Nantan City

A jin'ya denied repairs became a castle.

Sonobe Castle, gate

Photo by 小池隆 (CC BY 4.0)

01 ／ Onda

Two men, in largely improvised exchanges,act out a year of rice farming.

It is performed on the haiden of Taji Shrine (Tawara, Hiyoshi) on the morning of 3 May. Two men, Sakutaro and Sakujiro, carry the steps from choosing the day to the last cutting using spoken lines and mimicry. A hoe once used bears the date Genroku 4 (1691).

2000: Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property
Steps run from choosing the day to the last cutting
Hoe dated Genroku 4 (1691)

02 ／ Noh paintings

On the bridge of Sogenji, family templeof the Umewaka, Noh scenes are painted.

曹源寺橋（日吉町）.jpg — Photo by Spedi-sit (CC0)

Sogenji in Tonoda, Hiyoshi, is a Soto Zen temple. Kyoto Prefecture's walking guide calls it the family temple of the Umewaka, founders of Tamba Sarugaku. On the posts of the Sogenji Bridge railing are Noh paintings, and the guide's map also marks the Umewaka family graves.

A Soto Zen temple
Noh paintings on the railing posts
Umewaka family graves on the map

03 ／ Sweetfish

Carrying live sweetfish on a pole,they ran about 23 km in some seven hours.

According to the Hiyoshi Local History Museum, an ayumochi carried a tub of 50 to 70 sweetfish on a shoulder pole and ran from Amawaka to a wholesaler at Saga-Toriimoto. On the way the carrier added valley water to the tub bit by bit so the fish would not die.

50 to 70 fish per tub
About 23 km from Amawaka to Saga-Toriimoto
About 7 hours

Living here

28 minutes from Sonobe to Kyoto by limited express.

about 30,000 people

The gateway is JR Sonobe Station on the Sagano Line. Kyoto is 28 minutes by the fastest limited express or 36 minutes by the rapid that runs every day.

People living here: 31,629people
Area: 616.4km²
Households: 13,195households
Rent (average for rentals): 41,357yen
Healthcare: 3 hospitals ／ 30 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —8 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Nantan City in Japan35.107°N 135.470°E

to KyotoJR limited express28min

Travel times follow JR西日本『JRおでかけネット』区間時刻表 https://timetable.jr-odekake.net/line-timetable/2393（『嵯峨野線・山陰本線(京都～新大阪／福知山～鳥取) 下り』・ページの日付 2026年10月8日・木・保存 $SP/nantan/l2393.html）の、京都『発』→園部『着』（同じ列車の列）を70本数えた。運転日注意欄が空（毎日運転）で最速は特急の28分：まいづる3041M／はしだて5081M（京都08:38発→園部09:06着。連結）、きのさき5011M（京都16:25発→園部16:53着）。きのさき5001M（07:32→08:01）は29分で、きのさき8003M（09:25→09:54）は注意欄に『◆』が付く臨時。快速は毎日運転の2211M（15:08→15:44）が36分、平日のみの快速2201M・2203Mも36分。普通は毎日運転の221M（05:31→06:15）が44分。八木まで快速29分（2211M 15:37着）、吉富まで快速33分 (checked 2026-10-08). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 8 municipalities across 4 prefectures.

Territory of Nantan City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

39.2km

Kyoto Prefecture: 京都市, 京丹波町, 亀岡市, 綾部市
Fukui Prefecture: おおい町
Hyogo Prefecture: 丹波篠山市
Shiga Prefecture: 高島市
Osaka Prefecture: 能勢町

Nantan City isthis kind of town.

01Sonobe Castle was a jin'ya of the Koide family, who held no castle rank; the new Meiji government approved its renovation and it became a castle. The gate and turret now stand on the grounds of Kyoto Prefectural Sonobe High School
02The Onda at Taji Shrine in Tawara, Hiyoshi, performed on 3 May, is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property; the railing of Sogenji Bridge in Tonoda carries Noh paintings
03The ayumochi who carried live sweetfish is known from the Hiyoshi Local History Museum's exhibit; the Kayabuki no Sato in Kita, Miyama, is a nationally designated Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and Kyoto is 28 minutes away by limited express

See the town as it is now.

Facebookcity.nantan.kyoto ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Nantan City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