The Kibiji is a signposted, mostly flat cycling route running between Bizen-Ichinomiya and Soja stations through the old Kibi plain, threading past shrines, temple ruins and some of Japan's largest kofun burial mounds. Rental bicycles can be picked up at one station and dropped at the other, which is what makes the route practical as a one-way day trip rather than an out-and-back ride. It's a slower, rural counterpoint to the museum- and city-based trips on this list.
| Distance | 17 km trail (40 km from Okayama city and back) |
|---|---|
| Travel time | 30 minutes to trailhead |
| Getting there | JR Kibi Line from Okayama to Bizen-Ichinomiya Station (30 min, ¥330 / ~$2.20); rent bicycle at station rental shop (¥1,200/day / ~$8); return from Soja Station on same JR Kibi Line |
| Address | Bizen-Ichinomiya Station, Kita-ku, Okayama (western trailhead) |
How to get there
- Mode
- JR train + bicycle
- Duration
- 30 min to trailhead
- Cost
- ¥330 (~$2.20) + ¥1,200 (~$8) bicycle
Location
Bizen-Ichinomiya Station, Kita-ku, Okayama (western trailhead)
34.6637, 133.8396 View on map
Highlights
- Bitchu Kokubunji Temple ruins — a five-story pagoda standing alone in rice fields, the single most photographed point on the route
- Kibitsu Shrine — a long covered corridor connects the approach to the shrine's distinctive gabled hall, one of the few of its architectural style in Japan
- Tsukuriyama Kofun — a keyhole-shaped burial mound from the 5th century, among the largest in the country and one you can walk directly onto
- Kibitsuhiko Shrine — a second shrine along the route associated with the same regional legend as Kibitsu Shrine