The urban legend about the tunnel is still, "I'll get it!"It is said that there are several tunnels in Kyoto that are rumored to be of this type. There are several tunnels in Kyoto that are rumored to be of this type. One of them isOchiai TunnelIt is.

There are three routes to the Ochiai Tunnel: from Kiyotaki along the Kiyotaki River, over the Saga Rokucho Pass, or from JR Hozukyo Station. The name of the tunnel, Ochiai, refers to the point where the Kiyotaki and Hozu rivers converge. The Ochiai Bridge crosses there. The red bridge is striking against the green of the trees. The area has long been a popular spot for viewing the autumn foliage.

Ochiai Bridge and Kiyotaki River reflected in the greenery

We were on our way back to JR Hozukyo Station on Prefectural Road No. 50, after having completed our coverage of the search for an ancient road in Okusaga. After crossing the Ochiai Bridge, we stepped into the Ochiai Tunnel. The tunnel is about 4 meters wide and 80 meters long, and we could see the lights of the exit over there.

Ochiai Bridge and Ochiai Tunnel

It was dark and chilly in the tunnel.

I was approaching the exit. Suddenly, from behind me

Are you going to JNR Hozukyo station?"

I turned around and saw an elderly man who appeared to be a hiker. When I turned around, I saw an elderly man who appeared to be a hiker. He told me, "There is a place where you can see a spectacular view after passing through the tunnel. I said, "I would love to see it," and he said he would show me the way.

I quickly followed the man along the dirt road extending from the left side of the Ochiai Tunnel, which he had just passed through, to the Hozukyo Gorge, along the mountain edge of the tunnel. The man's backpack was very tired and he seemed to have walked from place to place. When the dirt road came to a curve, he let out a "wow" sound. The view below us was spectacular!

Hozugawa river rafting from a superb view point

We were standing just above a huge rock face on the Hozu River. It splashes right below us,The powerful flow of the Hozu RiverThe first time I went to the river, I saw a small stream. While I was enjoying the scenery, I heard a lively "caw, caw, caw" from upstream. A boat cruising down the Hozu River appeared below us. The boatman expertly maneuvered the oars over the rough, rocky terrain. I had no idea there was such a spectacular view in such a place!

However, behind the spectacular scenery, many accidents have been reported in this area. Hikers and wild vegetable pickers often fall into the Hozu River and drown to their deaths. It is said that boatmen on the Hozu River often find the bodies.

Not far from this location, the mother of a monk known for the Kinkakuji arson incident jumped into the Hozu River from a train of the then Japan National Railways San-in Line on her way home from an apology visit to Kinkakuji and was killed. The boatman was also the one who carried her body. Last year, the news of the death of the captain of a boat on the Hozu River by falling into the river is still fresh in our memories. The Kiyotaki River and the Hozu River have been the site of many deaths, including water accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, and dives, and they have also been another source of death.

As I captured the view below with my camera, I realized that I had not yet thanked the hiker who told me about this spectacular view. But, hey, the man was nowhere to be seen!

Looking around, I saw a narrow path leading ahead, as if it were heaving against the rock face. Oh, he must have gone this way. But I thought he was a strange man to go without saying, "After you.

So we returned to the fork in the road we had just taken. In front of us is the Ochiai Tunnel, and beyond the dark hole, we can see a red bridge. It is said that in the past, people used to jump from that Ochiai Bridge into the Kiyotaki River below and die. A cool, moist breeze blew from inside the tunnel and brushed my sweaty neck. Suddenly,The hiker earlier said "JNR."I remembered that. And yet, I can't remember the hiker's face. ......

Postcard of Ochiai Bridge in the early Showa period.
The tunnel has not yet been built (in the author's collection).

Feeling somewhat restless, we turned our backs to the tunnel and started walking toward JR Hozukyo Station.I naturally walked faster.It goes without saying that Will these experiences become urban legends?

Postcards from the early Showa period.
Ochiai Bridge can be seen in the back (in the author's collection).