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 city, there is this shrine with unique wooden plaques!
For the below attractions, we try to group them according to their distance from JR Sōja Station. A few go completely different directions from the other, so try to map them out on Google Maps so that you can decide which route would be more efficient for you!
- Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple (備中国分寺)
- Kōmori-Zuka Ancient Tomb (こうもり塚古墳)
- Karube Shrine (軽部神社)
- Kinojō Castle Ruins (鬼ノ城跡)
- Iyama Hōfukuji Temple (井山宝福寺)
- Gōkei Valley (豪渓)
Bike Rental at Sōja City
If you plan to explore Sōja City by bike instead of taking a bus or hiring a taxi, once you get out of the JR Sōja Station, head to Araki Bike Rental (荒木レンタサイクル) just in front of the station! There are a few rental plans and models that you can choose from.
Tip: Refer to the Kibiji Cycling Route on the OFFICIAL CYCLING MAP.
Returning the Bicycle to Where You Rented It
- Normal bicycle: 1,500 yen
- Bicycles for children younger than elementary school students: 500 yen
- Sports bicycle: 2,200 yen
- Electric-assisted bicycle: 2,800 yen
- An extra 200 yen is payable to rent the bicycle for another hour.
- For bikes with a child seat, it is an extra 300 yen per bike in addition to the above price.
- An extra 500 yen is payable to return the bicycle to another bicycle rental spot in Sōja City.
Returning the Bike at a Shop Different from Where You Rent It from or Returning the Bike the Next Day
You can drop off your bike at one of the bike rental shops listed below instead of cycling all the way back to Araki Bike Rental.
JR Bizen-Ichinomiya Station (備前一宮駅): Uedo Bike Rental (ウエドレンタサイクル)
Attraction close by Kibitsuhiko Shrine (吉備津彦神社) – click on the shrine’s name to find out more information about this shrine!
Kibiji Bike Rental (吉備路レンタサイクル)
Attraction close by Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple (備中国分寺) – click on the shrine’s name to find out more information about this temple!
Bicycle Rental Shop’s Business Hours and Other Services
- The bicycle rental shops mentioned above are open from 9 am to 6 pm from March to October.
- From November to February, it closes earlier, at 5 pm.
- The shop closes from the 29th of December to the 4th of January.
- The shop also provides free area maps, luggage storage, and rain gear rental.
- Except for Uedo Bike Rental, parking your car at the store is possible. Note that this is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once the shop’s car park is full, you will have to park somewhere else.
Important: Please remember to bring your ID as this is part of their requirement for bike rental.
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Sōja City.
Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple (備中国分寺)
Located almost at the center of the hills, surrounded by red pine, the Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple is famous for its five-storied pagoda standing in the middle of the rural landscape.
When the plum blossoms, rape flower, the Chinese milk vetch, or the sunflowers bloom, many professional photographers will gather at this spot to capture some of the most stunning rural landscape photos!
The temple was built in 741 under the order of the Japanese emperor at the time, who wanted to borrow Buddha’s powers to protect the country from disasters and famine. Unfortunately, the temple was later destroyed in the Nanboku-Chō Period (1336 – 1392). The worship halls and the 34 meters tall five-story pagoda we see today were restored in 1844.
The Best Time to Visit Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple
- Rape flowers might start to bloom as early as late December if we had a warmer winter. Otherwise, the rape flowers season usually starts from mid-January to February
- Plum blossoms usually bloom from late February to mid-March
- Chinese milk vetch blooms from late April to early May
- The Chinese Milk Vetch Festival is held on the 29th of April each year
- Sunflowers: from late June to late July
- Ear of rice: September
Tips:
☛ The sunset at Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple is another great photography opportunity. Especially when the rape flowers bloom, you can get a nice photo with the flowers looking orange as it reflects the dark orange sunlight!
☛ If you are after a photo of the sunset, arrive early as the sun won’t be waiting for you!
How to Get to Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple
From JR Sōja Station (総社駅), it is a 15-minute drive.
Instead of taking a taxi, how about renting a bicycle and cycling your way to the Temple to enjoy some relaxing countryside atmosphere?
