Maniwa
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Maniwa (真庭市) is a city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
Understand
Tourist information
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site with integrated Google Translate.
Get in
By plane
By train
The JR Kishin Line runs through Maniwa with Chugoku-Katsuyama Station as the main station. The line can be reached via a transfer in Niimi from the west or Tsuyama to the east. Trains along this line are infrequent. If traveling from Okayama, your planned departure/arrival time will determine which connection will get you to Maniwa faster. For many people, the bus (below) is a better alternative.
By bus
Chutetsu Bus operates 4 buses per day between Chugoku-Katsuyama Station and Okayama Station's Higashiguchi Exit and Tenmaya Bus Center.
Hinomaru Bus operates two buses per day from Okayama bound for Kurayoshi that stop at Yubara Onsen and the Hiruzen Highlands (Hiruzen Inubasari Bus Stop 蒜山犬挟) en route. They also operate one bus per day between Hiroshima and Tottori which stops at Yubara Onsen (Yubara Onsen-guchi Bus Stop). From Osaka, Nihon Kotsu operates one bus per day that stops at Yubara Onsen and the Hiruzen Highlands on the way to Kurayoshi.
Get around
On foot
The Katsuyama Historic District is accessible on foot from Chugoku-Katsuyama Station and a handful of sights are within walking distance of Kuse Station. Most other sights are too far too reasonably walk there.
By bus
6-7 buses per day from Kuse Station and Chugoku-Katsuyama Station to Kanba Falls, Yubara Onsen, and Hiruzen Highlands.
By taxi
Places with limited or no bus access can be reached by taxi. Taxis operate in the Hiruzen Highlands, Chugoku-Katsuyama, Kuse, and Mimasaka-Ochiai.
See
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- 1 Kanba Falls (神庭の滝), 640 Kanba (40 min walk from Kanba-guchi (神庭口) bus stop). 08:30-17:15. Designated as one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls, at 100 m tall and 20 m wide, it's the largest waterfall in Western Japan. Below the falls is the Tamatare Falls (玉垂の滝), which is a small 2-meter drop of numerous neverending drips that fall like thin threads from moss on the rocks. Wild monkeys live around the falls, so lucky visitors may see them. If you do see monkeys, do not approach them. Visitors are asked to avoid bringing bags and eating food around the falls in order to avoid potentially dangerous encounters with the wild monkeys. ¥300.
- 2 Katsuyama Samurai Residence (勝山武家屋敷館). Home of Watanabe Tobei, a vassal of Akitsugu Miura, dating back to 1764. The house is well-preserved and filled with artifacts and weapons. ¥200.
- 3 GREENable HIRUZEN (グリーナブルヒルゼン). A monument to sustainability, the Kaze no Ha (Wind Leaves), is a large structure designed by architect Kengo Kuma featuring wood panels attached to steel that look like leaves blowing upward in the wind.
- 4 Japanese Giant Salamander Center (はんざきセンター). A museum about the endangered and protected giant salamanders that inhabit the rivers that run through Yubara.
- 5 Daigo-zakura (醍醐桜). Named after Emperor Go-Daigo who is said to have stopped to admire the tree on his road to exile, the tree is over 1000 years old. It is one of the most famous single cherry trees in the country.
Do
- 1 Yubara Onsen Sunayu (湯原温泉砂湯). The Sunayu is a mixed gender, open-air onsen below Yubara Dam. There are small changing areas for men and women. People used to be permitted to enter fully nude, however since 2020, they ask visitors to cover their lower half. Free.
Buy
Eat
Hiruzen Yakisoba is a dish from the Hiruzen Highlands: miso-seasoned fried noodles with chicken and cabbage. It was awarded first prize at the B-Gourmet Grand Prix. B-Gourmet is a name given to dishes connected to a specific city, town, or area, sometimes colloquially referred to as local "soul food". The Grand Prix is a nationwide competition between these dishes.
- 1 Yamana Shokudo (やまな食堂). Mar-Nov 10:30-16:00; Dec-Feb 11:00-15:00. One of the city's Hiruzen Yakisoba destinations, they have three dishes that are a play on words. 'Hiru' can refer to "Noon", so in addition to Hiruzen Yakisoba, they also offer Asa-zen Yakisoba ("Asa" meaning "morning"), which has an egg on top and Yu-zen Yakisoba ("Yu" meaning "Evening/Night") which has ginger in it.
- 2 Kougen-tei (高原亭). A Hirzuzen Yakisoba restaurant with the morning and evening varieties, along with their own original "Horumon Yakisoba", which uses horumon, giblets famous in Tsuyama, instead of the traditional chicken.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Maniwa City Hotel Sunrise (真庭シティホテルサンライズ). A hotel in the Kuse area. Singles from ¥6050.
- 2 Kikunoya (菊乃家). Part of Yubara Onsen, this ryokan has its own onsen for guests. Dinners feature local foods from northern Okayama, including wagyu beef.