We have recently spent a day travelling from Toyooka in Hyogo to Kyotamba, a countryside part of Kyoto, where we have chosen to travel leisurely, with a mix of a local-like feel and taking longer drives outside of the town to some tourist spots. See how we spend a day traveling in the countryside of Japan to a place we chose as a pit stop between the long drives on our journey.
We hope you can be shown a different aspect of travelling, pick up some tips, and see what a real good, relaxing, traveling day could look like along the road trip, and hopefully, plan your trip to explore Japan as we did! A Travel Itinerary filled with hidden treasures of cafes, crafts, dining, and beautiful spots.
Welcome to our written journey. This section of the trip will begin from a camping ground in Toyooka, making a small stop in Asago, before spending a night in Kyotamba, a town outside of Kyoto, where we have chosen to explore as a part of a stopover before going back into the city.
The Morning Begins in Toyooka
Dear Travellers,
After waking up early to the morning chirps of birds, and enjoying a breakfast cooked on a fire grill on the patio at a campsite accommodation in Toyooka, we were ready to continue our journey back up to Kyoto.
Originally, the drive from our campsite to Kyoto would only take around three hours, but having already driven up into the countryside, going back into the city without stopping in some randomly chosen town along the way feels like a missed opportunity for us. For that reason, we are stopping by Kyotamba for the night, a two-hour drive from Tooyoka.
The route we took led us past Asago, a city in Hyogo prefecture, where we decided to stop for some brunch and take a small hike up the mountain for a view of Takeda Castle Ruins.
Cafe MUMU (ムムの森)
1294 Wadayamacho Shirai,
Asago,
Hyogo 669-5220,
Japan
A small, stylish cafe, on the outskirts of Asago city, hidden away between the locals’ farm land, sitting proudly before a small forest beside the hills. A style of cafe we expect to be featured in an anime or a Ghibli film, one of our best finds this trip. A recommended cafe to stop by.
We enjoyed some items on the menu and paid a fine to the dog with some head and back rubs, before leaving with our stomachs filled and our hearts feeling contented.
After refueling our energy, it is time for a little digestion walk, or so we thought. Our next stop requires a small hike, a small hike up a mountain to be more specific, for the view of Takeda Castle Ruins. We did underestimate the hike a little bit and ended up out of breath by the time we were at the observation point, but the view and walk were pleasant enough to say it was worth it. Rather than the castle, we found the view of the town below and the river running along it the highlight.
A Morning Hike in Hyogo to see Takeda Castle
No.1 Observation Deck (a mountain opposite the Takeda Castle Ruins)
Wadayamacho Takeda,
Asago,
Hyogo 669-5252,
Japan
Although we were not blessed with the sight of the cloud covering the bottom half of the mountain that would produce the view of the Takeda Castle you may see in the featured images on the internet, which is what the viewpoint is famous for, the view from the top was still quite good.
We do recommend checking the weather and the conditions if you are looking to visit, for the best view. Otherwise, this place is skipable if you are not interested in waking up a mountain.
Note: the hike is easy and short, but requires a lot of climbing steps. Older people should be cautious of it, but we did see an old Japanese couple who managed it on our way.
After coming back down from the observation point, we continued our car ride for around an hour, taking a little detour to Oyamashin, a district located in Tamba-Sasayama city in Hyogo prefecture, where a small cafe/workshop of a local craftsman is situated.
A Secret spot in Hyogo to Wind Down
居七十七（いなとな）
517 Oyamakami,
Tamba-Sasayama,
Hyogo 669-2803,
Japan
The reason we stumbled upon this place is solely that we share some love for the art and crafts of Japanese wooden utensils and kitchenware, which is on our shopping list of this trip, a reason that led us to a hidden gem located in a neighborhood we would have never ventured into otherwise.
The place is located in a japanese style house in a residential neighborhood, and seemingly looks like a normal house from the outside, but is in fact a shop selling handcrafted Japanese lacquerware and urushi lacquerware that is handcrafted by the owner, some of which begins with cutting down his own tree. For those who are interested, you can read about it more here!
The shop also functions as a small cafe in the back run by the craftsman’s wife, where she sell some selection of desserts and drinks, which we enjoyed very much. This place is another hidden gem we strongly recommend you visit!
After spending some time there for an afternoon tea time, we finally arrived at our destination hotel in Kyotamba, which took around a 50-minute drive.
Arriving at The Hotel in Kyotamba and Dinner
Fairfield by Marriott Kyoto Kyotamba
67 Sonefukashino,
Sone,
Kyotamba,
Funai District,
Kyoto 622-0232, Japan
A hotel like Marriott, as a recommended stay, may sound like a dull, unimaginative choice; however, as a stopover destination, the choice is appropriate for our needs. A destination that allows us to relax after a stay at a campsite and towards the end of a long road journey, mid-way through our trip, staying somewhere we know what to expect is a good spot for recovery. We recommend that you also do the same during a longer trip, staying at a chain of your preference. Spend a night or two knowing what to expect while exploring a place, you are unsure of what to really expect, is a good way to rejuvenate yourself, and bring your mindset back up to where it should be for exploring new places.
For those who are not familiar, Fairfield is a more affordable mid-scale hotel in Marriott’s branded house portfolio. In simple words, we would describe it as a hotel with standard, good-looking rooms, good-enough amenities, and a shared space with all the necessary appliances.
Yumiya (ゆみ屋)
Nakamichi-5 Hiyoshicho Goma,
Nantan,
Kyoto 629-0311,
Japan
A Bar/dining style restaurant run by a friendly couple. We came upon this place while looking for a place to eat at night. The restaurant is located in a residential part of the town, in what looks to be a house with a dedicated space converted into a modern-looking restaurant. We suppose it is more of a place where locals go to grab some drinks and a good, warm meal. For that reason, there are only two or three parking spaces for cars in front of the restaurant.
Expect an easy, heartwarming meal with mainly chicken as the star of the show. We ordered a few selected dishes from the menu and some specials from the blackboard. The meal was well-prepared and cooked correctly, with a lighter, more straightforward taste, easy to enjoy. Despite being a bar-ish setting, it is okay if you do not drink, as neither of us ordered any alcoholic drinks that day, and we were able to enjoy a good meal sitting at the bar while exchanging some occasional questions and answers with the chef.
We enjoyed our time there and can recommend that you visit solely for the meal.
Important Note: The restaurant is smoking-friendly and supposedly does not serve children. No English, but nothing a Google Translate cannot handle.
This article is not in any way tailored to be the perfect itinerary for everyone; it is merely a good day of travel we had on the recent trip that we wish to share with you as raw as it is, in the hope that you can experience it too.
May you have a great trip,
Travel Tegami