Kyoto to the sea
A day trip today, two hours north of Kyoto by train to Amanohashidate on the Sea of Japan coast. A cab to Kyoto Station at dawn (¥1,500), Kyoto Tower, and bento for the train.
Out the window it went white again. There was still snow up here.
From the station it’s a short walk to the bottom of View Land.
The single chairlift
You can go up by monorail or by chairlift. We took the chairlift: single open seats, up a snowy slope. ¥1,700 for the two of us, return.
The view
And at the top: the sandbar, a thin line of pine trees stretched right across the bay. It’s one of Japan’s Three Views, along with Matsushima and Miyajima.
The thing to do here is the matanozoki: turn your back to the view, bend over and look at it upside down between your legs. The sandbar is supposed to look like a dragon flying up to the sky.
Someone had built a snowman.
Around View Land
It’s a small, slightly old-school amusement park up here, with a Ferris wheel and a big sign for the photos.
The cycle car is a pedal-powered car on a rail running around the hilltop. ¥500.
Rilakkuma got a turn on the swing.
There’s also a raised walkway looping out over the slope for one more look.
Onward across the bay by boat!
Information About Amanohashidate View Land
A small hilltop park on the south side of the bay, reached by chairlift or monorail from near Amanohashidate Station. From the top you see the 3.6 km pine sandbar of Amanohashidate stretched across the bay.
PS: Do the matanozoki: turn around, bend over and look at the view between your legs. The sandbar is supposed to look like a dragon flying into the sky.