Kitamura, the old heart of Miyama, is a hamlet of thatched farmhouses in a green valley in the mountains of northern Kyoto Prefecture, and it looks like a painting of an older Japan. Dozens of houses with steep, deep roofs of reed thatch stand in rows along a stream, among rice paddies and vegetable plots, and the hillsides behind are thick with cedar and oak. The effect, especially in the early morning when mist hangs over the roofs, is of a world that has been left undisturbed.
The village has been designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and the roofs are maintained by the community. Re-thatching is a communal job, since a roof needs to be redone every few decades, and the work requires large quantities of reed that must be cut and dried each year. The houses are farmhouses, built by families of the Tamba region, who grew rice and vegetables in the narrow valley, and they were designed to shed snow and rain. Some are now cafes, craft shops, and guesthouses, and a small museum explains the way of life.
The roads to the valley are quiet and pleasant, climbing through forest and farmland on a surface that is generally good, though narrow in places. The ride is gentle, with open bends, a cool breeze, and traffic that is light on weekdays and heavier at weekends and in the autumn colour season. Look out for tour buses on the narrow sections, and keep your speed modest in the village, where visitors wander the street. Winter brings snow, which makes the thatched roofs beautiful and the roads slippery.
Fuel is not available in the village, and the nearest large towns, Obama on the Sea of Japan coast and Arashiyama on the edge of Kyoto, are some distance away, so fill the tank before the climb. Kameoka and the towns on the Keihoku road have stations. In the village, you can find simple lunches of soba noodles, local vegetables, and river fish, and a cup of green tea on a porch is a good way to spend a quiet half hour. Late autumn and winter are especially beautiful, when the hills are gold or white, and the stillness is almost complete.