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Kyoto · City

Miyazu

宮津市みやづしMiyazu-shi

The city of the bridge to heaven

Miyazu is a small port city on the Sea of Japan coast of Kyoto Prefecture, home to Amanohashidate – a 3.6-kilometre pine-covered sandbar that is one of Japan's Three Views – and the gateway to the Tango Peninsula.

Overview

Miyazu lies at the head of Miyazu Bay, an inlet of Wakasa Bay, where the sandbar of Amanohashidate – "bridge to heaven" – almost closes off the lagoon of Aso-kai. Around 8,000 pine trees grow along the sandbar, which can be walked or cycled end to end. Seen upside down between one's legs from the hills at either end (matanozoki), it seems to float in the sky; the view from Kasamatsu Park in the north is called the "ascending dragon", that from Amanohashidate View Land in the south the "flying dragon".

Beyond the scenery, Miyazu was the castle town of the Tango domain and a busy port for the coastal trade of the kitamaebune ships. Kono Shrine, the ichinomiya (first shrine) of Tango province, and the hilltop temple Nariai-ji stand at the northern end of the sandbar. Miyazu is also the point of departure for Ine and the rest of the Tango Peninsula.

Landmarks

  • Amanohashidate

    天橋立Amanohashidate

    Pine-covered sandbar about 3.6 kilometres long, one of the Three Views of Japan, with the fresh-water spring Isoshimizu along its length.

  • Kono Shrine

    籠神社Kono Jinja

    First shrine of Tango province, linked by tradition to the origins of Ise's Outer Shrine (Moto-Ise); its genealogy scrolls are a National Treasure.

  • Nariai-ji

    成相寺Nariai-ji

    Mountain temple, number 28 of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage, with a panoramic view of the sandbar.

  • Chion-ji

    智恩寺Chion-ji

    Temple of Monju, bodhisattva of wisdom, at the southern end of the sandbar, one of Japan's three great Monju temples.

  • Kasamatsu Park

    傘松公園Kasamatsu Kōen

    Viewpoint on the northern hill reached by cable car or chairlift, the classic spot for matanozoki.

  • Amanohashidate View Land

    天橋立ビューランドAmanohashidate Byūrando

    Viewing park on the southern hill with a monorail and chairlift.

  • Miyazu Catholic Church

    カトリック宮津教会Katorikku Miyazu Kyōkai

    Meiji-era church of 1896 with a tatami-floored nave, among the oldest churches still in use in Japan.

Districts

  • Monju

    文殊Monju

    Southern end of the sandbar with Chion-ji, the station and inns.

  • Fuchū

    府中Fuchū

    Northern shore with Kono Shrine and the old provincial capital site.

  • Old castle town

    宮津城下町Miyazu jōkamachi

    Centre of Miyazu with merchant houses such as the Mikami family residence and the former pleasure quarter of Shinhama.

History

The area was part of ancient Tango, where the provincial capital and Kono Shrine were located on the Fuchū side of the bay. Amanohashidate appears in the Tango Fudoki (8th century) as a ladder by which the god Izanagi descended from heaven, and the Muromachi painter Sesshū painted it around 1500. The Hosokawa, then the Kyōgoku and other daimyo ruled from Miyazu Castle; the port prospered in the Edo period and gave rise to a well-known pleasure quarter. Miyazu became a city in 1954.

  1. 8th century

    The Tango Fudoki records the legend of Amanohashidate as a heavenly ladder.

  2. c. 1501–1506

    Sesshū paints Amanohashidate-zu, now a National Treasure.

  3. 1580

    Hosokawa Fujitaka becomes lord of Tango and builds Miyazu Castle.

  4. 1643

    Hayashi Gahō names Amanohashidate among the Three Views of Japan.

  5. 1952

    Amanohashidate is designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty.

  6. 1954

    Miyazu becomes a city.

Culture

Miyazu's cultural image is shaped by Amanohashidate, a subject of poetry since the Heian period – Koshikibu no Naishi's famous waka mentions it – and of painting from Sesshū onward. The town preserves the song Miyazu-bushi, which recalls its bustling Edo-period port and pleasure quarter.

Festivals

  • Miyazu Tōrō-nagashi

    宮津燈籠流し花火大会Miyazu Tōrō-nagashi Hanabi Taikai

    16 August: thousands of lanterns float on Miyazu Bay for the spirits of the dead, followed by fireworks.

  • Aoi Festival of Kono Shrine

    葵祭Aoi Matsuri

    Spring festival of Kono Shrine with sword and lion dances, sharing its name with the Kyoto festival.

  • Miyazu Festival

    宮津祭Miyazu Matsuri

    May festival of the town's shrines with portable shrines and floats in the old castle town.

Food

  • Asari-don

    あさり丼asari-don

    Rice topped with local clams simmered in soy and sweet sake, a Monju speciality.

  • Tango torigai

    丹後とり貝Tango torigai

    Large cockles farmed in Miyazu and Maizuru bays, in season in early summer.

  • Kurochikuwa

    黒ちくわkuro-chikuwa

    Fish cake made from sardines, a traditional product of Miyazu.

  • Snow crab and yellowtail

    松葉ガニ・ブリmatsuba-gani, buri

    Winter seafood from the Sea of Japan served in the inns of Amanohashidate.

Getting around

  • Direct JR limited expresses run from Kyoto (about two hours) and Osaka to Amanohashidate Station via Fukuchiyama and the Kyoto Tango Railway.
  • Highway buses connect Kyoto and Osaka with Miyazu and Amanohashidate.
  • The sandbar can be crossed on foot (about an hour) or by rental bicycle; sightseeing boats link Monju with Ichinomiya on the northern shore.
  • Tango Kairiku Kōtsū buses run from Amanohashidate to Ine and around the Tango Peninsula.

Day trips

  • Ine

    Fishing village of funaya boathouses on Ine Bay, about an hour by bus.

  • San'in Kaigan National Park

    Coastline of the Tango Peninsula and beyond, with the Kotohiki-hama singing sand beach.

  • Maizuru

    Naval port with red-brick warehouses and a repatriation memorial museum.

  • Kinosaki Onsen

    Hot-spring town in Toyooka, reached along the coast by train.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalKyotoKyōto-shiThe thousand-year capitalCityUjiUji-shiPhoenix Hall, tea and the Uji River

Frequently asked questions

What is Amanohashidate?

A natural sandbar about 3.6 kilometres long, covered with pine trees, that almost spans Miyazu Bay. It is counted among the Three Views of Japan with Matsushima and Miyajima.

What is matanozoki?

Looking at Amanohashidate upside down through one's legs from the viewpoints at either end, which makes the sandbar appear to float in the sky like a bridge to heaven.

How long does it take to walk across Amanohashidate?

About 50 minutes to an hour on foot, or around 20 minutes by bicycle. Boats and buses can be used for the return.

Can Amanohashidate be visited as a day trip from Kyoto?

Yes, with about two hours each way by limited express, though staying overnight allows time for Ine and the Tango coast.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
  2. 2.宮津市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 宮津市
  3. 3.京都府ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 京都府

Editorial team · Published: