Amanohashidate

The Amanohashidate sandbar is one of Japan’s three most celebrated scenic views. It’s located in Miyazu Bay in northern Kyōto Prefecture in the Tango-Amanohashidate-Ōeyama Quasi-National Park. It was formed when sand and gravel were carried by the western coastal current of Miyazu Bay and collided with the current of the Aso Sea driven by the flow of the Noda River. According to the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), Japan’s founding deities Izanagi and Izanami lowered the sandbar from the sky.

A thin strip of land connects the two sides of Miyazu Bay for a distance of 3.3 km. The sandbar is cut by channels in three places with bridges over them. On the bar is the Isoshimizu fresh water well that has been used since the Heian period. Near the northern end is Kōno Shrine, and at the southern end is Chion-ji Temple.

You can walk or cycle over the sandbar on a trail that passes through some 7,000 pine trees. Amanohashidate can be viewed from the mountains on either side of the bay, from whence the sandbar is said to resemble a dragon. Bending over and looking at the sandbar from between your legs is said to make it seem more like a stairway to heaven. Facilities are provided at the overlooks to facilitate this folly.

Information

Name in Japanese: 天橋立
Pronunciation: ama-no-hashee-datei
Address: Miyazu, Kyōto Prefecture