Kameoka & the Hozu River
The Hozugawa boarding point and the Kameoka end of the Sagano Romantic Train are both in Kameoka. The questions people ask most are answered below from the official pages: whether to book, whether it stops in winter, whether there is a waiting list or combined ticket, and how to get from the station to the boats.
Coming up
Nothing listed in the near term. The experiences and places below are open any time.
Running now
16:30
Sagano Romantic Train: Train of Light Illusions
Runs Oct 24 – Dec 29
Last year of the current cars: retiring December 29, with new cars debuting next spring
Go any time
動 · Outdoors
Hozugawa River Boat Ride
Open year-round · Shared boat: Adult ¥6,000; child (preschool–elementary) ¥4,500. All prices tax included; ~2 hrs, Kameoka → Arashiyama.
Updated Oct 17Tap the official site before you goSource ↗ hozugawakudari.jp
体 · Workshop
Natural Whetstone Museum Knife Sharpening Workshop
Knife-sharpening lesson (about 60–90 minutes) at the Natural Whetstone Museum in Kameoka. Open 10:00–16:00; closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and over the New Year holidays. Apply through the booking form. · Lesson fee ¥3,000 per person (tax included). English assistant extra (¥2,000 for 1 person / ¥1,000 per person for 2 or more).
Updated Oct 24Source ↗ tennentoishikan.com
体 · Workshop
Natural Whetstone Museum: Make Your Own Whetstone
Choose a natural whetstone and prepare its surface for your own use (about 15 minutes). No booking needed. Open 10:00–16:00; closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and over the New Year holidays. · Whetstones from ¥1,500 each (varies by size). A ¥500 discount is offered when combined with the knife-sharpening lesson.
Updated Oct 24Source ↗ tennentoishikan.com
体 · Workshop
Kyoto Hozu Indigo Workshop Indigo Dyeing Experience
Indigo dyeing at a workshop in Hozu-cho, Kameoka (Ryukyu indigo). About 1 hour 30 minutes (about 2 hours for groups). Choose a start time of 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 or 15:00; booking required; 1 to 40 people. · Materials and experience included: large cotton handkerchief / tenugui / placemat from ¥3,300, linen noren curtain from ¥16,500, and others. For a single participant, any item starts from ¥6,600.
Updated Oct 24Source ↗ hozuai.com
Getting there
- Torokko Kameoka → Hozugawa boarding point
- Take Keihan Kyoto Kotsu bus Chokko 39 (Torokko–Umahori Line), which runs straight to the boarding point. From Torokko Kameoka: 9:35, 10:35, 11:35, 12:35, 13:35, 14:35, plus 9:29 and 10:29 on Keihan sightseeing-bus days (timetable revised 19 Sep 2026). Chokko 39 does not run when the Torokko train or the boat ride is suspended. ↗
- Horse carriage
- A horse carriage also runs from Torokko Kameoka to the boarding point (adult ¥1,000, child ¥500). One leaving after 14:00 misses the last boat. ↗
- By JR
- For Torokko Kameoka the nearest JR station is Umahori on the Sagano (San’in) Line. From JR Kameoka Station, Hozugawa’s own route guide uses the north exit. ↗
Bus times are from Keihan Kyoto Kotsu’s official timetable (revised 19 Sep 2026). Where the operator gives no fare or journey time, neither do we.
Before you go
- 12/29–01/04
- Hozugawa boats do not run from 29 Dec to 4 Jan (every year). ↗
- 12/30–02/28
- The Sagano Romantic Train does not run from 30 Dec to the end of February (season 1 Mar–29 Dec). ↗
- Do you need to book the boat ride?
- Not compulsory. Fewer than 10 can book online (closes the day before); 10 or more phone. You can also buy a same-day ticket at the boarding counter, first come first served, and it may still be available when online shows full. ↗
- No winter shutdown
- The boat runs in winter too (winter boats from the second Monday of December to 9 March, fewer departures, open boats this season). Closures are only 29 Dec–4 Jan, safety days and storms or high water. ↗
- No waiting list, no combined ticket
- Neither operator has a waiting-list system, and there is no combined ticket or discount for the boat and the train (the operator says none). Buy them separately; the Hozugawa counter in Torokko Saga Station sells same-day boat tickets. ↗
- How long it takes: two official figures
- The FAQ says about 100 minutes (60–110 depending on water level) while the fares and timetable page says about 2 hours. They disagree, so we use neither; leave at least two hours before your next plan. ↗
- Torokko Kameoka is not JR Kameoka
- Torokko Kameoka is the scenic railway’s own station, not a JR station; the nearest JR station is Umahori on the Sagano (San’in) Line, not Kameoka. The names are easy to mix up. ↗