Photo Tour to Rural Japan: Northern Kyoto 5 days

DATES

5 days through the Year 2023

*except for Day 1 on Sunday and Monday, February,  from April 29 to May 8, June, and August

TOUR’S HIGHLIGHTS

• Miyama, rural village in Kyoto with Japanese traditional thatched roof houses
• Stay in our 110-year-old renovated thatched roof house, CASA MIYAMA, in Miyama
• Ine, picturesque old fisherman village, with fisherman houses on the seashore
• Stay in a restored fisherman house on the seashore
• Amanohashidate, one of the three most scenic views in Japan, on the coast of Kyoto
• Stay in a luxurious ryokan by the shore in Amanohashidate

ITINERARY

Day 1 // Miyama

If you were a group of more than 3 persons, we will pick you up at JR Kyoto Station at 13:30pm. Otherwise, we will pick you up at JR Sonobe Station (35 minutes from Kyoto Station by train) at 14:00pm. We drive you to our 110-year-old renovated thatched roof house, CASA MIYAMA. Miyama is mountain village located 6o km north of Kyoto city. After check-in CASA MIYAMA, you will relax and enjoy the traditional Japanese house with a photo gallery on the thatched roof attic. At night you will have a special local dish with us at CASA MIYAMA.

Day 2 // Miyama

We will visit and photograph a picturesque village of Miyama. There are about 30 thatched roof houses in this village. Unlike the famous touristic village of Shirakawago in the Japanese alps, people in Miyama live and work in these houses and there are only a few of them turned into cafes inside the village. After lunch in the village, we will visit another place in Miyama depending on season and  your interests. When you are fine, we will go back to our house, CASA MIYAMA. We will have a dinner at a local restaurant.

Thatched roof houses in Miyama, Kyoto. ©Akashi Photos

Village of thatched roof houses in Miyama. ©Akashi Photos

Rice field in front of the village of thatched roof houses in Miyama. ©Akashi Photos

Day 3 // Ine

After breakfast we will leave to Ine, a picturesque small fisherman village in the northern coast of Kyoto Prefecture. Ine is considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in Japan. The fisherman houses dot on the seashore. Their houses are called funaya, literally meaning “boat house”.  The sea-level ground floor of funaya is a dock for their fishing boats and they live on the second floor. We will take a walk in this old charming village to photograph around.  After lunch with the view of Ine Bay from a hill, we will take a cruising boat to photograph the fisherman house from the sea. Today, we will rent a whole fisherman house, funaya, that is renovated as a hotel. The whole house is just only for your group. We will have a dinner at a local seafood restaurant in front of the Ine Bay.

Funaya, fisherman houses in Ine, Kyoto. ©Akashi Photos

Fisherman village of Ine, Kyoto. ©Akashi Photos

Fisherman village of Ine. ©Akashi Photos

Tuna at fishing port of Ine, Kyoto. ©Akashi Photos

Day 4 // Amanohashidate

The third day, we will wake up early to photograph fish market of Ine. After fish market, we will have a breakfast in a restaurant and head to Amanohashidate, one of the three most scenic views in Japan along with Miyajima and Matsushima. Amanohashidate, literally means “bridge that stands to the heaven”,  is three kilometer long sandbar with the width of as little as 20 meters that connects a bay from one side to another. The narrow path is lined with nearly 8,000 pine trees, making the place one of the best pine trees spots in Japan. In summer, people swim in the beaches along the sandbar.

We will walk through or the sandbar, photographing the beautiful green pine trees and deep blue sea water. We will also go up the hills to photograph Amanohashidate from above to capture the shape that Japanese people depict as a dragon flying to the sky. This view was painted by a famous Japanese Ukiyoe painter, Hiroshige, in the beginning of the 19th century in Edo Period.

For the last night of the tour, we will sleep in a high-class traditional Japanese style inn, ryokan, along the picturesque canal of Amanohashidate. If you prefer we can upgrade the last night’s hotel to another villa style hotel with private swimming pool and hot spring bath including creative modern Japanese kaiseki dinner.

