One of Japan's top three scenic spots! It takes only a second to fall in love with a small town called “Venice” in Kyoto!

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🤗 Day1: The bridge that fell to earth

Amanohashidate, known as one of Japan's Three Scenic Spots along with Matsushima and Miyajima, is a 3.6-kilometer-long stretch of naturally occurring sandbar. There is a beautiful legend about this sandbar. It is said that it was once a bridge between heaven and earth for the Japanese gods, but it fell to earth, so Japanese people visit Amanohashidate in a very special way, looking back from their hips! In this way, this sandbar is like a bridge suspended in the sky!

On both sides of the narrow Amanohashidate sandbar are the “Wenzhu” and “Fuchu” districts, each with an observatory, so you can see Amanohashidate in a different light from both ends. In this superb itinerary, in addition to strolling around the observatories at both ends, it also includes biking on the ground and taking a boat ride on the sea, which is a truly all-encompassing Amanohashidate itinerary!

📍Ji En Temple

Drawing Fan Poetry Signs Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

After arriving at Amanohashidate Station, you will arrive at a vast temple called Jionji Temple, dedicated to Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, which is one of the three major Manjushri in Japan, along with Kameoka Manjushri in Yamagata Prefecture and Abe Manjushri in Nara Prefecture, and is a place where many examinees come to pray for good luck in their exams!

The poems are made in the shape of a fan, and many of the “lucky sticks” are tied to pine trees because the Japanese word for pine tree is “matsu,” which is the same as the Japanese word for “wait,” which means to wait for good luck to come!

📍Bicycle Riding

Easy Tour of Flyover Tachi-Sha Chau Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Purchase a “Bicycle + Sightseeing Boat Ticket” at the Sightseeing Boat Ride Desk, receive your bicycle, and start cycling across this romantic 3.6-kilometer-long trail with 8,000 pine trees! This trail has been selected as one of Japan's top 100 trails and is filled with pine trees!

In the distance, there is Amanohashidate Beach and Miyazu Bay, where you can park your car at any time, so how can you not be mesmerized? Take a photo at the “Three Views of Japan” monument. Have you been to all three? If you are tired of riding, you can take a break at the teahouse on the sandbar and enjoy some soy sauce dumplings!

📍Moto Iseko Shrine

Soba (red rice soba) tasting Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

After biking through Amanohashidate, you can return your bike at the local tourist boat ticket counter and walk along the way to the old Moto-Iseko Shrine, which is dedicated to Toyotsuki-Omikami and Amaterasu-Omikami, the gods of food and weaving!

There are many restaurants and souvenir stores on the way from the Cage Shrine to the Kasumatsu Park cable car station, so why not stop at Tsuruya Eatery, which is also a favorite of locals, and try some of the famous soba noodles made with red rice! It is said that the soba is made from red rice that is enshrined to the gods, and the thin red color of the noodles and the texture of the soba is so delicious that you can't help but eat it all in one bite!

📍Kasumatsu Park

“Amanohashidate” by cable car Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

After lunch, go to the Kasumatsu Park bus stop, you can choose between a chairlift or a cable car, and in less than five minutes, you will arrive at Kasumatsu Park, which is 120 meters high, and when you look back and see the Amanohashidate sandbar, which is slanted in the middle of the sea, the only word that comes to your mind is “stunning view”!

We also recommend a visit to Amanohashidate in winter, as it looks like it's covered in a blanket of silver and white, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime sight to see!

🚌 Taking a bus to Igan

Getting off the Kasumatsu Park Ropeway and taking a bus to Igan from the Amanohashidate Moto-Ise Shrine stop next to Moto-Ise Cage Shrine takes about 30 minutes, which is about half an hour and half the cost of taking a bus from Amanohashidate to Igan, and it is a great way to fully experience the beauty of Amanohashidate.

Bus schedules can be obtained in advance at the Amanohashidate Visitor Center. It is recommended that you take the bus that departs around 15:00 to 16:00, and after arriving in Igan, you can still enjoy the town's best twilight, before enjoying a seafood dinner at the Boat House B&B where you are staying!

