In recent years, a new style of cycling tourism has gained popularity in Asia and around the world. Japan’s Okayama is truly a cyclist’s paradise, with beautiful scenic spots, historic landmarks, and gourmet experiences spread out across the entire prefecture, all connected by a variety of routes including the Seto Inland Sea, wooded mountains, highlands, and rivers. What makes Okayama even better as a destination is its reputation as the “Land of Sunshine.” Cyclists truly appreciate that so many days of the year are warm and sunny! The HARE IRO CYCLING OKAYAMA project has been developed by people from Okayama for visitors and presents the eight best cycling routes around the prefecture!

Okayama Prefecture is located in the Sanyo-San’in region of Japan and is known as a scenic area with three rivers (the Takahashi, Asahi, and Yoshii Rivers) running through it, with the Hiruzen Kogen Highlands to the north and the Seto Inland Sea in the south. Okayama is known as the “Land of Sunshine,” as it has the highest number of clear days and the highest number of days with rainfall of less than 1 mm in the whole of Japan.

On this route, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere unique to the Setouchi region as you tour sights brimming with history and culture, including the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter and Mt. Washuzan. Don’t miss the breathtaking view of the beauty of the Seto Inland Sea dotted with many small islands and the photogenic artworks around Uno Port.

Kurashiki’s Bikan Historical Quarter, with its white-walled storehouses, monochrome lattice-patterned walls (namakokabe), and rows of weeping willow trees, is somewhere you can take in the scenery and traditional townscape. The charming views created by the traditional buildings and the retro-modern scenery along the Kurashiki River are what continue to attract people from all over the world. Once you head south out of Kurashiki, the panoramas of the Seto Inland Sea, breathtaking views from Ojigadake Hill, and the dynamic Seto Ohashi Bridge are all must-sees that await you.

Starting at Kasaoka Bay Reclaimed Land, where seasonal flowers such as sunflowers, cosmos, and canola flowers bloom, this route takes you on to the historical townscapes along the shores of the Seto Inland Sea, including the port town of Tamashima, and Yakage, which flourished as a lodging town during the era of the samurai and feudal lords. You can enjoy the nature and culture of the Setouchi region, as well as local gourmet foods such as seafood and fruit.

On this route you can enjoy the nature and history of the Okukibi region to the fullest, visiting one of Japan’s best limestone caves, as well as Bicchu Matsuyama Castle, the only mountain castle in Japan to still have its original main keep, and also Fukiya Furusato Village, which was inscribed as a Japanese Heritage Site in 2020 with uniformly red copper-color sekishukawara roof tiles and vivid “bengara” red-walled houses. A section of the route from the Takahashi River to Fukiya is considered so challenging that it has been used in popular hill-climb competitions.

This exhilarating route enables riders to enjoy the changing beauty of nature in each of the four seasons, from the cherry blossoms of spring to the changing colors of the leaves in autumn. It encompasses the Kanba-no-taki Falls, western Japan’s largest and most famous waterfall, which is included in the list of Japan’s 100 best scenic views and Japan’s 100 best waterfalls, as well as the old town of Shinjo with its magnificent blooming Gaisen cherry blossoms.

From the Katatetsu Roman Kaidou Road, a 34-kilometer-long cycling road created from a disused railway line of the former Katakami Railway, to the beautiful scenery of the Yoshii River, this route is full of nostalgia. As you progress, you can enjoy a variety of unique local gourmet delicacies, including fresh seafood or kakioko (oyster okonomiyaki) at Hinase, and Tsuyama horumon udon (beef offal fried udon noodles), a specialty of the castle town of Tsuyama.

Tsuyama Castle is one of the most famous cherry blossom-viewing spots in western Japan and has earned a place as one of the top 100 cherry blossom sites in the whole of Japan, meaning that it is crowded with people in spring. Yunogo Onsen, one of the three Mimasaka hot springs, is also known as the “Egret Hot Spring” and is especially popular among women as a hot spring that helps to improve the beauty of skin. Mini-park “Fureai-no-yu” is a small foot bath created in the shape of a foot.

Starting in Okayama City, this route meanders north and offers beautiful natural scenery that changes with the seasons. Make the most of nature, history, and gourmet experiences, including Saijo Inari Shrine, one of Japan’s top three Inari shrines, Omizuen, the garden of a former feudal lord, a popular roadside station, a lake, Okutsu Onsen, and the much talked about tamagokake rice-topped-with-egg dish.

Omizuen was formerly the garden of the Kinoshita family, the feudal lords of the Ashimori domain, and is known as an outstanding example of a strolling garden set out around a large pond, created in what is said to be the Kobori Enshu-ryu style. It is one of the three great gardens of Okayama Prefecture, together with Korakuen in Okayama City, and Shurakuen in Tsuyama City. The Okutsukei Valley is formed from granite and the collection of usubuchi churn holes in the riverbed and the pothole known as ouketsu are very rare in Japan. Among the eight famous sights of the valley that are also worth a look are the Tengu-iwa rock and the Ayugaeshi-no-taki waterfall.

The romantic and heroic route takes you to the historical sites of the once glorious Kingdom of Kibi such as Kibitsu-jinja Shrine, famous for the legend of Momotaro, as well as Bicchu Kokubun-ji Temple and Tsukuriyama (造山)-kofun burial mound. The Kibiji area has mainly flat roads, so even beginners can enjoy themselves as they pedal down the road enveloped in historical sights and the beauty of nature.

The magnificent scenery of the Hiruzen Three Peaks and Mt. Daisen (Tottori Prefecture) spreads out before you along this route that provides the invigoration of refreshing light and wind, coupled with the best highland resorts. The 29-kilometer-long cycling course is suitable for beginners to enjoy and rental bicycles are available at the Roadside Station Hiruzen Kogen. Don’t forget to sample the Hiruzen yakisoba!

Blessed with the sea, mountains, and rivers, across the whole of Okayama Prefecture, you will find beautiful nature and places of interest that could well be referred to as Japan’s original landscape. You can also enjoy fresh and safe foods such as the very best fruits (white peaches, muscat grapes, pione grapes, etc.) that are grown in the warm climate of the Land of Sunshine, as well as delicious seafood from the Seto Inland Sea. The HARE IRO CYCLING OKAYAMA website also introduces many other sites and attractions that are not listed here. When the pandemic settles down and travel is possible again, we look forward to welcoming you to Okayama, the Land of Sunshine. Come on a journey of discovery when travel is safe again!

(This information is as of November 2020)