Kameoka is a city in the hills west of Kyoto, in the basin where the Hozu river leaves its mountain gorge and spreads out into the plain. Most visitors know it only as the place where the river boats start, wooden flat-bottomed craft that carry passengers down the Hozu gorge to Arashiyama, steered by boatmen with long poles, and a ride in one is still among the pleasures of the Kyoto area. With about ninety-seven thousand people, it is larger than it first seems, and it makes a very practical place to eat.
History has a dramatic cameo here. Kameyama castle, now long gone, was the base of Akechi Mitsuhide, the general who in 1582 marched his army out of Kameoka toward Kyoto and turned on his lord, Oda Nobunaga, at Honno-ji temple. The remains of the castle site lie within the grounds of a religious organisation, and the memory of the betrayal still colours the town's story. The surrounding hills are quiet, with bamboo and cedar and terraced fields.
For a rider, Kameoka is the gateway to some of the best country roads in the Kyoto region. Heading north-west, the road climbs through forested hills to the thatched-roof villages of Miyama, and west toward the wooded valleys of Tamba, with mostly good surfaces, medium bends and few cars. Along the way there are small farm shops, tea houses and noodle restaurants. The rainy season, in June and early July, brings humidity and mist, summer is hot, and the best months are April, May, October and November, with cherry blossom in spring and autumn leaves in the hills.
As a food stop, the city has a good range: noodle shops, family restaurants, bakeries, convenience stores that are better than they have any right to be, and local specialities such as Tamba chestnuts, black beans and sweet potatoes, depending on the season. Fuel stations are easy to find, and the town centre is compact. Parking is straightforward, with free bike spaces at some restaurants. Have a hot bowl of something, and refill the tank before the hills, where stations are sparser and close early.