2026 Soja Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in February)

#Domestic Travel Strategy Hiroshima Prefecture is surrounded by the Chugoku Mountains and the Seto Inland Sea, and is a region rich in nature with many sunny days. It is home to two World Heritage sites, the Atomic Bomb Dome and Itsukushima Shrine, and is visited by many people from all over the world. If you are planning a trip to Hiroshima, I hope you will read to the end and find this useful. 🔸Areas: Fukuyama, Mihara, Hiroshima, Itsukushima ──────────────────── 🔸Time required: 3 days ──────────────────── 🔸Transportation: Rental car, ferry, train ──────────────────── This time, we visited 5 spots. 🔹Day 1 9:00 Arrive at Hiroshima Airport✈️ 9:50 🚗Depart by rental car, about 21km, about 40 minutes ❶ 11:00 Mihara Castle ↓ ↓ 🚗About 32km, about 1 hour ↓ ❷ 13:00 Fukuyama Castle ↓ 15:00 Check-in at Vessel Inn Fukuyama Station North Exit °•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°• Mihara Castle Ruins 📍1-chome, Shiromachi, Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 723-0004 Fukuyama Castle 📍1-8-39 Marunouchi, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 720-0061 Vessel Inn Fukuyama Station North Exit 📍1-2-1 Marunouchi, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 720-0061 °•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°• 🔹Day 2 10:00 Check out to Hiroshima city 🚗About 100km, about 2 hours (toll road) 13:00 Return rental car, lunch 14:00 Check in at ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima To Peace Memorial Park🚶About 400m, about 10 minutes ❶ 15:00 Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome ↓ ↓ 18:00 Return to hotel °•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°• Peace Memorial Park 📍Nakajimacho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture 730-0811 Atomic Bomb Dome 📍1-10 Otemachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture 730-0051 ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima 📍730-0037 7-7-20 Nakamachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture °•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°• 🔹Day 3 8:00 Start sightseeing To Miyajima Miyajimaguchi 🚃Approx. 21km, approx. 1 hour From Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima ⛴️Approx. 3km, approx. 20 minutes To Itsukushima Shrine 🚶Approx. 1.1km, approx. 15 minutes ❶ 10:00 Stroll around Itsukushima Shrine and Miyajima Omotesando Shopping Street ↓ ↓ ⛴️Approx. 3km, approx. 20 minutes ↓ 🚃Approx. 22km, approx. 1 hour ↓ ❷ 14:30 Hiroshima Castle ↓ ↓ From Hiroshima Bus Center to Hiroshima Airport 🚌Approx. 50km About 1 hour 17:00 Hiroshima Airport✈️ °•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°• Itsukushima Shrine 📍1-1 Miyajimacho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 739-0588 Miyajima Omotesando Shopping Street 📍535 Miyajimacho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 739-0588 Hiroshima Castle 📍21-1 Motomachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 730-0011 #Domestic travel #Solo travel #Hiroshima #Miyajima #Itsukushima Shrine #Castle #World Heritage Site

Okayama 🫧 Soja City Shio Gensui Soja Branch Looking for a restaurant close to the airport, I visited before 13:00 on a weekday. There were two groups waiting. I was shown in less than 10 minutes. It's been a few years since I last visited Shio Gensui. I've been to Shio Gensui in Mizue a few times, but this is my first time at the Soja branch. I ordered a set of natural salt ramen and soy sauce ramen fried rice. The ramen here is characterized by being garnished with yuzu peel, but you can choose to have it without or with a lot of it. And you can eat as much kimchi and garlic as you want! The additive-free kimchi is not too spicy, so you can eat it up in no time. The ramen itself has wheat-flavored noodles and a soup with natural salt, with a perfect yuzu accent! It may seem a little heavier than when I had it before? It's not too light, and you feel like you're eating ramen! The fried rice is fluffy! I recommend adding pepper to change the flavor. ⏰/Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 00:00 🚗/1000-3 Kuboki, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture #ChineseFood2024 #Okayama #OkayamaTrip #OkayamaTourism

