Koga and Iga Ninja Village

There are two neighboring Ninja Village , Koga in Kyoto and Iga in Mie.

Koga or Koka  is less touristy and more for kids than adults.

Iga has more activities for tourist and for adults as well. Ninja costume are more elaborate than of Koga but both places are fun to visit and just an hour by train from each other.

Koga Activities

Kids can try to imitate walking on water.
Shuriken Throwing.

Rent a Ninja Costume.
Check the museum.

Iga Activities

Exploring the Castle.
Haiseiden (Matsuo Basho Memorial)

Iga is also easier to access from the train station than Koga.

If you decide to go to Koga, you can give them a call for free pick up from the train Station.

Have Fun !

 

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Third time is the charm

Amanohashidate (天橋立) is one of Japan’s three scenic views. The sandbar is located in Miyazu Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture. It forms part of the Tango-Amanohashidate-Ōeyama Quasi-National Park.

The last two times I visited Amanohashidate was for an all-you-can-eat crab on a winter. We usually just have 90 minutes to eat and a few minutes to visit the shops to get some souvenirs. We could squeeze a minute or two to check out the beach area but could not venture out to other areas.

One of the best viewing area, is a park callled Kasamatsu Park (笠松公園) .

Which can be reached by renting a bicycle or a short ferry ride.
From the ferry station, you need to walk for a few minutes till you get to the cable car or lift.

There is a restaurant with a view and a good place to cool down on a hot summer day.

Around 5 minutes walk you can reach the higher point of the park and much nicer view of the sand strip.

There are couple of temple to visit around the area and some nice restaurants too.

I thought the beach would be more crowded but I guess the summer break was other so most families have already gone home. It’s a long strip, so you can always find a place to be alone a relax.

 

Manhole Cover : Miyazu City

Miyazu City is located northern part of Kyoto Prefecture and one it’s famous tourist area is Amanohashidate which is clearly depicted in the manhole cover I found in the same place.

Travel Theme : Sports

I found this picture of my old team dragonboat teammate during one of the competition somewhere in Kyoto back in 2007. I rarely do sports or join competition because I’m not really good at it but it was a good, fun experience while it last.

Ramen : Kisshoumaru

One fine day, me and some friends decided to go to Kyoto and eat Ramen the whole day. We thought maybe we could eat a least 3 bowl but we can only manage two and one of that Ramen is just awesome.

Kisshoumaru is located in Kayamachi which is about 10 minutes walk from Hankyu Kawaramachi Station.

This is the first time I tried a Shrimp base Ramen and it was amazing. The soup was just so good, I can’t imagine the calorie but who cares :D.

It’s been a year so I probably go back to Kyoto and have another bowl.