used in their breadmaking.

Each of their bread contains homemade natural yeast and is filled with fresh, locally sourced seasonal produce. Baked in their handmade wood-fired kiln, the bread at the bakery is crispy outside and has a moist texture inside (*´ω｀).

Their traditional shopfront also adds to the list of reasons you would want to visit them for. This type of shopfront was common up to the late 20th century but has become a lot more difficult to come across these days.

Although it isn’t currently open due to the pandemic, the flooring of their eat-in areas is covered by traditional tatami mats you could normally only find in Ryokans in the country!

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• Fukukuru is open from 11:30 am to 4 pm from Thursday to Saturday.
  • Before you go, please check their calendar HERE.
• From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Kameoka City’s Furusato Bus (亀岡市ふるさとバス) along route F21/F22 – Betsuin Loop Line (別院循環線), and get off at Green Hoki (法貴).
  • Refer to HERE and click “ふるさとバス時刻表” for this service’s timetable.
  • From the bus stop, it is just a one-minute walk away.

Another great place to admire the cherry blossoms during spring is Hiranosawa Park. The cherry blossom season here also spans from late March to early April. From late March to the end of the season, the park will be illuminated from 7 pm to 9 pm.

From July to August, one of the ponds in the park will be filled with lotus flowers. August, in particular, is when you might be able to spot the flowers of prickly water lily, a plant rarely found in Japan.

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From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Kameoka City’s Furusato Bus (亀岡市ふるさとバス) route F11 – Kawahigashi Course (川東コース), and get off at Ikejiri (池尻).

• Refer to HERE and click “ふるさとバス時刻表” for this service’s timetable. Please refer to the second timetable from the right.
• The services marked with ● won’t be operating on weekends and public holidays.
• The services marked with ▲ won’t be operating during the school holidays.

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Yu no Hana Onsen is a small hot spring village nestled in the mountains west of Kameoka. It is said that during the turbulent feudal era, many wounded samurais healed their injuries here.

Nowadays, citizens of Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyōgo Prefecture come here to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big cities and rejuvenate in the fresh air and beautiful nature.

Most of the onsen facilities in the village allow for daytime use. If you are after their private onsen pools, please check with the facility in advance, as most of the time, the private onsen pools are for guests staying overnight in the Ryokans only.

For more information, please refer to the official website HERE.

To get to Kokushō-ji Temple from JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Keihan Kyoto Kotsū’s (京阪京都交通) route 40 and get off at Hana no Yu Onsen(湯の花温泉).

Please refer to pages 73 (weekdays) and 74 (weekends and public holidays) of the pdf HERE for the service’s timetable.

Another place in Kameoka City that excites all the Akechi Mitsuhide fans is the Kokushō-ji Temple.

While Akechi was alive, Kokushō-ji is the temple where he worshiped. So just before he committed seppuku, he entrusted his vassals to bury his head in the temple. And so they did. With his head buried here, the temple is also called Mitsuhide Temple.

So when you visit Kokushō-ji, remember to pray for Akechi Mitsuhide in front of his tomb!

Because the family crest of the Akechi clan is a platycodon, in 2003, around 12,000 platycodon was planted in front of the temple. Kokushō-ji is therefore also known as the Platycodon Temple.

Nowadays, from late June to late July, a vast flower field of many different kinds of flowers (including 550 hydrangeas) will surround the temple. And the field is getting bigger each year!

• To get to Kokushō-ji Temple from JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Keihan Kyoto Kotsū’s (京阪京都交通) route 40 and get off at Inokura (猪倉).
  • It is then a 5-minute walk from the bus stop.
  • Please refer to HERE for the service’s timetable.
• Kikyō no Sato is open from the 24th of June to the 23rd of July from 9 am to 4 pm in 2023.
  • The last admission is at 3:30 pm.
• The admission fee is 600 yen for middle school students and above.

We all know that Japan has world-class illumination events. But usually, that means the event venues are crowded. So if you are looking for quieter spots, try to go out of the city center.

This event takes place from late November to Christmas day from 5 pm to 9 pm, with final admission at 8:30 pm.

The admission fee is 800 yen for middle school students and above. For elementary school students, it is 400 yen.

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There is a free car park next to the sword forge if you are driving.

• From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Kameoka City’s Furusato Bus (亀岡市ふるさとバス) along route F31, F32, F33, or F34 – Hatano Chiyokawa Course (畑野千代川線), and get off at Honme (本梅).
  • Refer to HERE and click “ふるさとバス時刻表” for this service’s timetable. Please refer to the timetable at the bottom middle.
  • From the bus stop, it is just a 5-minute walk.

The temple was established by the famous monk Saichō Daishi (最澄大師) in 790. The wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来), or the healing Buddha, was carved by Saichō himself.

However, the temple was burnt down in 1575 during the invasion by Akechi Mitsuhide’s forces. Fortunately, the statue of Yakushi Nyorai was saved by the temple’s followers as they hid the statue at the river close to the temple.

In the precinct of Jinzōji, among the 200 maple trees, the one that draws the most attention is the Japanese maple under the stone steps in front of the main hall. The 400-year-old tree has a height of 13 meters with wide branches.

Under the tree, simple benches are set up, perfect for admiring this maple tree. During the autumn foliage season, traditional dishes will be available to warm you up (*´ω｀).

• The temple is open from 9 am to 5 pm.
• The admission fee is 600 yen.
• Parking is free.
• From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Kameoka City’s Furusato Bus (亀岡市ふるさとバス)’s route F31, F32, F33, or F34 – Hatano Course (畑野コース), and get off at Green Heights-guchi (グリーンハイツ口).
  • Refer to HERE and click “ふるさとバス時刻表” for this service’s timetable. Please refer to the timetable at the bottom left.
  • From the bus stop, it is around a 10-minute hike.

Dreamton Village buried deep in Kameoka’s mountain is a place that you might want to drop by if, all of a sudden, you start missing the atmosphere of an English rural town during your time in Japan (´▽｀*).

The buildings in the entire village have a common theme. Everything here brings you back to how England used to look before the industrial revolution, from the menu in restaurants and cafes to shopfronts and even cottages for you to stay overnight.

Mobile reception won’t be able to reach Dreamton Village. So come here if you ever want some quiet time, disconnected from the rest of the world, to spend an afternoon here with their delicious scones and tea.

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• From JR Kameoka Station (亀岡駅), take Keihan Kyoto Kotsū’s (京阪京都交通) route 57 or 60 and get off at Kyoto Sentankagaku Daigaku Kyoto Kameoka Campus (京都先端科学大学 京都亀岡キャンパス). Please refer to pages 68 to 70 HERE for the service’s timetable.
  • “平日” means weekdays.
  • “土休日” means weekends and public holidays.

Just next to Kyotamba Town, there are some extraordinary rural landscapes in Nantan City (南丹市). Extend your trip to regional Kyoto and visit the village full of traditional thatched roof houses and some of the country’s most beautiful dams!

For more information, please refer to our article about Nantan City (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.