Hiruzen Highlands – A Great Place to Enjoy the Nature

Whether you are an experienced cyclist or someone like us who is just too lazy to walk, if you know how to ride a bike, definitely rent one during your time at Hiruzen Highlands. Cycling your way through the hills, pastures, fields, and rivers will save you time to travel between the attractions scattered on the plateau. Furthermore, unlike driving a car, where you need to find a car space before you can hop off and explore, biking gives you all the freedom you need to explore everything this part of Mt. Hiruzen has to offer!

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. There are various rides for everyone to enjoy, even for young children. Taking the ferry wheel is another way to overlook the scenic plateau. The park is also where you can conveniently source most local specialties. In addition, it is a hidden rhododendron spot in Okayama!

For more information, refer to our Hiruzen Kogen Center & Joyful Park article!

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At the center of the entire Hiruzen Highlands is the Mikigahara (三木ヶ原). An amusement park, a winery, bike tracks, and a well-maintained ranch can be found here!

The Jersey Cow Fureai Hiroba is where you can observe the Jersey cows up close from spring to autumn. The cows are likely chilling at the ranch when you get there. They are quite friendly, and if they notice you approaching the fence, they might come to you too and even lick your hands (≧▽≦).

Whilst the grazing usually starts in late April and ends at the end of autumn.

Next to the ranch, there is a red-crowned crane breeding facility – Hiruzen Tanchō no Sato (蒜山タンチョウの里). If you are lucky, you might be able to see the smaller cranes following their mothers!

If you are taking a bus to Hiruzen Highland, get off at Yubune Guchi (湯船口). It is just a 4-minute walk from the bus stop.

For all the wine lovers, or if grape juice is your favorite drink, make sure you drop by Hiruzen Winery before you depart the plateau!

It is the only winery that produces high-quality wine from Japanese wild grapes locally grown in Hiruzen Highlands. Just the process of selecting and cultivating the grape trees with high sugar content and low acidity took them 10 years!

The wines produced by Hiruzen Winery have won several awards and are now distributed throughout the country (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.

• The winery is open from
  • 10 am to 5 pm between April and November
  • From December to March, it closes earlier, at 4 pm, and the winery won’t open on Tuesdays.
• The cafe is open from 10 am to 4 pm.
• From December to March, the winery is closed on Tuesdays unless it is a public holiday. In which case, it will close the next business day
• If you plan to take a bus to Hiruzen Highland, then get off at Yubune Guchi (湯船口). It is just a 3-minute walk from the bus stop.

Hiruzen Highlands is renowned for the Jersey cows. So, when you visit the spot, a must-try is the incredibly tasted dairy food. If you are unsure where to do so, consider Hiruzen Jersey Land. The facility offers delicious milk soft serve and cheese fondue. Besides food, what you can’t miss out on when visiting Hiruzen Jersey Land is the Jersey cow grazing. Meet the 400 adorable cows living freely on the plateau! If you come at the right time, you can even milk one of them (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.

For more information, refer to our Hiruzen Jersey Land article!

After having fun with the Jersey cows, the horses in the Hiruzen Horse Park might want your attention too (or maybe they are just hoping you will get their favorite snack – a cup of carrots, to feed them (´▽｀*))!

You can get a cup of carrots at 100 yen at the horse park to feed the horses that come up to you. Their eyes will focus on the carrots in your hands, but it is a great photo opportunity to get a selfie with these beautiful creatures (^_-)-☆.

Tip: If the carrot is too short and you are scared the horse might bite your fingers off, place the carrots on your palm!

You can check out the photos of all their horses HERE on their website. Note there is one dog at the end of the list (≧▽≦).

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• The park is open from 10 am to 4 pm daily except for
  • Wednesdays from March to November
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays in January and February
• If Wednesday is a public holiday, the park will close the next business day instead.
• The park is just next to Hiruzen Jersey Land.

Fukuda Shrine is a place with many cultural properties. Starting from the stone guardian dogs to the statue of the gods enshrined here, all are highly valuable.

But the cultural value probably isn’t why people come to the shrine. The shrine is most well-known for its great ginkgo tree!

The 650-year-old tree decorates the entire precinct of the shrine with a yellow carpet made of its golden leaves from early to mid-November!

In summer, the shrine is also the venue of the Hiruzen Fireworks Festival. From 8 pm to 8:30 pm, 1,000 fireworks are launched to the night sky of Hiruzen Highland!

And don’t hurry off and leave afterward, because straight after the fireworks, the Ōmiyaodori dance (大宮踊), which is a Nationally Designated Important Folk Cultural Property, will take place at Fukuda Shrine!

HERE is the link to Maniwa City’s website for some photos of past events.

If you are taking the Maniwa City Community bus – Maniwakun (まにわくん), get off at Nakafukuda (中福田). The shrine is just a 4-minute walk away.

As you cycle through the Hiruzen Highlands, your water supply might run out rapidly if the weather is warm.

