Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [347]
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KIBI PLAIN BICYCLE ROUTE
This cycling course through the countryside around Okayama takes in several interesting temples and shrines, an ancient burial mound, and an old sake brewery. To get to the starting point, take a local JR Kibi line train from Okayama for three stops to Bizen Ichinomiya (). From here, the route runs west for roughly 15km to the station at Sōja (), where you can drop off your bike and take a train back to Okayama. Most of the course follows a cycling path that’s closed to traffic.
Uedo Rent-a-Cycle (086-284-2311; 9am-6pm) is immediately outside JR Bizen Ichinomiya station. Pick up your bike (¥1000) and Japanese-language route map here. Turn right and then right again across the tracks and you’ll come to the Kibitsuhiko-jinja (), a shrine fronted by a small pond. From here you’ll soon pick up the bicycle path, which follows a canal through the fields until it rejoins the road just before the Fukudenkai temple (). From here, it’s another 200m to Kibitsu-jinja (). This major shrine is dedicated to an ancient warrior who subdued a local bandit/demon called Ura and brought the area under central control. Many people believe that these exploits were the ultimate source of the Momotarō legend (see boxed text). You’ll see Momotarō’s peachy features looking out at you from the votive tablets in front of the shrine.
Pedalling on, you’ll pass the Koikui-jinja (), slightly off the main route by the river. Further along is the 5th-century Tsukuriyama-kofun (), rising like a gentle hill from the surrounding plain. The fourth-biggest kofun tomb in Japan, this is thought to mark the final resting place of a local king who ruled the Kibi region when this area was a rival power to the Yamato court (which eventually came to rule all of Japan).
The next major stop on the trail is the Bitchū Kokobun-ji () temple with its picturesque five-storey pagoda. The oldest buildings here date from the Edo period, but the first temple on this site was built in the 8th century. You pass by some excavated remains of the original structure on your way towards the main gate. Across the road from the temple is the Miyake Sake Brewery Museum (; 086-692-0075; admission ¥400; 9am-4.30pm, closed Mon). Look for the large white building. The brewery has been in the same family for over 100 years, and there is a small museum of old brewing paraphernalia, as well as opportunities to taste and buy.
From here, it’s a few kilometres Sōja, where you can return your bicycle at Araki Rent-a-Cycle (086-692-0233; 9am-6pm), in front of the station.
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BIZEN
0869 / pop 42,000
The Bizen region has been renowned for its ceramics since the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The pottery produced here tends to be earthy and subdued, and has been prized by dedicated tea-ceremony aficionados for centuries. The tradition continues to thrive today, and travellers with an interest in pottery may find the gritty town of Imbe and its kilns a worthwhile side trip from Okayama.
Bizen ‘city’ is a sprawling administrative area covering the mountains, rice paddies and small towns east of Okayama. Most of the places of ceramic interest are within easy walking distance of Imbe () Station, easily reached via the Akō line from Okayama. An information counter (64-1100; 9am-6pm).on the left as you exit the station dispenses maps and pamphlets
On the 2nd floor of the station building is a gallery run by the Friends of Bizen-yaki Ceramics Society (; 64-1001; admission free; 9.30am-5.30pm, closed Tue). A wide range of ceramics by contemporary potters is available for purchase here.
In the multistorey concrete building directly to the right as you exit the station is the Okayama Prefectural Bizen Ceramics Art Museum (; 64-1400; admission ¥500; 9.30am-5pm, closed Mon). The museum’s collection includes pieces dating from the Muromachi (1333–1568) and Momoyama (1568–1600)