The Olle course in Miyama takes you on an adventure through forests and to temples, a journey encompassed by history and nature dancing together in unison. There are mysterious bamboo groves to traverse, and also great views of the Chikugo plains which light up in Spring with the swirling cherry blossoms, and also turn red in Autumn as the trees shed their leaves. Beyond is Mt. Kiyomizu which changes throughout the four seasons, and upon it the beautiful Kiyomizu Temple which features a three-storied pagoda and offers a window into the past. At the end of the course you can rest you tired feet at Miyama’s Road Station which features a wide range of local produce as well as souvenirs.
Course Details
Hachirakai → Umetani Water Gate (0.6km) → Yamauchi Ancient Burial Grounds (1.3km) → Mt. Zoyama Forest Park (1.6km) → Mt. Zoyama Kogoishi (1.7km) → Kuroiwa Lake (2.6km) → Spectacles Bridge (4.1km) → Honbo Garden (4.7km) → Gohyakurakan (5.0km) → Kiyomizu Temple (5.5km) → Kiyomizu Temple Pagoda (5.6km) → Second Observatory (5.8km) → Road Station Miyama (11.5km)
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1.Umetani Water Gate
A water gate built for drainage into the vill alongside the Kogoishi stone walls. -
2.Zoyama Historical Forest Park
At this park you can see the Ariake sea from the observatory based apon ancient watchtowers. In the spring there is sakura trees and in the autumn the colours are spectacular. -
3.Zoyama Kogoishi Stone
Walls that are said to have been built in the 7th century and have been preseved until today. These walls stretch for a length of 3km and have been designated as an Important Cultural Property in Japan since 1953. -
4.Spectacles Bridge
An old bridge built around 1864 over the river that looks like a pair of spectacles. -
5.Kiyomizu-dera Temple Honbo Garden
This garden is said to have been created by Sesshu in the Muromachi period (1336-1573). It has Mt. Atago as its borrowed scenery. Centered on the Shinjji Pond, the garden is a perfect blend of natural and man-made beauty with its arrangement of garden stones, plantings, and slow and rapid waterfalls that flow into the pond. In particular, the mid-autumn moon rising from Mt. Atago, which is a borrowed view, is reflected in the pond, inviting visitors into a world of profound beauty. -
6.The Five Hundred Arhats
These are statues of five hundred disciples of the Buddha, monks who were training for the path to "self-awareness". The statues were dedicated from the Bunka-Bunsei period to the Taisho period (1912-1926), but the heads of these arhats were all cut off, and the statues were called "headless Jizo. Recently, someone put the heads back on, so each of the five hundred arhats has a different expression. -
7.Kiyomizu Temple
Renowned founder of the Tendai school Saicho is the benefactor for this long-standing temple. It originates back to 806 A.D. when the Buddhist monk carved an image of thousand-armed Guanyin on a Persian silk tree when he returned home from Tang dynasty China. -
8.Kiyomizu Temple Pagoda
Modeled after the five-story pagoda of Shitenno-ji Temple in Osaka, the construction of the pagoda finished in 1836. -
9.Second Observatory Deck
The sights of Cherry Blossoms in Miyama city. Lots of people come and see in Spring. On sunny day, you can view Ariake Sea and Mt.Unzen in Nagasaki prefecture. -
10.Road Station Miyama
One can shop the local specialty products like the farm crops such as mandarine orange, leaf mastard harvested there in Miyama city.
Transportation to Starting Locations
・Fukuoka Airport (Subway) → JR Hakata Station (Kyushu Shinkansen) → JR Chikugo Funagoya Station (Kagoshima Main Line) → JR Setaka Station
・Fukuoka Airport (Subway) → JR Hakata Station (Rapid/Normal Service) → JR Setaka Station
・Saga Airport (Limousine Bus) → JR Setaka Station Approx. 40 minutes
・Kyushu Expressway: Tosu Interchange → Miyama/Yanagawa Interchange
In the 2017 fiscal year a community bus service is due to commence. Until then a taxi subsidiary is available (640 yen) to take people from Setaka Station to the Miyama Olle Course starting point.
・Taxi
Setaka Taxis: Tel: 0944-63-5151
Food and Drink
TAKeyA
TEL：0944-62-5028
住所：みやま市瀬高町本吉1130-9
TEL ：0944-63-3388
清水山荘｜みやま市 (miyama.lg.jp)