Okayama 𓂃 𓈒𓏸 Soja patisselie Ciel bleu/Que sera sera Soja's popular patisserie Ciel Bleu. I had the Que sera sera parfait, which is held irregularly. There is only one type of parfait on the menu. There are 2-3 sessions, and up to 8 people at a time. I didn't know what kind of parfait it would be until the day (the fruits used were announced), so I was excited to watch it being made in the glass. Last weekend, I had a parfait with a bold and rich chestnut Mont Blanc on top of the glass, and plenty of fruits such as black figs, shine muscat, and 20th century pears. The ingredients were chestnut cream, black tea, ice cream, fresh cream, meringue base, Kasaoka Biore Soléis, Soja Shine Muscat Raspberry Sorbet, pistachio cream, fresh cream, custard cream, baked donut, crumble chocolate, 20th century pear, berry sauce, caramel sauce, black tea jelly, fig compote, etc. .... (I'm sure I missed something. lol) I went with my mother, and she seemed very satisfied with the taste and texture of the fruit, as it was delicious and full of fruit, because the texture and taste were different no matter where you eat it. The drink was Shimoyama-san's Hojicha, which is famous in Okayama. I'm happy that you can have as many refills as you want 🍵 lol The parfaits in Okayama, the kingdom of fruits, are very satisfying 🥺 In Tokyo, they would probably cost about twice as much 🌰🍇 The price was 1,980 yen. After the parfait, we went to Bitchu Kokubunji Temple to take photos of the red rice dyed madder red◎ Soja has many famous ancient tombs such as Zozan Tomb and Sakuyama Tomb, so it looks like it would be fun to tour the tombs lol 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄𓐄𓐄𓊆𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒𓊇From Tabelog (Ciel bleu business hours) [Tue-Sat] 10:00-19:00 [Sun] 10:00-18:30 Closed: Mondays 𓊆𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𓊇 From Tabelog 674-1 Miwa, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 #Okayama #camera trip #trip #solo trip #Okayama trip #Okayama sightseeing #Okayama gourmet #patisserie #Parfait

Okayama 𓂃 𓈒𓏸 Sosha Bitchukokubunji Temple Bitchukokubunji Temple is one of the Kokubunji temples built throughout Japan at the request of Emperor Shomu during the Nara period. It was built with the aim of protecting the country from natural disasters and famines with the help of Buddhism. The building that remains today was rebuilt during the Edo period. A five-story pagoda about 34 meters high stands in the precincts, and is famous as a representative view of Kibiji. This five-story pagoda, the only one in Okayama Prefecture, is designated as an Important Cultural Property. In front of Bitchukokubunji Temple, the ancient rice "Sosha Red Rice" is cultivated. It is said that there are only three places in Japan where a Shinto ritual is held in which harvested red rice is offered to the gods. The traditional red rice shines in the setting sun, and many people visit every year to see it. If you want to capture the sunset, red rice, and five-story pagoda in the photo, we recommend a wide-angle lens! 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄︎𓊆𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𓊇 1046 Kamibayashi, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 𓐄 #solotravel #trip #Okayama #Okayamatrip #Okayamasightseeing #fivestoreypagoda #cameratrip #sunsetspot

Furumiyamichi Authentic Korean restaurant! As you enter the residential area, you will see an old house. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary house, but once inside, you will find Korean goods and a laid-back atmosphere. All the dishes are authentic, and the fact that they are full of vegetables is also a recommended point! #Gourmet #Fine dining #Support tourism

Located in Soja City, Okayama Prefecture, this ancient mountain castle ruin is said to be one of the "ancient mountain castles" built in the 7th century in Japan to defend against foreign invaders. The wooden gate tower and imposing high walls, combined with the mountaintop views, exude a strong historical atmosphere. It is also one of Japan's Top 100 Castles. Unlike the typical medieval castles, Oni no Shiro belongs to the category of ancient mountain castles, with completely different structures and construction methods. Climbing up to Oni no Shiro, the most iconic feature is the wooden gate tower of the western gate, which majestically stands atop the mountain, rustic yet solemn. The remaining high walls and earthen mounds stretch along the mountain ridges, evoking the grandeur of its past as a defensive fortress. From the high vantage point, you can overlook Soja City and the Kibi Plain, surrounded by layers of mountain ranges with a wide-open view. Even just walking around the western gate area allows you to experience the magnificent blend of historical ruins and nature. It takes about 15 minutes on foot from the Visitor Center to reach the western gate. There is a 2.8-kilometer circular trail around the castle ruins, which follows the stone walls and earthen mounds and takes about an hour to complete. During the clear autumn and winter weather, you can even see distant mountain silhouettes and idyllic rural landscapes, making for a stunning view. There is no public transportation available, so you can only reach the site by taxi or car. The road is a one-way route. Park your car at the Visitor Center and walk about 15 minutes to reach the western gate.

