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Nature Spots in Okayama Area

Area

  • Cave Ikura
    rating-image
    4.0
    55 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Nimishi Ikura 409
    A limestone cave 1,200 meters long and with a total elevation difference of 90 meters located in scenic Ikura Gorge in Ikura, Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture. The entrance to the cave is on a 240 meter tall limestone precipice. The cave was formed by rainwater erosion and features such as a 50 meter tall waterfall and icicle-like stalactites give the cavernous spaces within it a mystical quality. Visitors can view some 30 rare and unusually shaped stones and rock formations that are both strange and beautiful, such as the “Silver Screen,” “Water Clothing,” and “Jellyfish Stone.” Arisa no Miya, a shrine dedicated to a woman who suffered unrequited love and who is now revered as a goddess granting worshipers luck in love and marriage, stands at the cave’s exit.

    This is a really fun outing for families. Keep in mind that it requires walking on slippery surfaces, and you have to watch your head if you are tall. They gave us an English flyer, and we enjoyed...

    Cave Ikura image
  • Maki-do Cave
    rating-image
    4.0
    35 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Nimishi Toyonagakouma 2276-2
    A limestone cave on a karst plateau in Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture designated a Natural Monument by Okayama Prefecture. Said to have been found by a hunter in the Edo period, the cave’s name, meaning “full of mysteries,” is derived from a poem written by married poets Tekkan and Akiko Yosano in 1929. The cave is around 450 meters long in total and 25 meters wide at its widest point, and its graceful spaces are filled with sights to see, including one of Japan’s best examples of a rimstone terrace formation; an underground lake named the “Palace of Dreams;” and countless soda straws, stalactites, and stalagmites.

    ここは、横溝正史の八つ墓村の舞台となった所。 千枚田と言われるリムストーンプールに、小竹・小梅婆さんが水死しているシーン。この満奇洞が撮影地。 明治の俳人、与謝野晶子が「奇に満ちた鍾乳洞」と歌に詠んだことから名付けられたそう。 その名のとおり、地底湖と様々な鍾乳石の幻想的な世界が広がります。 鍾乳洞の博物館とも言われ、様々な鍾乳石の形が見られます。

    Maki-do Cave image
  • Mt. Ojigatake
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Tamano-shi Shibukawa Hoka
    Mt. Ojigatake image
  • Sami Beach
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Kurashikishi Tamashimakurosaki
    This coast is located in the Tamashima Kurosaki area of Kurashiki City. Made up of western and eastern beach area, it was where the first shore reclamation work in Japan took place over six years from 1983. Sami Beach was set up, and the beautiful sandy beach that has been chosen as one of Japan’s top 100 beaches is visited by many beachgoers.
    Sami Beach image
  • Osabana Coast
    rating-image
    3.5
    4 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Asakuchi-shi Yorishimacho Ao Sa
    Located a 20-minute drive from Kamogata Interchange on the Sanyo Expressway. A beach on the edge of Setonaikai National Park located at the point where the foothills of Mt. Aosa sink into the Seto Inland Sea. As part of the Setonaikai National Park you can enjoy the beauty of the archipelago on Seto Inland Sea looking out over Yorishima-enchi Park and the three small Saburo Islands (Mitsuyama) as well as the Kasaoka Islands. The beach's convenient roadside access means that during the beach season it is busy with visitors including families with children. The beach is also a wellknown place to go hunting for mantis shrimp.

    とても小さな海岸ですが、倉敷の街中から車で１時間もかからない好立地です。ただ、福山方面からの海岸沿いの道は道幅が狭く、一部車の離合が出来ないような箇所があるので注意が必要です。

