Ohara is a small town to the northeast of Kyoto, nestled along the
Takano river. They are famous for their farm girls, who twice a year don
the outfits they would have worn several hundred years ago while they
work.
Due to
excess energy and an abundance of time, I’ve been feeling restless the
last few days. I decided to challenge myself by taking a trip on my
bicycle as far north as I could possibly go. I didn’t take a map with
me. I just decided I would follow the Kamo River until it forked, and
then take the right fork (Takano River) as far as I could go in two
hours.
As it turned out, I ended up deep in
the mountains, in a town called Ohara. Ohara is pretty much just
farmland- twice a year, there are festivals in which the farm girls of
the region don the outfits they would have worn several hundred years
ago while they work- and I’m sure on those days the town is packed- but
the day I arrived, there was a cold wind blowing in from the snow-dusted
mountains, and it was the middle of the week, so it was quite
pleasantly quiet.
The 16.1 kilometer (10 mile) ride
there was quite beautiful. The river is full of life and waterfalls, as
well as manmade current correctors, I believe to keep the river healthy
as over the years the silt is requires to stay healthy has diminished.
There was one stretch that was quite dangerous, a mile of road that had
no sidewalk and no curb, but I managed well enough. I even managed to
give a Japanese man directions- and I didn’t even know where I was!
I didn’t get to visit any of the
temples in Ohara, as I left the house with only $2 in my pocket, but I
enjoyed biking along the meadows and farmland. I am certain the town
will reach the peak of its charm in late summer, right before everything
starts to be harvested. There was a little stretch of trees along the
river where a sign announced “This is the best garden in Ohara” in
English. I don’t believe it was true, but it was still funny.
I stayed for a while, watching the
farmers burn small piles of fallen leaves or other debris, before
getting ready for the ride home- the 16 kilometer journey home wasn’t as
bad though, as it was all downhill. I was able to return to Kyoto in a
little over an hour, and spent the last few moments of daylight at the
Imperial Palace, photographing the plum blossoms there.
It was a nice day, and I hope to be able to explore Kansai by bicycle again soon.