Yase & the Takano River — Field Notes Japan

The sweet spot

Most riders on this line are heading straight up Mt. Hiei or to one famous temple, so few of them stop for the river. There is little English travel information about wading here, and it sits off the main Kyoto tourist route, so the riverbank stays quiet.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Yase-Hieizanguchi Stationa 1925 terminus with a distinctive retro domed roof, the end of the Eizan Railway
Takano River shallowsclear, gravel-bedded water where people cool off and children wade in summer
Riverside diningseveral restaurants along the banks that open their terraces in the warm months
Eizan Cable Car & ropewaythe western route up Mt. Hiei, starting a short walk from the river

How to actually get there

Kyoto Station → Tofukuji Station (JR Nara Line, ~2 min)
Tofukuji Station → Demachiyanagi Station (Keihan Main Line, ~11 min)
Demachiyanagi Station → Yase-Hieizanguchi Station (Eizan Railway, 14 min)
Yase-Hieizanguchi Station → Takano River (on foot, a few minutes)

Eizan Railway + short walk: Kyoto Stn →(JR Nara Line, ~2 min)→ Tofukuji Stn →(Keihan Main Line, ~11 min)→ Demachiyanagi Stn →(Eizan Railway, 14 min)→ Yase-Hieizanguchi Stn. Total about 35-40 min. Trains are frequent — the Eizan Railway runs roughly every 10 minutes, so no fixed departure to catch.
return the same way: Take the Eizan Railway back from Yase-Hieizanguchi to Demachiyanagi (14 min), then reverse the Keihan and JR route to Kyoto Station. These are frequent city trains that run until late evening, so no last-bus rush; still, check the last-train times at the station on the day.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Yase sits at the western foot of Mt. Hiei, northeast of central Kyoto, where the Takano River runs shallow and clear over gravel. In the warm months families wade in the water and picnic along the banks, and several riverside restaurants open their terraces above the current. The village is part of a belt of retreats northeast of the city that Kyoto has long called its oku-zashiki — its quiet rear room away from the busy front. Yase is also the western gateway to Mt. Hiei: the Eizan Cable Car and ropeway that climb to the summit start close to the river, so the mountain and the riverside can be combined in a single day. The trip in is short, on the small Eizan Railway that runs from central Kyoto.

How to enjoy it

Come in summer, when the shallow Takano River is the whole point — wade in, picnic on the bank, or take a meal at a riverside terrace. Mornings are the quietest time. From the same station you can board the Eizan Cable Car and combine the river with a trip up Mt. Hiei in one day.

Background & history

Yase has old ties to the imperial court and a well-known legend behind its name. By tradition it is written to recall 'arrow-back': during the Jinshin War of 672, a struggle over the imperial succession, Prince Ōama — later Emperor Tenmu — is said to have taken an arrow wound to the back and recovered here in a kama-furo, a traditional earthen steam bath long associated with the village. The Eizan Railway reached Yase in 1925 as a pilgrimage route toward Enryaku-ji, the great temple on Mt. Hiei, and the retro domed roof of today's Yase-Hieizanguchi Station dates from that era.

Before you go

Cash: The Eizan Railway and the connecting Keihan and JR lines all accept IC cards such as ICOCA and Suica; you can also pay cash at ticket machines.
Before you go: This is a river where local families swim, not a managed pool — there is no lifeguard, so take care on the wet rocks and watch children in the water.
Another way: From near the same station you can board the Eizan Cable Car up Mt. Hiei if you would rather go up the mountain than into the river.
After you get off: From Yase-Hieizanguchi Station it is a walk of a few minutes down to the Takano River; the Eizan Cable Car station is about 5 minutes on foot.