  • Hiruzen Plateau
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama prefecture Maniwa shi mountain
    A plateau 500 to 600 meters above sea level located in north Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture known as one of the top resort destinations in western Japan. Located in Daisen-Oki National Park, the plateau offers a superb view of the three peaks of Hiruzen. Cute Jersey cows graze on pastureland on the plateau, and visitors can watch them basking in the sun. The plateau is full of tourism destinations, including leisure facilities offering horseback riding, cycling, and barbecuing, as well as an amusement park and a hot spring bath facility.
    Hiruzen Plateau image
  • Shibukawa Kaigan
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Tamano-shi Shibukawa 2
    Shibukawa Kaigan image
  • Mt. Washu
    Travel / Tourism
    Kurashiki-shi, Okayama-ken
    A 133 meter tall mountain located in Setonaikai National Park, known as Japan's first national park. The mountain came to be called “Washu” (“eagle wing”) because it resembles an eagle's outstretched wings. From high up on the mountain, visitors can get a sweeping view of the calm Seto Inland Sea and the 50-some islands of various sizes which dot its waters, as well as the Seto-ohashi Bridge. The view from here at night is particularly beautiful and has also been selected as one of Japan's 100 best sunsets.
  • Kanba Falls
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Maniwashi Kamba
    This waterfall is located in Kanba, Maniwa City. Known for its beautiful landscape that weaves a 20-meter wide waterfall that falls wildly from a height of 110 meters with the nature of changing autumn leaves and a snowy landscape, it has been chosen as one of Japan’s top 100 waterfalls and is a nationally-designated Place of Scenic Beauty.
    Kanba Falls image
  • Tenjin Valley
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Ibara-shi Yoshiicho
    This Okayama Prefectural Nature Park is upstream on the Takahashi River. Spread out over one kilometer of the Oda river valley, the beautiful scenery is made up of old growth maple, fir, and evergreen oak trees. There are maintained walking trails so you can stroll through the scenic woods, as well. There are many old trees that offer brilliant foliage in fall, so this is a particularly popular spot in that season. Part of the river is quite shallow for river fun, and many people come in summer to observe wild birds and river wildlife.
    Tenjin Valley image
  • Okutsu Valley
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Tomata-gun Kagaminocho Okutsukawanishi
    A 25-minute drive from the Innosho Interchange on the Chugoku Expressway. A three-kilometer-long valley situated along the Yoshii River, it was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 1932. The valley is one Okayama's top destinations for viewing kobus magnolias and rhododendrons, fresh verdure in summer, and fall foliage in autumn. Rich in seasonal natural variation, the valley is also a popular place to enjoy walking amidst beautiful scenery. Particularly popular with tourists is Okutsu-kei Hakkei (Top Eight Scenes of Okutsu Valley) - the Tengu no Kigan rock, the cliffs of Onnnaiwaya Cave, the Kotobuchi pool, the Usubuchi potholes, Ayugaeshi falls (waterfall where sweet fishes turn their backs), Kasagataki falls, Taishi rock of Hannyaji Temple, and the Ishiwari-zakura (stone-breaking cherry blossom).
    Okutsu Valley image
  • Iwai Falls
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Tomatagunkagaminochou Kamisaibara
    A waterfall some 10 meters high and six meters wide located on Mt. Mikuni in Kagamino Town, Tomata County, Okayama Prefecture. Although not particularly large, the scenery created by the falls and the surrounding forest is beautiful, and the falls are a popular tourism destination. The bedrock which the falls run over sticks out from the ground underneath, and visitors can also walk behind the falls. As you can watch the falls’s waters from behind, the waterfall is also known as “Urami no Taki,” or “the Reverse-looking Falls.” The waters of a spring welling up from the ground about 100 meters downstream from the falls are famous for supposedly providing luck with bearing children. Each year on July 10, the Iwai Falls Festival is held in the area.
    Iwai Falls image
  • Mikigahara
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama prefecture Maniwa shi mountain
    Mikigahara is a scenic spot in the Hiruzen Highlands that offers marvelous views of Mt. Hiruzen and Mt. Daisen. It is famous as the area in Japan that has the largest number of Jersey cows. From spring through into autumn, the Jersey cows are allowed to graze freely on the hills, enabling visitors to enjoy a peaceful, bucolic landscape. There are several leisure facilities in the area, including a Jersey cow petting zoo, the Hiruzen crane gardens, barbecue sites, etc., and Mikigahara attracts large numbers of tourist visitors throughout the year.
    Mikigahara image
  • Koigakubo Marsh
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Nimishi Tesseichouyada
    This marsh is located in the Yada area of Tessei-cho, Niimi City. Spread over approximately 3.6 hectares, around 380 varieties of plants grow there naturally including rare species such as ogura-senno (a plant of the family Caryophyllaceae) and bicchu-furo (geranium yoshinoi), and it has been designated a national natural monument as the Koigakubo Marsh Plant Community. There is a promenade in the whole area where you can walk through nature.
    Koigakubo Marsh image
  • Kashirajima Island
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Bizenshi Hinasechouhinase Head island
    This island located in the Seto Inland Sea is the most populated in the Hinase Archipelago. Only about four kilometers around, it has facilities such as a swimming beach, ground golf course and observation area, and is a place where you can enjoy fishing and mikan orange picking.
    Kashirajima Island image
  • Kuroshima Venus Road
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Setouchi-shi Ushimadocho Ushimado
    Kuroshima Venus Road image
  • GREENable HIRUZEN
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Maniwa-shi Hiruzenkamifukuda 1205-220
    GREENable HIRUZEN image
  • Takasu no Asase
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Kurashiki-shi Kojimakarakoto 1421
    A 15-minute drive from the Kojima Interchange on the Seto Chuo Expressway. A shoal located nearly one-kilometer offshore from the coast alongside National Route 430. It only appears from April to August for about three hours during the low tide and is a great place for ocean swimming as well as clam digging and shell gathering. You can access the shoals from the shore via the Karakotomaru sightseeing boat that departs from the pier. Alongside asari clams, giant clams, razor clams, and fan mussels, you can sometimes find fish, large hermit crabs, and sea urchins amongst the rocks and even occasionally seahorses.
  • Bicchukanachiana
    rating-image
    4.0
    7 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Maniwashi Kamimizuta 8854-1

    駐車場から100mの急斜面を下りますが、平安時代から既に発見され、文献に記された鍾乳穴としては日本最古のものだそうです。 ライトアップされた鍾乳穴は場所により皆異なり、巨大な穴には圧倒されます。 天井にはコウモリが住み着いていましたが、大きな音を出さない限りばたつくことはありませんでした。日本一とも言われる22階層の鍾乳石からなる「五重の塔」は圧巻でお勧めです。

  • Hayamakei
    Travel / Tourism
    Okayama Pref. Takahashishi Nariwachouhayama
Okayama
Okayama City / Around Korakuen Kurashiki Tamano Around Bizen and Ushimado Kibiji Takahashi / Fukiya Hiruzen Highland / Tsuyama / Mimasaka Three Hot Springs Ibara / Kasaoka
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Mountain Coast / Beach Waterfall Lake Plateau Valley Sea Island Cave Special Terrain River Pass Cape Wetland / Marshland Rock Whale Watching Peninsula Dune Other Natural Terrain

Okayama Areas

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Overshadowed by Hiroshima to the west and the Kansai region to the east, Okayama is an easy spot to miss but a nature-rich gem where the Seto Inland Sea laps at its toes and peach and grape farms complete its interior. One of Japan’s Three Great Gardens, Koraku-en in Okayama city is well worth a visit before progressing to Kurashiki, where preserved wooden Edo buildings line the picturesque canal.

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