As you move away from central Kyoto and into the rural towns of Mukaijima and Ogura, the cities turn into farmlands as the noise evaporates.
Mukaijima and Ogura stations are just one stop away from each other. However, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by catching a train instead of strolling through the beautiful farmlands that Kyoto’s outback has to offer.
Kyoto’s Farming Villages
If you’ve ever wondered where the rice in your onigiri came from, it’s probably from fields that look just like this! It’s a sight that takes the soul back in time when you are surrounded by acres of rice fields, farmhouses, and mountain ranges with nothing but the sound of the wind’s calm breeze.
Nishi-Uji Park
Nishi-Uji Park is a community center in the western region of Uji and somewhere in between Mukaijima and Ogura railway stations. The center is surrounded by beautiful golden crops and small farming villages and as such is one of the most peaceful sporting complexes I’ve ever played tennis at.
Crops n’ Things…
It’s not all rice fields in Japan, at least that’s not what these crops resemble. I would imagine vegetables and perhaps green tea leaves are also being harvested in this region of Uji, particularly being the “matcha green tea capital of the world” and all. In any case, given its proximity to Nishi-Uji Park (and my own foolishness), I lost a tennis ball somewhere in these fields after shanking a horrendous forehand outside the court, so do be careful out here!
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