Wanderlust UK – September 2019

(Axel Boer) #1
wanderlust.co.uk September 2019 127

in the town of Amanohashidate.
The name, meaning ‘bridge
to heaven’, comes from the
3km sandbar that juts across
the bay. I rode a cable car
up the mountain to get
a better look, the bay
sparkling like a thousand
shards of glass. At the top,
I copied everyone else and
put my head between my
legs: upside-down, the bridge
is meant to look like a fl ying
dragon. I’m not sure I could
see the dragon, but I did spot
a red dragonfl y.

Abouttwohoursnorthofthecity
ofKyotoliestheself-branded
regionof‘KyotobytheSea’,
wheregreencliffsdropsharply
intotheocean.Thisiswhere
you'llfindtheunusual
phenomenonof‘singingsand’.
AsIwalkedacrossthebeach
ofKotohikihama,thesand
squeakedandchirpedloudly
beneathmyfeet–aresult

NORTHERN


KYOTO
TO THE OCEAN


of higher levels of quartz
content in the grains.
‘Kyoto by the Sea’ also hides
another secret: the idyllic fi shing
village of Ine. Set against the
turquoise waters of the Sea of
Japan, there are 230 two-storey
wooden boathouses, some
dating back to the 1800s – the
only place in Japan where such
buildings exist. I hopped into
a boat to circle the bay, waving
at fi shermen who sheepishly
returned my gesture.
Another 20 minutes along
the coast and I found myself

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE


DID YOU
KNOW?
The view of
Amanohashidate’s sandbar,
covered in 5,700 pine trees,
is considered one of
the ‘top three scenic
views’ of Japan.
Free download pdf