'''Soja''' is a city in Okayama Prefecture.
Get in
By train
You can travel directly to Soja from Okayama via the '''JR Kibi Line''' (\400) or '''JR Hakubi Line''' (\480) to Soja Station.
The '''JR Hakubi Line''' can be used to access Soja from many cities in Okayama. From Kurashiki, you can get to Soja for only \230. From Takahashi, it costs \400, and from Niimi it costs \950.
You can also travel on the '''JR Limited Express Yakumo 16''' from Yonago for \4500.
By car
Get around
See
Soja Shrine. five minute walk from Higashi Soja Station. 86-693-4302. ntrance is free. The city was actually named after this shrine.
Iyama Houfukuji Temple. Priest Sesshu, one of Japan's most famous painters, studied here as a child. There is a legend that he painted a mouse using only his tears, and it is here that this event is said to have taken place.
Komori-zuka Burial Mound. ntrance is free. Although the mound itself is quite small, this burial mound offers you the opportunity to have a look inside the tomb. This tomb is believed to date back to the sixth century. Aside from this, not much else is known about it.
Okayama Prefectural Kibiji Museum. ehind Kokubunji Temple and Koumori-zuka Burial Mound. 86-693-2219. ttp://www.sqr.or.jp/usr/kyodokan/. pen from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Closed Mondays. ntrance fee: \150. A museum with nice displays of artifacts from the ancient Kibiji Kingdom. There are also lectures and interactive demonstrations for children.
Bitchu Kokubunji Temple. ntrance is free. Kokubunji Temples are special temples that were designated by the Emperor Shomu as provincial temples. This is the provincial temple of the Bitchu area (western Okayama prefecture). The large five-story pagoda, constructed in 1844, is one of the highlights of the Kibi trail. The area surrounding the temple is known as the Kibiji Fudoki-no-oka Prefectural Forest Park. For those wishing to see this temple without travelling along the trail, there are buses from
Kinojo Castle. While only the castle walls remain, this site is one of the sites linked to the Momotaro tale. It is said that the demon Ura used this castle as the base from which he would pillage the nearby village.
Do
Kibiji District Cycling Trail. Although the recommended course is to start at Bizen Ichinomiya Station in Kurashiki A charming city famous for its large, well-preserved historic district
Okayama Bike in via the Kibiji Cycling Trail or go into the inner city to explore '''Korakuen Garden''', the castle, and a variety of museums
Takahashi Home to Japan's highest castle, which is also one of Japan's few remaining original castles
Fukuyama
Niimi
Tsuyama