Keihoku

Keihoku sits at the northern edge of Kyoto City's administrative territory but feels nothing like the central city. Thatched farmhouses, river valleys, cedar plantations, and tea fields define the landscape, and the drive or bus ride through the mountains separates it clearly from urban Kyoto. Several old farmhouses have been converted into restaurants and accommodation. The pace is deliberately slow here. It works well as a half or full day trip in autumn when the mountain maples turn, or in spring when the tea harvest begins.