Miyazu (宮津市) is a city located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.  As of April 1, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 19,410 and the density of 115 persons per sq. km.  The total area is 169.31 sq. km.  Located in Miyazu City is Amanohashidate (天橋立) or the 'bridge to heaven', said to be one of Japan's three most beautiful sights. The naturally formed land bridge is 3.6 km long and covered in pine trees.  The city was founded on June 1, 1954.
  

IMAGE	IMAGE NO.	DATA
Amanohashidate Station		KTR Amanohashidate Station (KTR天橋立駅).  KTR stands for Kita-Kinki Tango Tetsudo [Railway] (北近畿タンゴ鉄道).  It takes about two hours both from JR Kyoto Station and JR Osaka Station.
	kmy2012-006	(Friday 23 March) Monument of Chie-no-Wa (知恵の輪; the Ring of Wisdom), KTR Amanohashidate Station, Miyazu City.  Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple (天橋山 智恩寺), widely known as Monju-do (文殊堂), or The Hall of Monju (文殊; the Buddhist Deity of Wisdom) is close.
	kmy2012-010	(Friday 23 March) Illustrated Map of Amanohashidate, KTR Amanohashidate Station, Miyazu City
Oshokujidokoro Baikei		Oshokujidokoro Baikei (お食事処 梅渓) is located at 644 Monju, Miyazu City (宮津市文珠644); 196 m away from KTR Amanohashidate Station.
	kmy2012-015	(Friday 23 March) Oshokujidokoro Baikei, 644 Monju, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-017	(Friday 23 March) My lunch at Oshokujidokoro Baikei, 644 Monju, Miyazu City
Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple		Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple (天橋山 智恩寺), widely known as Monju-do (文殊堂), or The Hall of Monju (文殊; the Buddhist Deity of Wisdom) is located at Koaza Kiredo Monju Amanohashidate, Miyazu City (宮津市天橋立文珠小字切戸).  it was founded at the royal request of 51th Emperor Heizei (平城天皇; 774-824; r.806-809) in the 3rd year of Daido (大同3年) or AD 808.  It enshrines Monju-bosatsu (文殊菩薩).  It belongs to the Rinzai-shu Myoshin-ji sect of Buddhism (臨済宗妙心寺派).  Since ancient times this has been considered one of the Three Monju (文殊; the Bodhisattva of Wisdom) of Japan.  (The other two are from Dewa Kameoka (出羽亀岡文殊), Takahata Town (高畠町), Yamagata Prefecture and Yamato Sakurai Abe Monju-in Temple (大和安倍文殊院), Sakurai City (桜井市), Nara Prefecture.
	kmy2012-021	(Friday 23 March) San-mon Gate (山門) of Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple
	kmy2012-026	(Friday 23 March) Main Hall, known as Monju-do Hall (文殊堂), Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple
	kmy2012-027	(Friday 23 March) Main Hall, known as Monju-do Hall (文殊堂), Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple
	kmy2012-037	(Friday 23 March) Taho-to (多宝塔; treasure tower), Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple
	kmy2012-043	(Friday 23 March) Monument of Chie-no-Wa (知恵の輪; the Ring of Wisdom) near the pier, Miyazu City.  Tenkyo-zan Chion-ji Temple (天橋山 智恩寺), widely known as Monju-do (文殊堂), or The Hall of Monju (文殊; the Buddhist Deity of Wisdom) is very close.
Amanohashidate		Amanohashidate (天橋立) is one of Japan's three scenic views.  The sandbar is located in Miyazu Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture.  It forms part of the Tango-Amanohashidate-Oeyama Quasi-National Park.  A thin strip of land connects two opposing sides of Miyazu Bay.  This sand bar is 3.6 km long and covered with about 7,000 pine trees.     It can be viewed from mountains on either side of the bay or it can be traversed on foot.  Near the southern end is Chion-ji, a Buddhist temple.  On the bar is the Iso-shimizu fresh water well cherished since the Heian period, which was selected as one of 100 best springs and rivers in Japan by the Environmental Agency in 1985.  (Cited from the site of "Wikipedia")
	kmy2012-227	(Friday 23 March) Kaisen-bashi Bridge (廻旋橋), Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-216	(Friday 23 March) Daiten-kyo Bridge (大天橋), Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-193	(Friday 23 March) Hashidate-myojin Jinjya Shrine (橋立明神), Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-194	(Friday 23 March) Hashidate-myojin Jinjya Shrine (橋立明神), Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-201	(Friday 23 March) Iso-shimizu (磯清水; shore spring water), Hashidate-myojin Jinjya Shrine (橋立明神), Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-190	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-187	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-182	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-178	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-049	(Friday 23 March) At Amanohashidate pier.  The sight-seeing boat "Kamome (かもめ; seagull) no.1" going to Ichinomiya Station (一宮駅), the other pier of Amanohashidate
