Autumn in Ayabe

trip and trail 3.1.2021

Ever since two foreign tourists saw a poster with delicious rice balls at some station, I've wanted to go to Ayabe when it's the season for newcomers.

Ayabe City, with its idyllic rural scenery and satoyama, is one of Japan's leading rice farms where rice cultivation has been popular since ancient times. Fertile soil, temperature differences between morning and evening, clear air, and high-quality, abundant water brought from the water source of the Yura River have grown delicious rice here.

This time, a trip to trace good rice and its roots. Trekking through the ancient forest that remains in the Koya district of Ayabe City, aiming for the water source of the Yura River.