#Domestic Travel Strategy Okayama Prefecture is surrounded by the Seto Inland Sea and the Chugoku Mountains, and is known as the "Sunny Land Okayama" because of its warm climate and many sunny days. Retro townscapes such as Korakuen, one of Japan's three most famous gardens, and Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter remain. If you are planning a trip to Okayama, please read to the end and use this as a reference for sightseeing efficiently. 🔸Area: Okayama, Kurashiki, Takahashi, Soja, Tsuyama ─────────────────────── 🔸Time required: 2 days ─────────────────────── 🔸Transportation: Train, rental car, bus, walking ─────────────────────── This time, we visited 7 spots. Day 1 9:00 Okayama Station ↓ ↓ 🚃About 17km, about 20 minutes ↓ 　9:20 Kurashiki Station ↓ ↓ 🚶About 900m About 15 minutes ↓ ❶ 9:40 Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter ↓ ↓ Kurashiki Station → Okayama Station 🚃 About 17km About 20 minutes ↓ Okayama Station → Okayama Castle 🚌🚶 About 2km About 25 minutes ↓ ❷ 13:30 Okayama Castle ↓ ↓ 🚶 About 550m About 8 minutes ↓ ❸ 15:00 Korakuen ↓ ↓ 　　17:00 Hotel 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter 📍Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, 710-0046 Okayama Castle 📍2-3-1 Marunouchi, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, 700-0823 Okayama Korakuen 📍1-5 Korakuen, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, 703-8257 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 Day 2 8:00 Okayama Station ↓ ↓ Rental car🚗About 50km About 1 hour (toll road) ↓ From Fuigo Pass Parking Lot (5th station of Gagyuyama) to the castle tower ↓ 🚶About 700m About 20 minutes ↓ ❶ 9:30 Bitchu Matsuyama Castle Ruins ↓ ↓ 🚗About 34km About 1 hour ↓ ❷ 11:30 Oninojo Castle ↓ ↓ 🚗About 13km About 30 minutes ↓ ❸ 13:00 Bitchu Takamatsu Castle ↓ ↓ 🚗About 87km About 1.5 hours (toll road) ↓ ❹ 15:30 Tsuyama Castle ↓ ↓ 🚗 About 61km About 1.5 hours ↓ 　　18:00 Return rental car 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 Bicchu Matsuyama Castle 📍1 Yamashita, Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture, 716-0004 Oni Castle Ruins 📍Soja City, Okayama Prefecture, 719-1101 Bicchu Takamatsu Castle Ruins 📍558 Takamatsu, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, 701-1335 Tsuyama Castle 📍708-0022 135 Yamashita, Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 #Okayama #domestictravel #solotravel #castle

#Spring0yenTrip Kinojo Castle is an ancient mountain castle located in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture, and is located on the top of a mountain at an altitude of about 600 meters. When you arrive at the castle ruins, you will be overwhelmed by the grandeur of the stone walls and earthworks. In particular, the stone wall steps visible on the east side were worth seeing, giving you a sense of the defensive power of the castle at that time. Inside the castle, there are places that are said to be the "demon's handprint" and "dwelling place of the demon," which are named after the castle, and legends and myths are still alive. In addition, from the surrounding observation decks, you can see the beautiful nature of the four seasons and the magnificent view of Takahashi city, which was soothing to the soul. It is a place where the historical value of the mountain castle and harmony with nature are beautifully combined, and it is a spot that is well worth visiting.

