Kokubun-ji（Early April）
Cherry blossoms at Takamatu Castle Ruins Park（Early April）
Cherry Blossoms at Omizu-en Park（Early April）
Peach Blossoms at Kokubun-ji（Mid-Aplril）
Astragalus at Kokubun-ji（Late April）
Peonies at kibitsu-jinja (Late April）
Pogonia Japonica at Ryusen-ji（Mid-May）
Hydrangea at Kibitsu-jinja（June）
Loutus at Tkamatu Castle Ruins Park（July）
Autumn leaves at Houfuku-ji（Mid-Novembar）
Autumn leaves at Ryusen-ji（Mid-Novembar）
Snowy scenery of Kibitu-jinja（February）
Kibiji Region Walking Course
Kokubun-ji Walking Course
The Kokubun-ji Walking Course covers a distance of 11.1 km, starting from Bitchu-Takamatsu Station and passing through Tukuriyama-kofun Burial Mound, Kokubu-niji Nunnery ruins, Old Yamate Village Hall, Kokubun-ji Temple, Sakuzan-kofun Burial Mound, and Soja-gū Shrine, before ending at Higashi-Soja Station. It is considered one of the prominent walking courses in the Kibiji region.
Kibitsu-jinja Walking Course
The Kibitsu-jinja Shrine Walking Course is a 5.4 km course that starts from Kibitsu Station and passes through Kibitsu-jinja Shrine, Ancient Kibi Cultural Heritage Center, Mausoleum of Ōkibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto, Kibi-no-Nakayama, before reaching Bizen-Ichinomiya Station.
Takamatsu Castle ruins and Inari Walking Course
The Takamatsu Castle ruins and Inari Walking Course is an 11 km course that starts from Bitchu-Takamatsu Station and passes through the waterlogged embankment ruins, Takamatsu Castle ruins, a cycling road via Waimoto, Saijō-Inari Temple, Okunoin (Mt. Ryuō), before descending the mountain and returning to Bitchu-Takamatsu Station. It is famous for Hashiba Hideyoshi's water attack.
Hōfuku-ji and Sunagawa Walking Course
The Hōfuku-ji Temple and Sunagawa Walking Course is a 9.5 km course that starts from Hattori Station and passes through Sunagawa Park, Sunagawa Forest, Hōfuku-ji Temple, before ending at Soja Station in the Kibiji region. It is a course that strolls along a forest road in the northern part of the Kibiji region, and is recommended for spring and autumn.
Ashimori Furusato Walking Course
The Ashimori Furusato Walking Course is a 9.6 km course that starts from Ashimori Station and walks upstream along the embankment of the Ashimori River, passing through the old merchant town, samurai residence, Omizu-en Garden, and Ashimori Hachiman-gū Shrine, before returning to Ashimori Station. It is a walking course along the Ashimori River where nature is preserved.
Ryūsen-ji Walking Course
The Ryūsen-ji Walking Course starts from Ashimori Station and is a 13.2 km course that passes through Ryūsen-ji Temple, Ryuō-ike Pond, Okunoin Ichijō-ji Temple (Mt. Ryuō), and Saijō-Inari Temple while traversing Mt. Ryuō before reaching Bitchu-Takamatsu Station. You can enjoy the rural scenery of the Kibiji region in each season: spring, summer, and autumn.
Flowers of Kibiji
Four Seasons of Kokubun-ji
Thanks to the efforts of the local community, the natural beauty of the Satoyama landscape has been preserved. Especially from March to June, the scenery around Kokubun-ji is picturesque. The four seasons of Kokubun-ji are representative of the scenic beauty of the Kibiji region.
Flowers of Kibitsu-jinja
Kibitsu-jinja Shrine is famous for its 398-meter-long corridor along with the national treasure main shrine. Various flowers and trees are carefully cultivated on both sides of the corridor and around the sacred pond, providing visitors with enjoyment throughout the year.
