Because many families keep chickens in miyama, kashiwa no sukiyaki has been eaten at festivals, or any opportunity where people have congregated, since long ago. It is stewed with seasonal vegetables grown in Kyoto, like bamboo shoots and udo in spring, and matsutake mushrooms, kujo leeks and mizuna in autumn, as well as plenty of kashiwa chicken. Because most families in Kyoto keep chickens nowadays, it is a popular “hospitality” dish for welcoming guests.
Woodland Kyoto area is also famous for its autumn leaves and Kyoto vegetables. Among these, Fukuchiyama City is also famous for chestnut sweets. They are best eaten as autumn turns into winter. Chestnut sweets fills the shelves in the many Japanese and western sweet shops in the city. As well as Japanese sweets like chestnut yokan and baked chestnut kinton that fill the shelves of long-established Japanese confectionery shops, famous Parisian stores have opened stores in search of Kyoto’s chestnuts, making Kyoto a true treasure trove of chestnut sweets. Would some chestnut sweets go well with your autumn leaves stroll?
In recent years, “gibier cuisine” has continued to take hold in Japan. Gibier cuisine means eating meat from wild board, deer, and bird game. In Kyoto Prefecture, from long ago there was a custom of eating wild boar, and the botan nabe from the Miyami region, known as “Kabayuki no Sato,” is a famous winter tradition. Wild boar meat is characterized by its fattiness, being rich in collagen, and its beautiful appearance, all of which makes botan nabe a dish you will want to try.
The trolley car is a sightseeing train which runs the 7.3km from Trolley Saga Station to Kameoka Station in approximately 25 minutes. The course uses the old Sanin Line, passing through eight tunnels, allowing you to fully enjoy the majestic nature alongside the Hozu River valley. You can enjoy the changing scenery of the four seasons, and we in particular recommend the mountain cherry blossoms in the spring and the autumn leaves for nature sightseeing.
Said to have begun when the British royal family used it in Meiji 14 (1881,) you can enjoy the Hozu River cruise and have fun learning about the history and culture of those who lived alongside the river, while listening to the boat’s captain’s funny stories.
Miyama-cho is renowned for its surviving thatched-roof houses built between 220 (Edo period) and 150 (Meiji period) years ago. The town was selected as the ‘Best Tourism Village’ at the 24th UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) General Assembly. The peaceful rural landscape and thatched roofs match each other to create a soothing scene.
At Mt. Oe, where the legends of Shuten Doji remain, you can see beautiful seas of clouds as autumn turns into winter. At the foot of Mt. Oe, due to the big temperature difference between night and day Yura river basin, it is said that fog readily forms, and the fog that builds up between the mountains looks like a sea of clouds, and so it is called the “sea of clouds.” You can see the sea of clouds in early morning from November to December. Situated at the eighth station on Mt. Oe, Onitake Inari Shrine is a famous spot for viewing the spectacular sea of clouds.
The Ashiu wild forest is a gigantic wild forest covering 4,179.7 hectares by the source of the Yura River on the borders of Kyoto, Fukui, and Shiga Prefectures, known as “Miyama Kayabuki no Sato,” located in Miyamicho, Nantan Town, Kyoto Prefecture. The area is also called “Ashiu Forest,” has been designated as “Kyoto Tamba Plateau National Park,” and visitor numbers are restricted. This precious wild forest is one of the few places in the Kansai area where you can see beech tree wild forests and the original Japanese landscape.
Tsuyama city in northern Okayama has been a market for cows and horses, making the area deeply associated with beef consumption. Yomenakase, which is the name of the beef around the heart. This popular meat has a crunchy texture and is served as grilled, fried, or tempura. The second dish is Nikogori. In general, Nikogori is a fish dish but in Tsuyama, they use beef. It’s been a winter favorite of the locals. It’s made by simmering beef tendon and making it into a soup, then poured into cubes and served after it’s become firm like jelly. It is packed with collagen and it goes well with Sake.
Okayama prefecture is in the south east Chugoku region. Tsuyama, a city located in the north part of Okayama has been a transportation hub for centuries and known for its livestock trade in cattle and horses. The documents show that livestock markets were often held by merchants by the end of 705 in the Asuka period. Although the Japanese had enjoyed consuming beef for the most part, the arrival of Buddhism in Japan changed their beliefs and diet, which also led them to avoid consuming beef for various reasons. Despite the changes, the locals in the Tsyuyama area continued with the custom of having beef for medicinal purposes. It was something the livestock brokers had started but eventually became quite the norm in the area. All these things are part of the reasons why beef is still quite popular and a key part of their food culture today. Also, Tsuyama has always had many Wagyu breeders that raised and sold baby cows However, these baby cows were sold and supplied outside Tsuyama, that would eventually breed helped pave the way for other Wagyu brands in Japan. However, a growing number of baby cows ended up being supplied outside the Tsuyama areas prompted a move among the locals to create their own brand of Wagyu beef.
