Kibiji Cycling Route

The Kibiji Cycling Route is a roughly 17-kilometre marked cycling path across the Kibi Plain west of Okayama city, linking a string of ancient shrines, burial mounds and rice-field scenery between Bizen-Ichinomiya Station and Soja Station on the JR Kibi Line. Riders pass Kibitsuhiko Shrine, Kibitsu Shrine, the round-and-square keyhole tomb of Tsukuriyama Kofun, and Bitchu Kokubunji Temple, whose five-story pagoda rising above flat rice paddies is the route's best-known photo point. The path is flat and mostly paved, running along quiet rural roads and dedicated cycling lanes, making it manageable for casual riders rather than only serious cyclists. A full one-way ride between the two stations, with stops at the main shrines and the pagoda, takes 4 to 5 hours at an easy pace; riders short on time can do a shorter loop from Bizen-Ichinomiya covering just the shrines. Bicycles, including electric-assist models, can be rented at Bizen-Ichinomiya Station and returned at Soja Station, avoiding a return ride. Spring, when the rice paddies are freshly flooded and reflect the pagoda, and autumn, once the rice has ripened to gold before harvest, are the most scenic seasons; midsummer riding can be uncomfortably hot with little shade along the open plain. The route sees light but steady traffic from both tourists and local cyclists, with the busiest stretches near Kibitsu Shrine on weekend mornings.