Tenzan no Yu in Sagano: Tuesday, September 17, 2024

[Abstract]
On September 15, "Respect for the Aged Day," the author visited "Tenzan no Yu," a natural hot spring in Sagano, Kyoto, by mountain bike, taking 80 minutes round trip. Along the way, relying on place names based on Kyoto's grid system, they passed through historic streets and the Uzumasa shopping district, which retains a Showa-era atmosphere. They were surprised by the statue of Daimajin from the special effects film series. At the destination, they enjoyed the Kinkaku-no-Yu and carbonated springs, feeling a sense of satisfaction like a short trip. Traveling while experiencing the urban structure and culture reaffirmed the unique charm of Kyoto.

[Main Text]
On the day before yesterday, "Respect for the Aged Day" (September 15), I visited "Tenzan no Yu," a rare natural hot spring in Sagano, Kyoto (with a source gushing from 1,200 meters underground), for the first time in a while. It is located about a 5-minute walk from Arisugawa Station on the Keifuku Electric Railroad's Randen line, which I took from Shijo-Omiya Station.

　On this day, I made a round trip from my home in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, to "Tenzan no Yu" in Sagano by mountain bike (the trip took about 80 minutes round trip). For the past few years, I have made it a point to go by mountain bike. In what was once the central area of Kyoto City, the city follows the Jobo system (urban planning based on a combination of east-west avenues (jo) and north-south avenues (bo)), so in a sense, it is easy to estimate one's location based on place names derived from these combinations.

　I headed west on Takatsuji-dori from Aburanokoji-dori, crossed Horikawa-dori and Omiya-dori, and continued running westward. After passing the Kyoto Sangyo University High School in Mibu and the Mibu Onsen "Hana no Yu," I crossed Omae-dori and Nishioji-dori. I checked for pedestrians and crossed the narrow level crossing of the Hankyu Kyoto Line on my bike in one go. I crossed the bridge over the Tenjin-gawa at Kadono-oji-dori, where there is an Ogawa Coffee shop on the corner, then turned right onto Tenjin-gawa-dori and headed north. After crossing Shijo-dori, there is the Mitsubishi Motors ground on the left, and the grounds of Kyoto University of Foreign Studies and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School. Further ahead, I passed Yaosada, famous for its catering bento, and turned left at Sanjo-dori.

　Heading west on this Sanjo-dori, I soon passed by the Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station of the Randen, which runs parallel to the road. This area is the former outskirts of the city. Looking at the sign at the intersection, it said "Sanjo-Oike," and I pedaled my bike for a while, thinking with a sense of confusion. The question was, "Since both Sanjo-dori and Oike-dori are east-west avenues (jo), why do they intersect here?" (As I found out later, there is already a web page explaining this same question online, which states that outside the city center, the avenues do not run straight but bend.)

　Continuing along Sanjo-dori, there is Uzumasa Koryu-ji Temple, famous for its statues of Prince Shotoku and Maitreya Bodhisattva. At this intersection, I entered the Daiei-dori Shopping Street that continues to the front left and went down. It is a shopping street with a lingering Showa-era culture and an atmosphere that makes you feel the "cinema town of Uzumasa." It is surprising that a large Daimajin statue (5 meters tall) from the special effects film "Daimajin Trilogy" produced at the Daiei Kyoto Studio stands in front of a supermarket in the shopping street.

　At the Katabira no Tsuji intersection ahead, I turned left and headed west along Sanjo-dori to reach my destination, "Tenzan no Yu." Although it is about a 40-minute one-way trip, I felt a small sense of satisfaction as if I had enjoyed a short trip. At "Tenzan no Yu," you can enjoy Kinkaku-no-Yu, carbonated springs, Mino-yaki ceramic tub baths, and more.

The Tenzan no Yu in Sagano: Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Summary
On September 15, “Respect for the Aged Day,” the author visited “Tenzan no Yu,” a rare natural hot spring in Kyoto’s Sagano area, by mountain bike—an 80-minute round trip. Along the way, they navigated Kyoto’s historical grid layout, passing through neighborhoods rich in history and Showa-era charm, including the retro Daiei Street shopping arcade in Uzumasa. There, they were surprised to see a large statue of Daimajin from a classic tokusatsu film. At the destination, the author enjoyed various baths such as the Kinkaku-no-Yu and carbonated springs, feeling a sense of fulfillment akin to a short trip. The journey highlighted Kyoto’s unique blend of urban structure and cultural depth.

Main Text
On the day before yesterday, "Elderly Day" (September 15), I visited the Tenzan no Yu in Sagano, one of the few hot springs in Kyoto City that offers natural flowing spring water (from a source 1,200 meters underground) for the first time in a while. After taking the Randen train from Shijo-Omiya Station on the Keifuku Electric Railroad and getting off at Arisugawa Station, it was about a 5-minute walk to reach the place.

On this day, I made a round trip from my home in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, to Tenzan no Yu in Sagano on my mountain bike (the total round trip took about 80 minutes). For the past few years, I’ve mostly been making this trip by mountain bike. In what was once the central area of Kyoto City, known as Rakuchu, the city follows the Jobo system (a grid-based urban planning system with north-south avenues (bo) and east-west avenues (jo) similar to what can be seen in China and the Korean Peninsula). This makes it relatively easy to estimate one’s location based on the combination of the jo and bo avenues.

From Aburanokoji-dori Takatsuji, I headed west on Takatsuji-dori, crossing Horikawa-dori and Omiya-dori, and continued cycling westward. I passed Kyoto Sangyo University’s High School in Mibu and Mibu Onsen "Hana no Yu," crossed Onmae-dori and Nishioji-dori, and then quickly biked across the narrow level crossing of the Hankyu Kyoto Line, ensuring no pedestrians were around. After crossing Kadono-oji-dori, where there’s a cafe called Ogawa Coffee on the corner of the intersection and the bridge over Tenjin-gawa, I turned right onto Tenjin-gawa-dori and continued northward. After crossing Shijo-dori, I passed Mitsubishi Motors’ field, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies’ grounds, and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School’s grounds on the left. Further on, I saw Yaosada, a well-known bento caterer, and turned left at Sanjo-dori.

Heading west on Sanjo-dori, I soon passed Uzumasa-Tenjingawa Station on the Randen, which runs parallel to the road. This area is part of what was once outside the city center, known as Rakugai. A sign at the intersection read "Sanjo-Oike," and I pedaled my bike with a nagging thought, “Why do Sanjo-dori and Oike-dori, both of which are east-west avenues (jo), intersect here?” (I later found out that others had pondered the same question online, and it turns out that in the Rakugai area, the avenues don’t run straight but bend.)

Continuing along Sanjo-dori, I came across Koryu-ji, known for its statues of Prince Shotoku and Maitreya Bodhisattva. At the intersection here, I turned into the Daiei-dori Shopping Street, which has a nostalgic Showa-era atmosphere and exudes the feel of Uzumasa, the "town of cinema." To my surprise, there was a large Daimajin statue (5 meters tall) from the special effects movie trilogy "Daimajin" made at Daiei Kyoto Studio, standing in front of a supermarket in the shopping street.

At the intersection ahead, called Katabira no Tsuji, I turned left, headed west along Sanjo-dori, and finally arrived at my destination, Tenzan no Yu. Although it only takes about 40 minutes one way, I felt a small sense of satisfaction, as if I had enjoyed a little journey. At 'Tenzan no Yu,' you can enjoy Kinkaku no Yu, a carbonated spring, and Mino-yaki tub baths.

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