Arashiyama is a famous tourist destination in Kyoto. However, the place name “Ranzan”, which is pronounced in original Chinese reading but written the same character, is said to have originated from a famous scholar who tweeted that it was Musashi-Arashiyama. I haven’t walked all the way to Ranzan Valley, so I don’t know what it feels like, but there are lavender fields just before the valley.
It is common for high stands to be set up on the field to create a photo spot for Instagram photos (often seen in sunflower fields), but the real cultivated land is surprisingly small. If you are in the Provence region of France, the field will fill your field of vision, but since the petals of lavender are small, it is difficult to take pictures that fill the screen with lavender. The shoot ends early, and the lavender stick making process, which takes place in a tent that blocks the sun, takes just 30 minutes, making it a reasonable time option in the hot early summer weather.
Ogawa Town is a member of the National Kyoto Conference, so it calls itself Little Kyoto. The history of handmadeJapanese paper, Washi continues, and the brand Hosokawa paper is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Many historic buildings remain, and the town is just the right size to get around by renting a bicycle in front of the station.
If you go a little further by bicycle, there is a sake brewery which brews delicious sakes, Mikado-matsu, and you can also tour it’s inside. Knowing that the label on this sake bottle is made from Washi paper from Ogawa Town is proof that you are well versed in the culture of this town. Enjoy the rice malt dishes and desserts made with Daiginjo at the attached restaurant.
Goal to Chichibu (Usual inn and soba restaurant)