From JR Sōja Station, it only takes around 20 mins by bike. You can rent your bike from the Araki Bike Rental (荒木レンタサイクル) located in front of the station!
Feel free to drop by the Temple anytime you want.
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Sōja City.
Kibiji Motenashi-no Yakata (吉備路もてなしの館)
Just opposite the Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple, there is a nice place where you can take a break and admire the five-storied pagoda.
You can enjoy their delicious desserts or even a light meal there as you wait for the perfect lighting to shine on the Temple for your photo of this symbol of the Kibiji Area!
Their business hours are from 9 am to 4:30 pm daily except Tuesdays.
Important: We haven’t been able to confirm if the broth and sauce used for noodle soup are free of animal products (most likely not). You can utilize the phrases in our Essential Japanese Travel Phrases for Vegetarians and Vegans article when you get there to check with the staff.
Kōmori-Zuka Ancient Tomb (こうもり塚古墳)
The Kōmori-Zuka Ancient Tomb is a keyhole-shaped tumulus built in the 6th century. With a length of about 100 meters, it is renowned as one of the three major megalithic burial mounds in the Okayama Prefecture.
It also boasts being the fourth largest scale amongst the confirmed horizontal hole-type stone chambers.
A keyhole-shaped tumulus is a form of tumuli that has a shape combining two burial mounds whose plane surfaces are round and squared.
The tomb is also home to many bats, which is why this tomb was named Kōmori.
Entry is free, just like Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple!
How to Get to Kōmori-Zuka Ancient Tomb
It is a 10-minute walk from Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple!
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Sōja City.
Karube Shrine (軽部神社)
Karube Shrine is a small shrine that can be easily missed if you don’t actually look for it.
You must be thinking, why should I bother hunting it down if it is such a small shrine? And our answer to you is that there is something really special in this shrine that you won’t be able to see elsewhere in Japan!
Ema with Female’s Breast Attached
If you have been inside a Japanese Shrine, you must have seen wooden plaques that hung on one side of the shrine with people’s prayers and wishes written on the back. These wooden plaques are called Ema (絵馬) in Japanese.
The ema hung at Karube Shrine comes with a female’s breast attached to one side. If they are too embarrassed for your stare at them, then think of them as eyeballs as we initially thought (´▽｀*).
When the shrine was built in 1334, the god enshrined here had nothing to do with the female’s breast. It just happened to be the weeping cherry tree on the ground of the shrine called “Tarachine-no-Sakura”. Because the name has a deep connection with the breast, when the cherry tree blossoms in spring, the tree itself becomes an object of worship relating to motherhood.
As time passed, even after the weeping cheery tree had died, the shrine became a place for mothers to pray for ample milk from their breasts to feed their babies. And at the same time, they hope their little ones can stay healthy and grow up just fine with enough nutrition.
Nowadays, the shrine is also a place for females to pray for recovery from any breast-related diseases such as cancer.
Please note that you are unlikely to be able to purchase one of those wooden plaques from the shrine. The ema was actually sold by the local business association in an effort to revitalize the regional economy. If you would like to make a wish with this special ema, you can still purchase a kit from the below locations.
A set of materials costs 2,000 yen.
- Kibiji Motenashi-no Yakata (吉備路もてなしの館) is opposite Bitchū Kokubun-Ji Temple (備中国分寺)
- Kibiji Tourist Information Center (吉備路観光案内センター)
How to Get to Karube Shrine
It is a 10-minute walk from JR Kiyone Station (清音駅).
Feel free to drop by the Temple anytime you want.
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Sōja City.
Bizen-no-Kuni Sōjagū (備前国総社宮)
If you are seeking a shrine where you can get blessings from multiple gods, then come to Bizen-no-Kuni Sōjagū. It is literally a shrine that enshrines the gods from 324 shrines in the area!
The shrine erected in the Heian period (794 – 1185) was constructed to avoid the inconvenience of pilgrimage to shrines located all over the Bizen Province and the southern part of Okayama Prefecture.
So while you walk along the worship hall, if you look up, you should be able to see many masks, each representing a god.
The other notable fact about this shrine is its long corridor leading to the worship hall. Lanterns are hung throughout the corridor, which creates a very sacred and different atmosphere from the corridor in the Kibitsu Shrine (吉備津神社) in Okayama City, which isn’t too far away!