[Access] ○About 10 minutes by car from JR Soja Station ※This time, we took a taxi from JR Okayama Station. [Points] ~Enjoy the scenery at your own pace~ Bitetsu Kokubunji is said to be one of the provincial temples founded by Emperor Shomu. The building of Bittsu Kokubunji was burned down during the Nanboku-cho period. The five-story pagoda within the temple grounds is said to be the only one of its kind in Okayama Prefecture. The current building was rebuilt after the mid-Edo period. It's a difficult place to get to if you don't have a car, but it's a place you should definitely visit if you come to Okayama. *Information current as of December 2024. #DomesticTravelRecord

Soja City is the No. 1 city in Okayama Prefecture in terms of bread production and shipment value✨ Just walking down the street, you'll see many signs for bakeries👀 Namba Bakery is located in this dreamy town! In addition to standard breads, they also have breads made with seasonal ingredients and canelés that are only available on weekdays🎶 In the fall, they also have sweet potato and chestnut danishes🍠🌰 #0 yen travel November 📍Address: 2-34-1 Ekiminami, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture 719-1137 🕰️Business hours: 7:30-18:30

You'll be enchanted by the scenery, as if you've traveled back in time✨ This five-story pagoda, which has a history dating back to the Nara period, and the idyllic rural scenery of Bitchu Kokubunji Temple☝🏽✨ The scenery changes with each season, making it a fascinating place! With cherry blossoms in full bloom in spring and golden rice ears in autumn, it's a place filled with the beauty of Japan✨ No matter where you take it, it's picturesque, so be sure to take a stroll with your camera in hand! #0yentravelautumn #Okayama #domestictravel

1. Trust is something that once lost, it is difficult to get back to the original. Therefore, live right from the beginning because school has an eraser but life does not. 2. Don't think about the past forever if it only brings tears. Don't think too much about the future, it only brings fear. Live in the present with a smile on your lips like a child. It will bring you joy. 3. Life is inherently not perfect but everyone has their own beauty, the genius is that each person finds their own beauty and perfects it. 4. Life has 3 don'ts: - Don't be too kind to be bullied - Don't be too stupid to be joked with - Don't trust too much to be deceived. 5. Life is too short so don't waste your time with people who don't have time for you. 6. People are created to be loved. Material things are created to be used. But for some reason, material things are loved. People are taken advantage of. 7. Stones can be worn out, let alone people's hearts. Changes before and after are also normal things. Fate is kept by people. When love is gone, no matter how hard you try, it's all for nothing. 8. A coin has two sides, but only one value. People only have one side, so why live with two hearts? 9. As a person, you must have a conscience! You must never forget those who have helped you, otherwise you will have fewer and fewer friends, and the path will become narrower and narrower. 10. Even a dead end is a starting point, if you know how to turn your back. 11. There are people who forget the times we helped them, but will always remember the time we refused them. 12. Caring too much means bothering. Loving too much, people don't know how to appreciate it! 13. Lean on the mountain, the mountain turns into lime, Lean on the water, the water flows out to the East Sea. Lean on people, people change their hearts, The only sure support is within yourself. (Poet Nguyen Bao Sinh) 14. There are two big mistakes in life. One is living for others to see. The other is living for others. Actually, you just need to feel happy. Don't keep looking at others and go the wrong way under your feet. 15. No matter how good you are, there will still be people who hate you. That is inevitable. 16. Perhaps you need to go through youth to understand how selfish youth is. Sometimes I think, the reason why love needs to go in such a big circle, to pay such a high price, is because it comes at the wrong time. When we have love, we lack wisdom. By the time we have enough wisdom, we no longer have the strength to love a pure love. 17. Any attack should not be an excuse for you to fall. You cannot change the world but you can change yourself. What you need to do is choose the right path and keep moving forward. 18. Who is not fake, who is not easy to change, no one belongs to anyone. Why must we consider some people, some things so important? 19. Love, friendship, is not a lifetime without arguing, but even after arguing, we can still be together for a lifetime.

The Ghost Town is located on the Ghost Town Mountain in Okayama, Japan, at an altitude of about 400 meters. It is one of the top 100 famous cities in Japan! The history of the Ghost City is very mysterious. Since there are basically no historical records, all the history can only be estimated by experts! Experts estimate that this city was built around 700 AD and has a history of over 1,300 years! The Castle of Ghosts is also named after the castle occupied by evil ghosts in the famous Japanese legend "Momotaro"! The sky was dark and cloudy on the day I went, which added a special atmosphere to the journey! Since it is located at 400 meters, you can basically see most of Okayama and take in the beautiful scenery! You can also visit the Ghost Town Mountain Visitor Center, which contains a lot of information and exhibitions related to the ghost town. Transportation in the Ghost City is not very convenient: you can drive your own car, take a taxi or walk about 5 kilometers to get there! #JapanTravel #JapanAttractions