Kijimadaira Village Route

After we take off from the Roadside station Farmus Kijimadaira, the path takes us up a gentle slope for a bit. First, we’ll be taking our time and enjoying the scenery as we approach the rice paddy viewing spot, the high point halfway through the route. Along the way, we’ll want to stop by the Nakamachi Museum, which uses an old warehouse from a sake brewery, and take a peek at the individual and project exhibits there.
The uphill leg keeps on going past the Museum, but it’ll be a breeze if you have a power-assisted bike, and I actually recommend getting off to walk your bike for this part of the ride anyway, which is because Kijimadaira Village is a farming village blessed with clean air and water. Melted snow comes down from Kayanotaira Kogen, home to a vast primeval forest of beech trees over 300 years old, and flows in as spring water to enrich the village. If you walk through this area, sharpening the five senses to take it all in, you’ll get that much better an experience of this village’s unique allure that lies in the very ground it stands on.

After we climb on past the Kijimadaira Tourist Information Center, the peak of the journey will come into view. This is a view point that gives you a full view of some beautifully terraced rice fields and the Iiyama Basin. Take a camera with you to cut out your own piece of the scenery with, or just enjoy the view; either way, you’ll want to soak in the beauty that can only be seen here.
From here on out, the route goes downhill. Before long, we’ll reach a Keyaki no Mori Park. Nearby is the Uwaseki Cylinder Watershed, which tells us of the plentiness of water and how deeply connected it is with people’s lives. Ah, so this is how the water gets spread so evenly. That’s right! And you can’t talk about Kijimadaira’s water without mentioning the handmade paper of the Uchiyama region, called “Uchiyama-gami.” It’s a short ways off of the route, but you can try your hand at making handmade paper at the Uchiyama Handmade Washi Paper Studio, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to literally get your hands on some of the village’s history and culture.

From here, we’ll pedal straight down the road through more rural area, with the village’s symbol, Mt. Kosha, standing tall in front of us. As we ride on with an invigorated feeling in our chest, the highlight of the second half, the Netsuka Ruins, will appear. These ruins boast a great view, and a nostalgic one reminiscent of old times when coupled with the serene scenery around it. This is actually well-known as a place where fireflies can be seen dancing around in the early summer.
It’ll take no time to get back from the ruins to the Roadside station Farmus Kijimadaira. And we will have enjoyed Kijimadaira Village’s great outdoors, its beautiful and peaceful scenery, and the leisurely pace at which time goes by there, to the fullest.