Flowers of Takamatsu Castle Ruins Park
Takamatsu Castle Ruins, famous for Hashiba Hideyoshi's water attack, is located here. In honor of its lord, Shimizu Muneharu, the surrounding area has been developed as Takamatsu Castle Ruins Park. The park is a hidden gem for photographing flowers along the Kibiji region.
Maple trees of Hōfuku-ji
Hōfuku-ji Temple is a famous Rinzai Zen temple belonging to the Tōfuku-ji school. The tranquility of the temple grounds gives visitors a sense of peace. The greenery of new leaves and the autumn leaves of the "momiji" maple trees blend harmoniously with the temple's buildings. Hōfuku-ji Temple is a representative temple of the Kibiji region.
Flowers at Ryūsen-ji
There is a wetland on the grounds of Ryūsen-ji Temple where members of the Ryusenji Nature Conservation Club are engaged in conservation activities to protect the natural surroundings. Here are some of the flowers that bloom in this wetland.
Maple Trees at Ryūsen-ji
On the vast grounds of Ryūsen-ji Temple, Japanese mountain maples have been planted. As the trees grow, they have become a popular spot for autumn leaves along the Kibiji region.
About Kibiji region
Origin of Kibiji
Due to the large-scale merger in the Heisei era, the name "Kibi" was removed from the place names. The changes in mergers of municipalities in Kibi-gun and Tukubo-gun in Okayama Prefecture over the past 80 years from 1927 to 2007, and the origin of the "Kibiji region" are explained on the map.
Kibi Line Map
Introducing the Kibiji walking course starting from each station on the Kibi Line and the history of the Kibi Line.The steam locomotive in the photo is the "SL Kibiji" that ran on the JR Kibi Line in May 1989, during the first year of the Heisei era.
Kibi Line (Momotaro Line) Timetable
This is a 20.4 km railway line from Okayama Station to Sōja Station. There are shrines, temples, historical sites, and burial mounds scattered around the area, making it a great place for hiking from the nearest stations. It is also a valuable transportation system for commuting and going to school.
Family Momocco
Momocco is the mascot character of "Kibiji.net". "Momocco" and the "Momocco family" were inspired by the Japanese folktale "Momotaro" and the famous local product "peaches" around Kokubun-ji Temple.
Download a sample booklet
E-book:“Small-scale Nature Restoration in Okayama City"
The Ryusenji Nature Conservation Club has published "Small-scale Nature Restoration in Okayama City: 10 Years of the Ryusenji Nature Conservation Club (2nd edition)", which details their activities to preserve nature in the Ryūsen-ji area. By clicking on the image, you can download a sample booklet. For more information, please visit the Ryusenji Nature Conservation Club website.
About This Website
The Kibiji region (in Okayama prefecture) still has nature preserved in its satoyama landscapes. Walking from the train stations along the Kibi Line can lead to rediscovering the nearby satoyama. Seasonal Views of Kokubun-ji, Flowers at Kibitsu-jinja Shrine, Lotuses at Takamatsu Castle Park, Autumn Leaves at Hōfuku-ji Temple, Early Morning Nightingales at Sunagawa Park, Natural Embankments Along Ashimori River, Wildflowers at Ryūsen-ji Wetland, Egrets in Rice Fields, and Roadside Flowers. We showcase the natural beauty of the Kibiji Region through photographs.
Romanized Representation of Japanese Proper Nouns
There are multiple methods for Romanizing Japanese proper nouns, and there is no unified standard.
On this website, we generally adopt the Romanized representation that follows the "English Romanization Standards for Japanese Place Names" by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, with the addition of macrons (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) for long vowels.
Regarding Links:
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violate public welfare, public order, or moral standards
cause confusion or inconvenience to our users.
Copyright
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To schools and students:
This website is designed with the concept of providing a safe and enjoyable viewing experience for schools and families. If you wish to use the images on this site for educational purposes, such as classroom materials or summer research projects for students, please feel free to do so.
