Saba Kaido — Kyoto to Obama over the MackerelRoad.
Distance
220 km
Duration
2 days
Climb
1,500 m
Saba Kaido — Kyoto to Obama over the Mackerel Road.
The historic Saba Kaido, the Mackerel Road, carried salted fish from the Sea of Japan at Obama to the imperial kitchens of Kyoto for over a thousand years. This two-day loop climbs Route 367 out of Kyoto past the temple valley of Ohara, threads the preserved post town of Kumagawa-juku, and overnights in the little Wakasa Bay port of Obama. Day two returns south through the thatched-roof village of Miyama.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance220 km
Days2
Total climb1,500 m
DifficultyModerate
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2 days, 2 moods.
A suggested split across 2 days with 6 waypoints to discover along the way.
Kyoto (Demachiyanagi)Start · Start in northeast Kyoto at Demachiyanagi, the historic city-end of the Saba Kaido. Head north on Route 367 into the Kitayama mountains.
Ohara & Sanzen-inScenic Point · Rural temple valley of Ohara, home to the moss gardens of Sanzen-in. A gentle warm-up on the old mackerel road before it climbs into Shiga.
Kumagawa-jukuScenic Point · Beautifully preserved post town on the Saba Kaido, its canal-lined street once packed with porters carrying salted mackerel overnight to Kyoto.
ObamaOvernight · Overnight in the Wakasa Bay port of Obama, where the Mackerel Road begins. Famed for seafood and lacquerware; ryokan grilled saba for dinner.
Miyama Kayabuki no SatoPhoto Spot · Cross into the Kyoto Kitayama on Route 162 to Miyama, a hamlet of 38 thatched-roof farmhouses among rice paddies, one of the most photographed villages in rural Japan.
KyotoEnd · Return south down the Katsura river valley to finish back in Kyoto, closing the historic Saba Kaido loop.
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