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Kameoka........................................................Return to Sister Cities
Kameoka is located in Kyoto Prefecture about 15 or 20 miles northwest of the old capital of Kyoto. Although located very near the historic old capital, Kameoka has a rich history of its own. It's an old castle town with the remants of what was no doubt an impressive castle within its city limits. The castle which was called Kameyama Castle was built in the late 1500s and for almost 300 years the feudal lord families that occupied it, along with their samarai warriors, guarded the northwest passage into Kyoto. Although the mote and some of the wall remain the main structure on the old castle grounds today is Oomoto Temple..
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............. ...... .....Section of Kameyama Castle Wall...............................Portion of Castle Mote with Oomoto Temple in the Background
Kameoka attracts many tourists, but if the castle was standing today Kameoka wouldprobably be a major tourist destination as there's much to see and do in and near the city. There are mountains within the city limits that provide Kameoka with its name. The name means "turtle hills" because the mountains are shaped somewhat like a turtle.
There's a hot springs, or onsen, resort area that draws visitors from throughout Japan. And dividing the city in half as it flows through the city on it way to the sea is the Hozu River. At the eastern edge of Kameoka the river enters a gorge and snakes its way through an impressive mountain range before it flows through Kyoto. A ride in a flat-bottom boat through the gorge from Kameoka to Kyoto is a beautiful trip alternating between swift rapids and tranquil pools.
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......................................... .......................Boat ride down the Hozu River from Kameoka to Kyoto
Also, for many years the rail line from Kyoto to Kameoka paralled the river through the gorge. Today a new line goes through several tunnels through the mountains on its way to Kameoka. The old line is the track for what is known as the Romantic Train which is another tourist attarction. It runs between Kameoka and Kyoto.
There's also several old and impressive temples and shrines as well as a burial tomb that dates from the late fourth century. Also there's areas well known for their cherry blossoms and azaleas in spring and for their beautiful foliage in the fall.
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.......... ........... Grand Shrine of Izumo Built in the Year 709 A.D. .................................................. Anao Temple
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........................ .....Kofun Burial Tomb Dating from the 4th Century ............. .... Azaleas Blooming in one of Kameoka's many Parks
In the late 1980s Kameoka built a new city hall which is the envy of every other city in the prefecture. It's an impressive facility!
In the early 1990s, Kameoka was home to a branch campus of Oklahoma State University called OSU-K. The K was for Kyoto since OSU is a state university and Kyoto is the state, or prefecture, in which the campus was located. Today the facilities house the Kameoka International Center. It remains a beautiful facilty in a beautiful setting and is a place for which I have fond memories since I taught on the campus for two years.
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................................Campus of the Former OSU-Kyoto ...........................View from my Office Window when I was at OSU-K
In 1998 Kameoka opened an ultra modern conference center called the Galleria. It is a spectacular facility! So, even without the old castle Kameoka has much for visitors to enjoy and Stillwater is proud to call it our sister city.