How to Get to Bizen-no-Kuni Sōjagū
It is a 5-minute walk from JR Higashi-Sōja Station (東総社駅).
Kinojō Castle Ruins (鬼ノ城跡)
Kinojō Castle was selected to be one of the Top 100 Castles in Japan. Although, instead of a traditional Japanese-style castle that is built elsewhere in the country, we only have castle ruins today. But it has a history so far back that it can’t even be traced! To some people, it actually resembles a Korean-style castle Σ(ﾟДﾟ).
The castle also has a deep connection with the Japanese folktale, Momotarō (桃太郎, “Peach Boy”). It is said that the demons in the folktale used to live in this castle, which is how the castle got its name “Kinojō” as it translates to ‘demon’s castle’ in Japanese!
If you are interested in where they buried the demon, our Kibitsu Shrine article has more information (^_-)-☆.
Leaving the folktale aside, because of its Korean-style design, some historians believe that the castle was built by a Korean prince and his people who came to Japan due to the war back in 663.
The investigation of the castle’s history is still ongoing, with parts of the castle such as the corner tower and the castle gate being restored! The panoramic view from its west gate is a must-see when you visit the Kinojō Castle (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ. And if you haven’t had enough, there is a 2.8 km walking course along the castle’s walls if you fancy a relaxing stroll!
Kinojōzan Visitor Center (鬼城山ビジターセンター)
This visitor center acts as the entrance to the Kinojō Castle Ruins. It is a facility where you can learn about the nature of Kinojō Castle and its surroundings.
Please note that the information provided in the center relating to the castle ruins and the surrounding nature is Japanese-only. However, you should be able to get some ideas just by looking at the photos and the model of the castle.
The center also makes a great toilet stop just before you head to the Castle Ruins (^_-)-☆.
From the visitor center to Kinojō Castle Ruins, it is a 10-minute hike. As the slope isn’t too steep, this shouldn’t be an issue for those pushing a pram.
Tip: There are six free coin-operated lockers at the visitor center for anyone who would prefer to travel light.
- Kinojōzan Visitor Center is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily except Mondays.
- The last admission is at 4:30 pm.
- If Monday is a public holiday, it will close on the next business day instead.
- The visitor center is also closed from the 29th of December to the 3rd of January.
Time Required at Kinojō Castle Ruins
If you only wish to enjoy the view from the west gate, a 30-minute return trip should be enough. But to fully explore this spot, allocating 2 hours here is recommended (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
Tip: Please bring enough water with you as there are no vending machines around the castle ruins and visitor center. In summer, you might want to apply sun cream and take heatstroke preventative measures.
How to Get to Kinojō Castle Ruins
From JR Sōja Station (総社駅), it is a 20-minute drive to the visitor center.
Please note that the road leading to the visitor center is very narrow (it can barely fit two cars side by side). So if you aren’t confident with your driving skills, we wouldn’t recommend you to drive there.
From JR Hattori Station (服部駅), it is about a 2-hour hike which is suitable for those who have flexible time schedules and good stamina.
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Sōja City.
Iyama Hōfukuji Temple (井山宝福寺)
Hōfukuji Temple is a sub-temple of the Tōfukuji Temple. 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. The statues are placed to commemorate the famous ink painting painter Sesshū. In addition, it is a hidden gem to adore the autumn colors.
Refer to our Hōfukuji Temple article for more information!
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Sōja City.
Gōkei Valley (豪渓)
If you are looking for a scenic spot to visit when you visit Okayama Prefecture, Gōkei should be one of the best candidates. The valley is still considered a hidden gem as most of the tourists who come to the valley are locals. With such a stunning landscape, if you come to Okayama in autumn without visiting Gōkei, it is really a shame!
For more information, please refer to our article on Gōkei Valley!
Click HERE to return to a list of attractions in Sōja City.
Explore the Famous Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is a historic area filled with traditional Japanese buildings, perfect for some photography sessions.
With various shops, trendy cafes and galleries in the area, you can easily spend a whole day here without getting bored!
Find out more about this gorgeous part of Japan with our Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter article!
