Chūgoku Region

Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi

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Hiruzen Highlands – A Great Place to Enjoy the Nature

Hiruzen Highlands (蒜山高原) in Okayama Prefecture, also known as Hiruzen Plateau, is one of the best highland resorts in Western Japan. It is reminiscent of Karuizawa near Tokyo. While architecture might be less fashionable, it has much more capacity for you to enjoy nature. At the same time, there are still stylish boutique shops for […]

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A Guide to What to Do at Hiruzen Kogen Center & Joyful Park

When you are a bit bored of nature and are after a bit of a thrill at Hiruzen Highlands, head to Hiruzen Kogen Center & Joyful Park (ヒルゼン高原センター・ジョイフルパーク). There are various rides for everyone to enjoy, even for young children. Taking the ferry wheel is another way to overlook the scenic plateau. In addition, it

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Kanba Falls – One of the Best Waterfall in Western Japan

Kanba Falls (神庭の滝) in Okayama Prefecture, a 20-meter-wide waterfall with water falling from a 110-meter cliff, is the biggest waterfall in Western Japan and one of the Top 100 Waterfalls in the country! Together with the surrounding nature, the spot was also designated to be one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan (=゚ω゚)ノ.

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Niimi City and the Amazing Limestone Caves

Okayama Prefecture, in the western part of Japan’s main island, is definitely not known for its limestone caves. However, if you drop by Niimi City (新見市), you will encounter a few of the most fascinating limestone caves you will ever see! During summer, there is a relaxing marsh for you to trek on and even

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Your Ultimate Guides to the Makidō and Ikuradō Caves

Whether you are a Japanese or a foreigner, Okayama is undoubtedly not the prefecture that people would think of when it comes to limestone caves. This is great news for the limestone cave lovers who are reading this article because crowds of people won’t surround the fantastically lit-up caves even during the Golden Week!

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Sōja City and the Scenic Hidden Gems that Many Don’t Know

If you are after some hidden gems in the Chūgoku region, come to Sōja City (総社市) in Okayama Prefecture for the beautiful natural wonders that the non-locals might not be aware of. Apart from the scenic places, you will also find a castle that used to house demons. And on the other side of the

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Hōfukuji Temple and the Interesting Monk and Mouse Statues

Hōfukuji Temple (井山宝福寺) is a sub-temple of the Tōfukuji Temple (東福寺) school of the Rinzai sect (臨済宗). It is also the leading Zen Buddhist temple in the region. When you explore this temple, you will find a couple of tied-up monks’ statues. However, there is no need to be afraid of or weirded out.

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Gōkei Valley – One of the Most Picturesque Valley in Okayama

Gōkei (豪渓) was designated as one of Japan’s National Site of Scenery Beauty in 1923. It is a beautiful valley located upstream of the Makidani River (槙谷川), a tributary of the Takahashi River (高梁川). The valley is still considered a hidden gem as most of the tourists who come to the valley are locals. With

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Ōkunoshima – The Rabbit Island that Was Erased from the Map

You probably have heard about the cat islands in Japan, and maybe you have even been to one, but did you know that Japan has a rabbit island too? Ōkunoshima (大久野島) is a small island floating on the Seto Inland Sea. The island in Hiroshima Prefecture has more than 1,000 wild rabbits (as of 2019),

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