Located in the west of Kyoto Prefecture, Kayabuki no Sato is one of Japan's two most famous ancient villages, along with Shirakawa-go of Gifu Prefecture.
Unlike Shirakawa-go, Kayabuki no Sato is extremely easy to go. You can travel by train and bus easily. Please follow the instructions below.
From Kyoto Station, you go to platform number 32, get on the arriving train Sonobe station.
(Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CcKhFx6CELLfBrtm8)
Then comes Hiyoshi station from Sonobe station.
(Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1CeioMgs1BunNiEv7)
Then you walk to the station door and wait for the bus Miyama Sonobe (美山園部線) and go to the ancient village, with a fee of only 600 yen.
The bus ride takes about 1 hour, with nearly 40 stops, and the route is quite circuitous, so those who are prone to motion sickness should pay attention to this. Additionally, in the period from September 16 to December 1, there is a Keihan bus that goes from Sonobe station to the ancient village with only 2 stops, but the fee is also higher than regular buses (about 1500 yen).
I came from Osaka, so this trip took nearly 3 hours, arriving at noon, so I decided to eat here first and then go take photos and explore the ancient village.
In the ancient village there are also a few delicious restaurants, all the staff are older aunts and uncles, local people here. The restaurant is famous for soba noodles, udon, and all kinds of rice. The price is also quite reasonable (600-1000yen)
After eating, the motion sickness stops 😀 Let's explore the ancient village with us!
This is the entrance to the ancient village of Kayabuki no Sato, a very famous photography corner, often appearing on advertising posters.
Photography corners are everywhere 😀
Most of the houses here are normal houses of people. So visiting is almost impossible. However, we can explore the inside of the house in detail at the Miyama Folk Museum in the village area.
Miyama Museum Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/d1h6hNReDqXUqWMH9
The ticket to visit the museum is 300 yen, and comes with a paper introducing each area of a house in the ancient village.
First is the living room:
Room:
Bathroom:
Room for storing farming tools of ancient people:
And this is the cow barn 😀
2nd floor of the house:
Because the houses here are mostly made of wood and thatched roofs, which are easy to catch fire, the government has built fire-proof sprinklers around the village. This water spray display takes place twice a year in May and December, and it is even called the water spray festival, attracting many people to watch on this occasion.
After visiting the museum, I decided to visit a nearby cafe, very famous for its egg Caramel dish.
The shop also has very chill garden seating.
Continue to explore and take photos in the village.
And here is my favorite photo:
Met a "friend" who also went to see flowers here 😀
Colorful flower gardens in front of houses:
Here, it seems like every time you pick up your camera to take a photo, you'll get beautiful photos ~~
The best time to visit Kayabuki no Sato is November, December and January every year.
November and early December are the season of yellow and red leaves.
And late December and early January is snowfall season.
And finally, I returned to the bus stop and went home. Thank you for reading to the end of the article :D.
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