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🚌 Suggested Schedule ⏰ Amanohashi Tachimoto Ise Shrine “Departure”: 15:19｜ 16:19 ｜16:49

⏰ Arrival from Ise Shrine: 15:49 | 16:49 ｜17:19

🤗 Day2: Japan's Most Beautiful Fishing Harbor Town

Upon arrival in Igan, you can easily explore the beautiful scenery of the Igan Bay Boathouse Cluster using the free bicycles available in town! In the quiet and simple fishing port town, the triangular-roofed boathouses standing side by side and the gently fluctuating sea water make a stunning picture, and the most beautiful picture is taken at sunset!

What is a “boathouse”? The boathouse in the coastal town of Igan has a history of 1,700 years. The boathouse is a former fisherman's home, with a boathouse on the first floor for storing ships and a living room on the second floor. After returning from fishing, the boats could be brought in directly and used as drying grounds for dried fish. There are still about 230 boat houses that have been preserved, making them a rare sight that is unique in the world.

📍Boat House Accommodation

“Like a dream” Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Many of the only remaining boathouses in Igan have been converted into B&Bs. Since many restaurants in town close early and there are not many stores, it is recommended that you choose a boathouse that offers “one berth, two meals,” that is, a lodging with dinner and breakfast, to savor the fresh catch of the day! Since many of the lodgings do not offer online reservations and can only be booked by phone, we recommend that you ask the Igan Tourism Association for assistance in booking a room on your behalf!

📍With Xiezhuang

“Matsuba crab dinner in front of a beautiful view of the Boat House”. Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We recommend staying at Igan Boat House's “Yoseisho”, a traditional Japanese-style room with a balcony looking out over a beautiful cluster of boat houses. The warehouse where the boats were moored has been converted into a dining room, so you can enjoy a meal with a view close to the sea level, and enjoy a rich meal of matsuba crabs and fresh fish in front of the boat house!

In the morning, Igan's boathouse complex is still so beautiful and charming that it's not a dream! After a hearty seafood breakfast, you can take a walk around the nearby boathouses to take photos. Some of the boathouses can be visited freely, while others require reservations, and you can also take a marine taxi or a sightseeing boat to view the boathouses from the sea!

📍Mukai Sake-zukuri

Buy a bottle of Iganmankai Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Established more than 200 years ago, this female brewery is one of the most delicious and fruity sake brewed here, Igan Mankai. Made from red rice, it has a special light pink color, and is also known as “Ancient Rose Sake”, which is fresh and fragrant, and its name is a reminder of this beautiful town!

🚌 Farewell to Igan After that, you can take a bus from Igan back to the Fuchu area of Amanohashidate according to the bus schedule, and take a single-trip sightseeing boat to see the other side of Amanohashidate from the sea. You can buy snacks at the pier beforehand and feed the seagulls on the boat!

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🚌 Suggested Schedule Departure from Iegan: 10:30｜11:12｜12:45

⏰ Arriving at Amabashi Tachimoto Ise Shrine: 11:01 | 11:43 | 13:16

📍Flying Dragon Watch

Admire the Dragon of the Sea Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

After disembarking from the sightseeing boat, we went back to the “Bunju” area of Amanohashidate, and continued to “Amanohashidate View Land” to enjoy a 360-degree view of this beautiful sandbar, which is curved in a way that makes it look like a dragon sleeping in the sea compared to Kasumatsu Park across the street from Bunju Mountain! This is why it is called “Flying Dragon View”.

The restaurant is famous for its seafood, and we recommend that you try the “Fried Clam Donburi”, where crispy clams are freshly fried and topped with a tangy sauce, making them very flavorful!

📍Hot spring of Wisdom

A hot spring famous for its skin-beautifying effects. Recommended: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Before saying goodbye to Amanohashidate Onsen, which is famous for its skin-beautifying effects, take a dip in the bath at Jie-no-yu, located next to the station! At Amanohashidate, you can see many round stone lanterns called “Wheel of Wisdom” and it is said that if you go around it three times, you will gain wisdom! You can see it next to the station, next to the sightseeing boat at Amanohashidate, and there is also a water outlet of the wheel of wisdom in the bathhouse!

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🚌 Transportation From Kyoto Station, you can take a convenient bus to Amanohashidate, which runs five times a day, eliminating the need to change buses. Buses are booked on a reservation system, so be sure to go online and make a reservation in advance!

🚶 Suggested Schedule Departure from Kyoto Station 07:20→Arrival at Amanohashidate 09:25 Depart from Amanohashidate 18:00→Arrive at Kyoto Station 20:10