Morning fish market at Ine Port. ©Akashi Photos

Amano Hashidate ©Akashi Photos

Sandbar of Amanohashidate, Kyoto. ©Akashi Photos

A pine tree in Amanohashidate, Kyoto. ©Akashi Photos

Day 5 // Amanohashidate – Kyoto

We will leave Amanohashidate after breakfast, heading to Kyoto city. Before noon, we will drop you off at JR Sonobe Station or Kyoto Station (if you were more than 3 persons) and the tour ends here.

NORTHERN KYOTO

Undoubtedly, one of the best cities to visit in Japan is Kyoto. Kyoto, the historical  and traditional town, is a must for tourists. But unfortunately most of the tourists visit only the city of Kyoto and don’t explore outside of Kyoto city. Kyoto Prefecture is full of places to visit. But especially, the Northern Kyoto full of mountains and ocean is amazing and authentic rural Japan. 

Toru Morimoto and Tina Bagué, both professional photographers, have organized this photographic journey live in Northern Kyoto. They are real locals there. They also run a holiday house to rent in the deep mountain of Kyoto. You will enjoy their holiday house on the first day. 

This “PHOTO TOUR TO NORTHERN KYOTO” is a very unique photogenic journey, designed not only for amateur or advanced photographers but also for anyone who wants to live a unique and unforgettable experience in some of the most beautiful places in Japan.

PRIVATE TOUR

This is a PRIVATE TOUR which means this is a tour for a couple, family, group of friends. Participants do not travel with other people who they don’t know each other.

ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS

During our photo tour in Northern Kyoto (4 nights), we will stay in very special hotels. The first and second day: Casa Miyama, our renovated traditional Japanese 110-year-old thatched roof house in Miyama. The whole house is just for your group. The third day: a renovated Funaya, fisherman house, on the seashore in Ine. The whole house is just for your group. The forth day:  high class Japanese style hotel on the sea shore. On this tour, breakfasts, lunches and dinners are all included. Last night of hotel and meals can be up graded if you wish.

PRICE

The tour price will depend on the number of participants and date. The price below is approximate, and the final price will be calculated each time once a private group is formed and before reservation. If you upgrade the hotel and meals of last night, you have to add extra fees of about 450,000 yen per person to the price below.

• Price for 8 persons: ￥220,000 (approx. €1,400€ or $1,500) per person
• Price for 7 persons: ￥220,000 (approx. €1,400€ or $1,500) per person
• Price for 6 persons: ￥220,000 (approx. €1,400€ or $1,500) per person
• Price for 5 persons: ￥240,000 (approx. €1,500€ or $1,650) per person
• Price for 4 persons: ￥270,000 (approx. €1,700€ or $1,850) per person
• Price for 3 persons: ￥280,000 (approx. €1,800€ or $1,900) per person
• Price for 2 persons: ￥380,000 (approx. €2,400€ or $2,600) per person

RESERVATION

• To make the reservation, it is necessary to make a payment of the deposit of ￥100,000. Payment must be made by bank transfer or credit card.
• Payment of the total cost of the trip must be made 60 days before the starting date of the tour.
• All transaction fees that occur for reservation are paid by the payer of the reservation.

*The tour price is fixed in Japanese yen(￥). When you make a payment, depending on the exchange rate with your currency, tour price in your currency will change.

The MIN. and MAX. NUMBER of PARTICIPANTS

For the trip to take place there must be a minimum of 2 participants and a maximum of 8.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is mandatory to have comprehensive insurance cover for cancellation, medical expenses, personal accident, emergency evacuation, repatriation of remains, dismemberment, and accidental death. You have to give us a copy of travel insurance before the trip.

CANCELLATION

If the cancellation is made more than 61 days before the start of the tour, deposit will be refunded in full. Deposit will not be refunded if the cancellation is made within 60 days before the start of the tour. For more details of cancellation and conditions of refund of the balance due after 60 days, please read our terms & conditions.

MORE QUESTIONS

For any doubts and questions about this photo tour to Japan, please send us an email to: info@akashitravel.com