Miyama-cho (Kyoto Prefecture) (美山町 (京都府))
Miyama-cho was a town located roughly in the center of Kyoto Prefecture until December 31, 2005. It belonged to Kitakuwada-gun.
Miyama-cho was a mountainous, agricultural area filled with natural beauty such as lush greenery and pure streams. It had a population of 5070 in 2003.
The area of Miyama-cho was 340.47 sq. km, the largest of the towns and villages in Kyoto Prefecture. The town is surrounded by a mountain range with the 800- to 900-meter class mountains of Mt. Mikunidake, Mt. Tokin and Mt. Choro; the headstream of the Yura-gawa River threads its way through the mountains and flows through the center of the town.
Among the houses along the river, approximately 250 of them have thatched roofs and many of them remain in the northern settlement, in particular; with the natural scenery and thatched houses in perfect harmony, the area retains the unspoiled landscape of farming villages in Japan. Furthermore, the settlement in this area has been selected as one of the 'Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings' by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
On January 1, 2006, four neighboring towns were merged to form Nantan City, ending the history of Miyama-cho as a municipal government. The town name remains as the name of an administrative district in Nantan City.
Geography
Adjacent municipalities
Sakyo Ward and Ukyo Ward in Kyoto City
Ayabe City
Hiyoshi-cho (Kyoto Prefecture) and Kyotanba-cho in Funai-gun
Oi-cho in Oi-gun, Fukui Prefecture
Takashima City in Shiga Prefecture
History
1955:
On April 1, the five villages of Hiraya-mura, Miyajima-mura, Ono-mura, Chii-mura and Tsurugaoka-mura were newly merged to form Miyama-cho.
Transportation
Railroads
Miyama-cho has no railroad. The Kotsuru Line (小鶴線) was planned to connect Obama Station on the Obama Line and Tonoda Station on the Sanin Main Line (present-day Hiyoshi station (Kyoto Prefecture) and run through the town, but did not open. Tsuru' as in the name of the Kotsuru Line was taken from the former Tsurugaoka-mura, which Miyama-cho had absorbed.
Roads
National Route 162
District
Education
Prefectural Kitakuwada High School, Miyama Branch
Kyoto Miyama High School
Others
100 Selected Water Spots: pure streams, thatched houses, and a town with historic landscape