Kyoto is arguably one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations and is particularly popular for Japanese tourists, for its stunning scenery, ancient history and relative convenience for travel for any visitor in Japan. In my time in Japan, I have explored and seen much of Kyoto several times but I hadn’t previously explored north of the prefecture, up towards the coast of the Sea of Japan. After reading about some of the small townships in this area including Ine and Amanohashidate, I was particularly excited at the prospect of driving around the area. It should be noted that whilst Kyoto is very easy to reach by bullet train, going towards the further north of the city is indeed a rarity for international tourists as it is rather tricky to reach this area without a vehicle.

We visited Kyoto during the coronavirus crisis of 2020, and the city was indeed very quiet in comparison to normal and we felt that we could enjoy the more famous temples and sights without the hustle and bustle of tourists bumping in to us. It was a particularly pleasant way to start the trip and we visited our favourite temple, Kiyomizudera, before settling in for the night for our long drive north.

What is most interesting about our little trip, is the journey up towards our first stop, Amanohashidate, has very little along the way other than a few interesting places to eat a quick bite. I was rather surprised that the roads are nowhere near as comfortable or modern to drive in comparison to other cities in Japan. Of course the roads are still fantastic for the average European traveler, but these were noticeably less well looked after than other parts of the country.

The journey from Kyoto towards Amanohashidate takes at least two hours, and from there we spotted a stunning sandbar that sprawls out across the bay. There is a cable car from which you can visit the top of a small mountain and overlook a wonderful view down to the sea and spot the impressive sand bar. It’s worth noting that this stop can be achieved in less than an hour, as there’s plenty more to see elsewhere.

Our destination was to be Kinosaki Onsen, one of Japan’s most famous hot spring resorts, and this is still quite some way away from Amanohashidate, so time is short.

One of my most favourite things to do when driving in Japan, is to take the scenic coastal route and the view over the ocean here is beautiful, with several beautiful spots to stop along the way.

Kinosaki Onsen

Kinosaki Onsen, a beautiful hot spring resort surrounded by sea and the mountains, is a 1300 year old village with dozens of public baths that each has a certain superstitious meaning, for example, hot springs for successful business and safe pregnancy can be found on your travels here. One of the most charming things about Kinosaki is that it is not uncommon to see people roaming the streets from bath to bath wearing a yukata (a light cotton kimono that is very comfortable in hot weather) as they reach their next hot spring.

There are several affordable accommodation options here, which often include food, but if you are to venture out to the city at night you can also pick a great value dining option.

Hyogo

In my previous visits to Hyogo, I had only really been away of Himeji and Kobe, so my knowledge of the prefecture was rather limited to the south. I was particularly excited to view some cities in the centre of the prefecture including the stunning town Izushi, famous for its clock house. I planned to take in the famous Takeda Castle – surely an inspiration for several anime films – and this was all achievable on the route down to Kobe for where we were to spend our evening.

This is a highly recommended route to take as it gives ample opportunity from morning to evening to stop off, rest, see some interesting sights and still reach Kobe by evening to enjoy the world famous cuisine in a lively, modern city.

The journey south takes 3 and a half hours, so it’s certainly not a short drive but the roads are noticeably better than the other side towards the north in the Kyoto prefecture.

Izushi is a quaint little town to stop and have some soba noodles, explore the local castle and chat with friendly locals. The clocktower is particularly famous and the locals are very proud of it.