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Vegetarian's Japan Guide

Sōja Travel

Bicchu-Kokubun-ji-Temple-Soja-Okayama-Japan

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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