Demachiyanagi - last station of Keihan line

My first contact with this station was on my way to the Megetsu festival at the Shimogamo Shrine in September. It was just about two weeks after I arrived in Japan and I was still pretty confused with everything. I remember just the simple task of buying a ticket and getting on a train was quite an adventure in itself and involved a lot of “Kore wa doko desuka?”(=where is this?) on the way. A useful fact that I hadn’t known at the time was that unlike the other lines, the Keihan railway lets you use the limited express train for no additional cost. So silly me took the Sub-express train which was not very “express” at all. It stopped at every station and of course it took me forever to get there. But this time I knew better!

Demachiyanagi station is the last station of the Keihan line and also the first of the Eizan line (which goes north to Kurama station at the foot of Mt. Kurama and Yase-Hieizan-guchi station near Mt. Hiei). It is located in a part of Kyoto called Sakyo. You can also take a bus or a taxi across the street from the main entrance of the Demachiyanagi station. The name of the station consists of 2 words: Demachi, the west side of Kamo river and Yanagi, the east side of the river and immediate neighborhood of the station. There were very convenient signs in the station with directions on them and even picture maps of the station and its surroundings. It all was very foreigner-friendly, I have to say, probably because of the huge amount of sightseeing you can do around and the universities that were nearby. The closest sights were the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Shimogamo Shrine, the Yoshida Shrine and the Chion-ji temple (where I’ll be heading back to soon for the annual autumn used books fair). But there will be so much more, especially when the leaves will have changed color and when the sakuras are blooming! Right at the main gates you can rent a bicycle for just 500円/day. The staff spoke a little English and provided me with maps for sightseeing. They even had a walking map of Sakyo with recommendations from foreign students! Doshisha University and Kyoto University were just a short walk from the station and had a large influence on the surrounding area. There were a lot of cafes, bars and restaurants that were cheap and cozy and that had international menus and music. As far as drink go, I highly recommend chillin’ at the blues bar Ball and Chain with a cup of sake. They often play old VCR tapes of blues videos.

There are lots of fun things you can do around Demachiyanagi!

one of the main gates of Demachiyanagi station which take you underground to Keihan line (for Eizan line stay on the ground level and just turn left)

from here turn left for taking the bus or crossing the bridge to Demachi or right for cafés and restaurants...