Autumn Foliage at Iyama Hofukuji

Soja (総社) is a city in Okayama Prefecture.

Get in

By train

You can travel directly to Soja from Okayama via the JR Kibi Line (¥410) or JR Hakubi Line (¥500) 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 ¥240. From Takahashi, it costs ¥410, and from Niimi it costs ¥970. You can also travel on the JR Limited Express Yakumo 16 from Yonago for ¥4420.

By car

Route 180, which runs from Okayama to Yonago, cuts directly through Soja. The Okayama Expressway also travels through Soja. Those traveling from the north can connect in Maniwa via the Chugoku Expressway, and in the south it branches off from the Sanyo Expressway.

Get around

By bike

Thanks to the Kibi District Cycling Trail, Soja is a great place for biking. Most of the sites can be reached by bike, and the bike rental is located just outside Soja Station. You can rent a bike for two hours for 300 yen or for a day for 1000 yen.

See

• 1 Soja Shrine (總社, sōja) (A five minute walk from Higashi Soja Station), ☏ +81 86-693-4302. The city was actually named after this shrine. Entrance is free. 

• 2 Iyama Hofukuji Temple (井山宝福寺). 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. 

• 3 Komori-zuka Burial Mound (こうもり塚古墳 kōmorizuka-kobun). 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. Entrance is free. 

• 4 Bitchu Kokubunji Temple (備中国分寺). 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 cycling route, you can take a bus from Soja Station. Entrance is free. 

• 5 Tsukuriyama Burial Mound (作山古墳, tsukuriyama-kobun). Not to be confused with the more famous Tsukuriyama Burial Mound nearby in Okayama, the burial mound in Soja is differentiated only by the characters used to write its name: 作山古墳. Like the mound in Okayama, visitors are free to walk atop this mound. No entrance fee. 

• 6 Kinojo Castle (鬼ノ城, Ki-no-jō). 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 Okayama and bike towards Soja, alternatively, you can begin at Soja station and bike the trail in the opposite direction to reach Okayama. The trail is very well-marked for travel in both directions, so if beginning in Soja is more convenient for you, it should not be difficult. If you don't have your own bike, don't worry; you can rent a bike at Soja Station for ¥1000 for the day. After you've finished cycling the trail, return your bike at the bike center just outside of Bizen Ichinomiya Station (a straight walk from Kibitsuhiko Shrine, the last attraction along the trail if travelling from Soja). The trail is 15 kilometers long, and while they officially say it takes two hours to bike the trail, a person who takes the time to view and appreciate the sites along the way will easily be able to make an enjoyable half day trip out of this trail. For a list of the sites you will pass along the trail, refer to the Kibiji Area of the Okayama guide. Note that the sites are listed in the order that you will see them if travelling from Okayama to Soja, so if you want to know the order in which you will see each site, start from the end of the list and read up to the first site. 

Eat

• Kitchen Taro (キッチン太郎), Soja-shi, Ekimae 2-6-1 (down the street from Soja Station, opposite Chugoku Bank), ☏ +81 866-92-6324. Mon-Sat, 10AM-9PM. Nice place that makes bento similar to Hokka-ben, but higher quality. Take out, but also small area for eat-in. ~1000 yen. 

Sleep

• Sun Road Kibiji, 086-690-0550. Offers both Western and Japanese-style rooms. ¥8550 to ¥13275 per night (includes 2 meals). 
• Wel Sunpia, ☏ +81 86-695-8811. A nice hotel with a large pool that feels like a small waterpark (the pool costs ¥1400 for adults, ¥1100 for middle and high school students, ¥700 for elementary school and senior citizens) ¥4050 (without meals). 
• Station Plaza Ikedaya Hotel, 1-2-2 Ekimae (Across the street from Soja Station), ☏ +81 86-690-0100. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 10AM. A nice hotel conveniently located right in front of the station. Prices start at ¥5,250. 
• New Kibiji Hotel, ☏ +81 86-693-5454. Japanese-style rooms only. 
• Toron, 2-chome, Okayama Soja Soja 4-14 (diagonally opposite the gate to the temple在Tsu Soja), ☏ +81 90-7121-1951. basic tatami mats above a shop selling Thai ethnic merchandise, ¥1000 yen 

Go next

• 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
• Yakage
• Ibara
• Fukuyama
• Niimi
• Tsuyama