December 4, 2017
by Ayaka Murai, Hikari Yanai, Daichi Hatakuyama
I have one recommendation in Kyoto. It is an amazing place. If you spend your holiday in Kyoto with your family, friends, or love ones, I recommend going there. The place called Hozukyo Gorge. In Kyoto, people called it Hozukyo. I expect that everyone think, “Really?” But Hozukyo has many appealing points, one which will not make you bored. I would like to tell all about.
Hozukyo is a famous gorge leading Kameoka city to Togetsukyo placed in Arashiyama Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City. It is filled with nature. Hozu-gawa River running through Hozukyo is also famous.
There is a hiking trail of Hozukyo, and you can see beautiful nature throughout the year. So it is a tourist spot where a lot of people visit. In the spring, it is blooming with cherry blossoms, so a lot of tourists and local people go there for picnics. In the summer, a lot of people enjoy Hozugawakudari. It means going down Hozu-river by a small boat. You will be surrounded by great nature and you can feel the nature directly on the boat. In addition, rafting has become popular recently. During Hozugawakudari a boatman rows the boat, but rafting lets you control the boat yourself. It is very thrilling and getting popular. In the autumn, all kinds of trees take on color. So you can enjoy seeing colorful scenery. In the winter, the nature is blanketed in snow. It is remarkably attractive viewing. So, you will press your camera’s shutter release button in spite of yourself. Thus Hozukyo is a great spot with many attractive points.
JR Hozukyo station and train Hozukyo station are the nearest station from Hozukyo. You can arrive at JR Hozukyo station, which is very famous for cherry blossom in spring. You can set to train Hozukyo station about 10 minutes from tram Saga station. This train is also one of the sightseeing features. The interior has motif of Japanese style. The train’s seat is made of wood seat for a natural feeling. Autumn is the best season on the outskirts of the tram Hozukyo station. Many tourists visit to see the autumn colors. The train is overcrowded in the autumn, because it is very popular. However, if you are lucky, you can ride it. If you can’t ride it, you can walk westward along the railroad. It’s also nice and you can see beautiful autumn colors.
Hozukyo is often used in movies, and filming is shoot on location. Hozu-gawa is flowing under the Hozukyo. A lot of people often barbecue, hike on the banks of the Hozu-gawa and so on. People come to here for these reasons. Therefore, you can feel nature in Hozukyo. In addition you can arrive at Arashiyama, which is a tourist spot near the Hozukyo only minutes from JR Kyoto. Please go to Arashiyama after you go to the Hozukyo. If you want to feel Kyoto in four seasons and spend your holiday in Kyoto with your family, friends and loved ones, please go to Hozukyo.