Amanohashidate

Amanohashidate is a pine-covered sandbar that stretches across Miyazu Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan side of the country. The name means bridge to heaven, and the view of the bar has been counted among Japan's three most celebrated scenes for centuries.

Climb to Kasamatsu Park on the northern slope and view the sandbar upside down between your legs, the traditional way to make it look like a bridge across the sky. Down at sea level you can walk or cycle the bar itself, past thousands of pines, to Chionji Temple at the southern end.

Most visitors come as an overnight from Kyoto on the Kyoto Tango Railway via Miyazu, pairing the sandbar with a seafood dinner at a bayside ryokan. Summer opens swimming beaches along the bar, and winter brings crab season to the surrounding coast. A revolving bridge and cable cars keep the sightseeing easy.