	kmy2012-058	(Friday 23 March) Seagulls and Amanohashidate, viewed from the boat
	kmy2012-062	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, viewed from the boat
	kmy2012-067	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, viewed from the boat
	kmy2012-068	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, viewed from the boat
	kmy2012-101	(Friday 23 March) At Fuchu Station (府中駅).   A cable car bound for Kasamatsu Station (笠松駅), one of the two best observatories for Amanohashidate, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-111	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, viewed from Kasamatsu Park (笠松公園), Miyazu City
	kmy2012-126	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, viewed from Kasamatsu Park (笠松公園), Miyazu City
	kmy2012-128	(Friday 23 March) Amanohashidate, viewed from Kasamatsu Park (笠松公園), Miyazu City: This is a platform to bend far down and look Amanohashidate through your straddled legs (in Japanese, "Mata-nozoki-dai": 股覗き台).  Then Amanohashidate looks like a bridge to Heaven.
Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine		Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine (元伊勢 籠神社) is located at 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City (宮津市字大垣430).  This is one of "Moto-Ise" (元伊勢) considered as the original shrine sites of Ise Jingu Shrine (伊勢神宮).  It enshrines Toyouke-no-Okami (彦火明命) as the main god with four other gods, Toyouke-no-Okami (豊受大神), Amaterasu-Okami (天照大神), Watatsumi-no-kami (海神) and Amenomikumari-no-kami (天水分神).
	kmy2012-080	(Friday 23 March) Kono Jinjya Shrine, 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-081	(Friday 23 March) Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine, 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-082	(Friday 23 March) Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine, 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-084	(Friday 23 March) Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine, 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-085	(Friday 23 March) Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine, 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-087	(Friday 23 March) Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine, 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-088	(Friday 23 March) Motoise Kono Jinjya Shrine, 430 Ogaki, Miyazu City
Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple		Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple (成相山 成相寺) is located at 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City (宮津市成相寺339) or in the middle of the hill of Nariai (成相山, 569 m).  It was founded by High Priest Shin-o (真応上人) in 1st year of Keiun (慶雲元年) or AD 704.  It belonged to the Shingon-shu sect (真言宗) of Buddhism but became independent from Koya-san (高野山) in 2007.
	kmy2012-134	(Friday 23 March) Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple, 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-137	(Friday 23 March) Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple, 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-141	(Friday 23 March) Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple, 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-144	(Friday 23 March) Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple, 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-145	(Friday 23 March) Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple, 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-149	(Friday 23 March) Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple, 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City: "Mamuki-no-Ryu" (真向の龍; The Full-faced Dragon) by Jingoro Hidari (左甚五郎)
	kmy2012-160	(Friday 23 March) Five-storied Pagoda (五重塔), Nariai-san Nariai-ji Temple, 339 Nariaiji, Miyazu City
Namida-ga-Iso		Namida-ga-Iso (Namida-ga-Iso (涙ヶ磯; The Shore of Weeping) is a main setting of Zeami (世阿弥)'s Noh song "Tango Monogrui" (丹後物狂; A Mad Man in Tango) where Hanamatsu (花松), the son drowned himself into the water.   It is known as the point where Tadafusa Taiwa (平忠房)'s beloved courtesan (白拍子) who was chased by the Genji-clan's search-party after the defeat of the Battle of Yashima (屋島の戦い) in 1185, drowned herself.
	kmy2012-232	(Friday 23 March) Namida-ga-Iso, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-234	(Friday 23 March) Namida-ga-Iso, Miyazu City
	kmy2012-237	(Friday 23 March) Namida-ga-Iso, Miyazu City

        

Copyright (c) 2012 Eishiro Ito.  All rights reserved.