Miyama 美山
Rural Kansai
Miyama ("The beautiful mountain"), with its thatched roof houses, rural crafts and recipes. A lovely getaway close to Kyoto.
Surrounded by rice fields, Miyama is known for its old houses with thatched roofs, called minka. There are more than 200 in the region, but unlike those of Shirakawa-go or Hida-Takayama, in Miyama the cottages are not tourist attractions, but places where people live and work.
You will especially see them in the locality of Kayabuki no Sato ("the village with thatched roofs"), where it's also possible to visit an interesting folk museum, which has information both about the construction of surrounding houses (the museum is itself a minka) and rural life, as well as a museum of indigo dye. Another museum with almost the same name (the Miyama Kayabuki Gallery and Folk Museum) exhibits traditional instruments and tools.
Abundant nature
Visiting Miyama in summer is wonderful to enjoy its natural heritage of walks in the woods, walks and fishing in the Yura River... The Ashiu Forest is also great to visit, but you will need to apply for a permit (a ticket office at the entrance provides them) or register for a guided tour (at Shizen Bunkamura Kajikaso, an information center in the nearby village of Kajikaso).
