Kyoto's village culture

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Kigusuriya Itinerary

One night is never enough to soak in the full ambience of Kigusuriya and its beautiful mountain setting. Its a fair journey from Kyoto city to the mountains of Miyama and we feel its a shame when people only stay one night as they often comment that they regret not having booked two, so please take the time to rest your body and spirit with us.
The mountain scenery is far from the busy cityscapes, but its not just a wide open expanse of nature either. People inhabit these valleys and mountains and live in harmony with nature, whilst making a living from the land. Its a delicate balance of mountains, rivers, rice fields and farm houses. We invite you to come and enjoy the original scenery of Japan.

 

Kigusuriya Two day retreat

As you can see from this arial picture (taken in autumn) our Ryokan has a 140 year old thatched farmhouse and is surrounded by mountains, rice fields, vegetable fields with a river nearby. We recommend taking walks in this expansive nature, you might be able to see some footprints of the local wildlife such as monkeys, deer, wild boar and asian black bears (they are shy and vary rarely seen). Our guests enjoy feeling the rich history of our Ryokan, 2019 will mark our 100th year as a place of lodging on the mackerel route which runs from the Japan sea down to Kyoto city.

Enjoy the changing of the seasons

  • Spring

    The local shrine and temple provide wonderful spots to enjoy the cherry blossom in the spring. Houmeiji temple is a nice bicycle ride from Kigusuriya and it's perfect to view mountain cherry blossom or Yamazakura. You won't see any other tourists there so you can enjoy the flowers and the view in an authentic and serene atmosphere.

  • Summer

    The Japanese summer is hot and the small stream just a minutes walk from Kigusuriya is a great place to play in the river and cool off. Make sure you bring your bathing costumes especially for kids so they can chase after the little fish and splash around in the shallow stream.

  • Winter

    The winter scene around our Ryokan is very beautiful and there is plenty of fun to be had building snowmen or sledging down a gentle hill.
    In all four seasons short walks around the local neighborhood are a great way to explore and discover the beauty of this charming area.

Day 01

PM
We recommend you get to Miyama early in the day. Japan rail sagano line from Kyoto to Sonobe is a lovely journey and we can pick you up with our free shuttle service at 12:30 and they will take you to Miyama's thatched village (Kayabuki no Sato) the most famous sight seeing spot in the Miyama region (13:50 arrival). We can arrange a time in the evening to pick you up and bring you to Kigusuriya with our shuttle. We recommend Chicken Sukiyaki for dinner.

Day 02

AM
After enjoying a full Japanese style breakfast, take a walk or a bicycle ride to explore the area around our Ryokan. We can point out some beauty spots for you to visit like Hora waterfall. As you walk or ride you can take in the season and the abundant nature.
We have free bicycles you can use and you can buy a lunch Bento box at the local shop Tanasen.
PM
Then in the afternoon, get in touch with the Japanese culture and take a Matcha green tea experience (details on our activity page). For your evening meal we recommend the Kaiseki course dinner brimming with locally sourced fresh foods.

Day 03

AM
The next morning you can take the free 10am shuttle back to Sonobe station (arriving at 11:20am).