If you’ve ever experienced the crowds at Kiyomizudera on an autumn day, you might find it hard to believe that there are any Hidden Beauties left in Kyoto. However, in Keihoku, an hour’s drive away along hair-raising mountain roads, foreign visitors are still relatively rare. The rhythm of life follows the seasons, and thatched farmhouses such as Tokuheian, where I’m staying, nestle among wooded hills.
After several weeks in ryokans and hotels, it’s relaxing to be in a home with ordinary people - and dogs
Most guests stay in the tatami mat rooms downstairs, but I wanted to sleep under the rafters
The Ueda family have lived here for six generations
Despite its rural setting, Keihoku is intimately connected to Kyoto’s urban centre, having supplied timber for its temples and palaces over many centuries. Today, I had the rare opportunity to join a team of lumberjacks at work.
We drove way up into the mountains on a dirt track cleared by Iguchi-san and his crew
And then scrambled up some logs. Taking photos while balancing on a log is not easy, believe me!
The trees felled in Keihoku were once dragged down the snowy mountainsides on toboggans and then floated along the river to Arashiyama, on the outskirts of the city. Although machines have made the job a lot quicker, it is still strenuous work, and so there are few young people nationwide who decide to make a career in forestry. Keihoku is one of the few areas where the industry remains healthy.
The grappler is used to pick up and move logs. It’s a bit like the UFO Catchers in amusement arcades, only rather bigger...
The processor is even more useful - it can also strip branches and chop logs. It's yours for only 24 million yen...
Nevertheless, every job is a gamble, since it is impossible to predict the exact value of trees before cutting them down. The timber is auctioned at the local lumberyard three times a month, and the reputation of Keihoku’s wood draws buyers from around the country.
Iguchi-san and his team supplied timber for the recent repairs to Chion-in, one of Kyoto's major temples
It takes ten years to learn all the lumberjack's skills, but I had a crash course in cutting logs with a chainsaw.
I don’t think I’m really lumberjack material...
But my host, Hideo Ueda, who grew up chopping wood by hand, thought it was great! Just don't let him loose with that chainsaw...
After visiting the logging site, I went to Rose Cafe, run by Iguchi-san and his wife, to try making chopsticks - from local timber, of course.
Shaving wood is not too different from shaving dried bonito, which I tried in Shima!
Wood shavings for lunch?! They do smell good, though...
After all that exertion, it was time for lunch at Kyobuan, a small restaurant that serves soba and other local cuisine. We left the menu up to the chef, which basically meant that he served us every single one of his specialties, from turnip hotpot to sushi with pickled fish... However, we succeeded in eating it all, since about 90% of the ingredients were vegetables (well, that’s my excuse!)
The open-air terrace at the rear overlooks a soba (buckwheat) field
Only about half the dishes had arrived when this photo was taken...
Natto mochi (rice cakes with fermented soy beans inside) are eaten here at New Year. It is apparently thanks to Keihoku that natto became popular in Japan...
The final destination of the day was Joshokoji, a Zen temple whose beautiful gardens are surrounded by forested slopes. It was built in the fourteenth century for Emperor Kogon, who had stepped down from the throne after years of civil war.
Can you spot the chrysanthemums, the Imperial symbol?
The Emperor is enthroned in the alcove. Local people bring offerings to his altar even today.
Disillusioned with court society, he spent his retirement here, and stipulated in his will that the temple should not aim to draw throngs of visitors, but should retain its tranquility. His wishes have apparently been respected, as we were the only visitors there.
The leaves are starting to change colour
At this laid-back temple, the entrance fee is “around 300 to 500 yen”
After spending a day in these scenic mountains and valleys, I can see why even emperors considered Keihoku a Hidden Beauty.
I would be quite content to retire here!
Tomorrow, I head north to the coast in search of fossils!
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