So drop by the Shiogama Cold Spring that is located at the foot of Mt. Nakahiruzen (中蒜山), one of the peaks of the Hiruzen Sanza (蒜山三座), for water supply!

The delicious mountain spring is free to take and more delicious than the water coming out of your tap (^_-)-☆. The spring is so fresh that some would come with many water containers to bring home as much water as possible!

However, we highly recommend you not to be that person trying to bring back liters of the mountain stream. The reason is, it is forbidden to source water from the pond in the photo, which is around 60 meters square big directly.

Instead, please the water fountain close to the pond is used. So you can imagine how you can potentially upset those in the queue if you occupy the fountain longer than you have to.

From the closest bus stop – Hiruzen Shinkō-Kyoku (蒜山振興局), it is around a 40-minute walk

If you are looking for a hidden gem for autumn foliage, come to Tokuyama Shrine. From early to mid-November, the maple trees and ginkgo will beautifully blend the ground of the shrine into a stunning painting (*´ω｀).

In early April, the white-pink cherry blossom (although not many) with the surrounding light spring green foliage is another gorgeous piece of art by nature!

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The bus stop that is closest to the Shrine – Kamifukuda (上福田) is around a 35-minute walk away.

For those who are seeking a quiet spot to admire the cherry blossom, come to Kayabe Shrine.

Not only is its torii gate the biggest gate made of stone, the one km path leading to the shrine’s worship hall has cherry trees lining both sides.

In mid-April, when the trees are in full bloom, you will pass through a cherry blossom tunnel (*’▽’).

Thanks to the local volunteers, the path is beautifully lit at night from 7 to 9 pm when the flowers bloom (early to late April, as an estimate).

If you are interested in Japanese architecture, apparently, back in 1863, the 13 meters tall stone torii gate took about three months to complete!

The bus stop closest to the Shrine – Kamifukuda (上福田), is around a 45-minute walk away.

From Hiruzen Herb Garden Her Bill (see the next attraction), it is around a 5-minute walk.

Below is a guide on when each type of plant will blossom for you to plan your visit (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.

• Approx. 2,000 hydrangeas: late June to early July
• Approx. 400 roses of 100 varieties: May to June
• Approx. 5,000 lavenders: early July to the beginning of August
• Approx. 200 different types of herbs: mid-May to late November

• The garden is open from 9 am to 4:30 pm from April to November daily except Wednesdays.
• The entry fees are
  • 300 yen for adults
  • 200 yen for high school students
  • Free for elementary school students and younger
• The bus stop that is closest to the garden – Kamifukuda (上福田) is around a 50-minute walk away
• From Karube Shrine, it is around a 5-minute walk.

The Hiruzen region has been developing into buckwheat fields since 1997. Nowadays, in early to mid-September, the white little buckwheat flowers bloom across all the buckwheat fields.

One of the best spots to admire the flowers is close to Kayabe Observatory Rest Area (茅部野展望休憩所). From there, you will get a panorama view of the vast buckwheat fields with the mountain range in the background!

To get to Kayabe Observatory Rea Area, get off the community bus at Hiruzen Shinkokyoku (蒜山振興局). It is around a 30-minute walk from the bus stop, but you should start to see the flowers blossoming here and there on the way!

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The promenade of Yamanori Gorge is relatively short compared to most gorges in Japan. But, within the 400 meters track, the scenery changes rapidly!

Passing through the beech forest around the entrance of the promenade, rock cliffs will surround you. The speed of the flow of the Yamanori River (山乗渓) running downstream differs throughout the gorge. Sometimes the stream moves so slowly that you almost think it stays still. Other times the stream of water flows violently between the rocks and the trees!

At the end of the promenade is the 20 meters tall Fudo Falls (不動滝). The sound of the water pounding down is the perfect music to help you release the stress that you have accumulated from your busy urban life (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.

It is probably best to access the park with a car as the closest bus stop – Hatsuwa (初和), is around a 90-minute walk away.

From late June to early July, you will spot some tiny golden lights moving around the rivers in the area. If you are interested in this fantastic show starring all the fireflies in Hiruzen, head to Tsurugo River (津黒川)!

The number of fireflies is significantly more than in other areas around Tsurugo Ikimono Fureai no Sato (津黒いきものふれあいの里). You can arrive at the nature park in the late afternoon and trek around the park. That should take around 60 – 90 minutes before you head to the riverside and get ready for the show!

It is probably best to access the park with a car as the closest bus stop, Hatsuwa (初和), is around a 70-minute walk away.

Maniwa City, where the Hiruzen Highlands is located, is also known as one of the best places to be during cherry blossom seasons. Spots such as the cherry blossom tunnel and a gigantic cherry tree that is a thousand years old up on a hill are the places you won’t want to miss out on. There are even a few places where you can enjoy the cherry blossoms and the fall foliage at the same time!

To know more about where else to go around Hiruzen Highlands, check out our Maniwa City article!