This is Day 2 of our Kansai trip using the JR Kansai WIDE Area Pass! We spent night 1 in a hotel near Kyoto station to get us set up for an early morning this day. First thing is to pack up and check out because we're not coming back! We were constantly on the move for this trip.
I had gotten our reserve tickets the day before, so we just had to find the right track and wait for our train! We arrived with plenty of time for the 0732 Hashidate type train (reserved seats only) headed to Fukuchiyama.
It's so nice to be able to relax, set down your things (including our large bags) and just enjoy a longer train ride with a designated seat. I love the flexibility that all of the JR rail passes offer when it comes to this type of seat reservation and especially for this trip which had so many reserved seat only trains that we needed to catch.
We had a quick transfer at Fukuchiyama to the Tango line, but still covered by this specific JR pass and with its own reserved seat. This train had a lot of charm in its aesthetic but was a bit musty.
We arrived at Amanohashidate station at 0932 and headed straight to the lockers to drop off our bags.
Then we made the 10-ish minute walk to Amanohashidate View Land. There were even ads for it on the train station steps lol. Per my dad's advice, we did the round trip chair lift which is constantly running, not too expensive and also pretty fun!
At this time of day, we had no wait at all. Loading and unloading are just like a ski lift except way easier because you're not attached to skis or a board lol.
Unfortunately, it was a little hazy/cloudy this day, but at least it wasn't raining! At the top, there were a few groups of people, but it wasn't too crowded and we didn't have to wait very long to get our turn on the lookout platforms. You're supposed to look between your legs (
matanozoki) at the sandbar so that it looks like a bridge across the sky. Seems a bit silly but it's also fun! Difficult in a long skirt though haha.
Aside from some other entertainment (a few children's rides, etc), there's also kawarake-nage which is lucky pottery throwing. 3 stones are 300yen, cash only honor system. Throw the stone through the ring to have your wish come true!
We didn't stay too long since we weren't interested in any of the other amusement park features and had a lot more to do this day.
Got a nice view (as good as we could get given the weather) and then headed back down on the chairlift! It's nice to be able to see the sandbar on your way down.
We took a short way back in the direction of the station but veered towards the boat pier.
Kaisen Bridge 廻旋橋 opens/rotates to lets ships pass through since its too low otherwise. (You can see it open behind my husband here.) We were surprised to see it the first time as we approached!
Based on my parents' recommendation, we rent to rent bicycles from 廻船 丹海屋 a company that operates one of the Amanohashidate siteseeing boats. This company has offices on both sides of the sandbar which allows you to rent and return the bike on either side (riding 1 way is OK). The standard rental is for 2 hours.
Off we go across Amanohashidate to the other side!
The terrain is pretty flat and certainly walkable, but it's a long ways across, so I definitely recommend getting a bike which was really enjoyable! Biking took about 15-20 minutes at a leisurely pace with minimal stops on the way over.
We made our way over to Kasamatsu Park which has its own chairlift and viewpoint.
This one was much more crowded than Viewland on the other side. It could be that it was later in the day or it could be just more popular in general. This one definitely involved much more waiting in line to get an unobstructed picture.
There is a less popular viewing area at Kasamatsu Park which involves climbing up some stairs. I think the Google feature is called 天橋立股のぞき發祥之地. There were only 2-3 other small groups there and also a small souvenir shop. The view is just as good (if not better), so I would recommend trying to get there if you're able to use the stairs.
Kasamatsu Park has its own kawarake-nage (stone throwing) but since we had already done it on the other side and there were huge lines here, we opted to just go back down.
For lunch, we ate at Yoshinoya よし乃や which my father suggested after visiting during his trip. It's right next to the base of Kasamatsu Park on the second floor, above the souvenir shop. The signs had said they were full for reservations, but we were there fairly early for lunch and they were able to seat us 2.
We were nearing the two hour mark for our bike rental, but since they have another office on this side, we were able to pay for another 2 hours and take our time on the way back. My husband also asked to pump his bike tires since they were a little flat which the staff helped with before we left.
With plenty of time before our reserved train out and a new 2 hour rental window, we really took our time on the way back across the sandbar and stopped whenever we wanted to check out the view. The weather had cleared up a bit since the morning and we got to enjoy some blue sky!
We easily returned the bikes on the other side and headed off back to the station on foot.
There are a few shops along the road, so we bought some omiyage for our friends before retrieving our luggage from the locker and making sure we were ready for our reserved seat Hashidate train.
We were headed to Hyogo this time, so we transferred at Fukuchiyama to a Kounotori type train (also reserved seat only) and rode for about an hour and a half to get to Amagasaki.
At Amagasaki, we transferred to a rapid train to ride 2 stops to Sannomiya to arrive in Kobe! First, we checked into our hotel near Sannomiya station and dropped off our luggage. Then we headed back out to explore a little bit before our dinner reservation.
I did a 6 week study aboard in Kobe during the summer of 2012 and we used to come to Sannomiya a lot to just hang out after school. A lot of it is different than I remember (expected after nearly 12 years), especially because back then we never had a
plan for what we were going to do and just wandered around lol. But I managed to navigate my husband and myself back to the shopping street we frequented by "feel" after a couple of tries lol.
I had made us reservations at the Biftek Kawamura Sannomiya location ビフテキのカワムラ 三宮本店 for dinner earlier because my husband has never tried Kobe beef! We arrived a bit early but were able to be seated right away.
Luckily it wasn't too crowded, so we were on the opposite end of the curved grill from another couple who was already dining and felt like we were still on our own in a way. It's served teppanyaki style and we both chose the mid-level course dinner.
First was 3 preparations of beef and then an oxtail soup which was delicious.
Next was a salad and then the chef started to prepare the vegetables and the beef!
The main course is served on "grilled" sliced bread which soaks up some of the juices. We also had an option for rice or bread to accompany the main dish and the sauces were refillable.
To finish, there was either tea or coffee and then a dessert trio which for us included a creme brulee, yuzu ice cream and I think a gateau opera.
It was pricey, but a lot of food and I enjoyed the selections for this course meal even as a picky eater. Thankfully the exchange rate was pretty decent on this day, but it still would have been worth it for the experience. Service was good without being overbearing or feeling like we were constantly being watched. I recommend this restaurant, and I would consider visiting Biktek again (although I don't know how often I'd be willing to pay for it).
Despite being quite full from dinner, the only other thing I really wanted to do in this area was check out this crossiant taiyaki shop which had come up on my IG explore and wasn't too far from where we were. We got one soft serve taiyaki and one standard custard. The croissant texture makes it unique and they were both enjoyable.
We spent quite a bit of time on the trains this day, but managed to do all that we had on our itinerary without issue. Checking out Amanohashidate was the main impetus for this trip and we had a lot of fun riding the bikes and the various views from up high and along the sandbar (when we weren't crowded by other people).
I'm also glad our Kobe beef dinner turned out well too because I was worried the hype was too high and it would fall flat - but it didn't :) Overall, a successful Day 2 and I'm quite happy with some of the pictures we got!
💛 Kansai WIDE Area Pass trip
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