Summary
This time, we went on a tour of famous tourist spots in the Miyoshi and Shobara areas of Hiroshima Prefecture by car.
Delicious sake souvenirs, great views…it was a fulfilling day.
Please refer to this page!
*Please note that information and prices listed are subject to change.
Travel Itinerary
9:00am Miyoshi Station（三次駅）
This trip starts at Miyoshi Station!
From here, we will cruise around by car.
Spot Outline
Miyoshi Station is a station on the Geibi Line of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) located in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is conveniently located with many tourist attractions and commercial facilities in the surrounding area. All trains depart and terminate at this station, so a transfer is required when going beyond this station.
9:30am Koichi Yumoto Memorial Japanese Monster Museum (Miyoshi Mononoke Museum)
The first stop was the Mononoke Museum.
It is a rare museum where you can meet Japanese yokai!
Entrance
Specters you wrote yourself on the screen
Have your coloring book scanned and your very own yokai will walk around in the screen.
Kappa (Japanese water monster) is as if he is being transported into space.
It looks even prettier because I painted the colors myself.
Yourself as a kappa?
You can become a kappa on the screen by reacting to your face and body.
Shop
The store has a large selection of yokai goods.
Cute yokai accessories are also available!
Spot Outline
The Koichi Yumoto Memorial Japanese Monster Museum (Miyoshi Mononoke Museum), located in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a rare museum dedicated to Japanese yokai. The museum was opened by Koichi Yumoto, one of Japan’s foremost collectors of yokai, who donated his collection of about 5,000 yokai to the museum. Parking is available, even on rainy days.
10:45am Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery（広島三次ワイナリー）
The next stop was a winery.
A must-see for wine lovers, with cellar tours and tastings available!
Exterior
Interior
wine cellar
Inside the wine cellar
The cellar is lined with many barrels.
It is exciting to think that there is good wine in this bottle!
Grape Lamp
The lamps were grape-shaped and very pretty.
Then to the wine pavilion.
Wine Bar Counter
Enjoy paid tastings!
wine cellar
Free tasting corner
Non-alcoholic tasting
It’s not good that only the driver can’t enjoy himself when he has come all the way to a winery!
Non-alcoholic drinks can be tasted here, so drivers can enjoy the winery with ease.
Spot Outline
Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery, located in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a facility that sells wine and souvenirs. Wine lovers can enjoy a tour of the cellar and free tastings of wines made from local grapes. There is also a restaurant and barbecue garden, popular with families. Visitors driving to the site need to be careful not to drink and drive, but bus tours are also available for transportation.
Cafe Vine（カフェ ヴァイン）
Go to this cafe next to the winery.
You can enjoy soft-serve ice cream made with luxurious grapes and parfaits topped with large grapes.
Exterior
Menu
limited-time menu
Topped with grapes
Spot Outline
Cafe Vine is a coffee shop located on the grounds of the Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery. Located next to the winery, its soft-serve ice cream and parfaits with large grapes are very popular. Surrounded by nature, you can spend a relaxing time here.
11:50am Bihoku Hillside Park（国営備北丘陵公園）
Go to Bihoku Hillside Park to enjoy flowers!
I came here for the cosmos.
Parking lot entrance
Map
There is much to see and do in the spacious park.
It is a perfect place to spend a relaxing holiday, taking a walk and looking at flowers on a sunny day!
inside the garden (park)
To the Flower Plaza
Flower Observatory
From the observatory, you can see the magnificent cosmos field all at once!
It was probably the first time I had seen so many cosmos at once..!
Spot Outline
Bihoku Hillside Park is a large park located in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Within the park, there is “Hiba-no-Sato” where the landscape of the Chugoku Mountains is reproduced, and “Hana-no-Hiroba” where colorful flowers bloom from spring to fall, allowing visitors to enjoy a variety of flowers depending on the season. Illuminations can also be seen in winter. There is also a large lawn area where many families visit and play to their heart’s content.
1:00pm Okonomiyaki Kobayashi（お好み焼き コバヤシ）
Lunch was the Shobara specialty, okonomiyaki!
Shobara’s okonomiyaki is famous among Hiroshima yaki for the rice it contains.
Exterior
Decided here!
Shobara-yaki Special
Kimchi and rice, other ingredients such as mochi, pork and green onions. It is okonomiyaki with lots of ingredients!
Spot Outline
Okonomiyaki Kobayashi is a restaurant located in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Shobara-yaki, a specialty of Shobara, is popular and differs from Hiroshima-yaki in that it contains rice. It is finished with a ponzu sauce and is popular by word of mouth for its large volume, making it very satisfying. It is recommended for lunch and a taste of Shobara.
1:45pm Bingo Shobara Station（備後庄原駅）
With a full stomach, we started sightseeing in Shobara!
This station is a must-visit spot for Carp fans.
They are lined with objects of players…
Exterior
Ceiling of the station
Dried flowers are on the ceiling of the station!
Players’ objects
A dynamic Carp player’s objet d’art.
Stand in the middle and pose to catch an outfield fly yourself.
You can even take pictures as if you were one of the Carp players!
Spot Outline
Bingo-Shobara Station is a station on the Geibi Line of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), located at 2-13 Nakahon-machi, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Many people get off at Bingo Shobara and transfer to a bus to return to Hiroshima. It is also known as a must-see spot for Carp fans and is popular among tourists because of the rows of objects depicting the players.
2:30pm Taishakukyo（帝釈峡）
The next stop was Taishakukyo!
Rent a bike and take a pleasant stroll along the river through the nature-rich grounds! The power of nature will refresh you.
Pleasure Boat Ride
Map
rent-a-cycle
Rent a bicycle from Yayoi Shokudo.
Get a bicycle!
It just keeps going and going and going.
riverside road
You can enjoy strolling while listening to the sound of the river, either by renting a bicycle or walking.
Spot Outline
Teishakyo Gorge, located in Tojo cho, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a gorge that straddles Tojo Town and Jinsekikogen Town in Shobara City. Designated as a national scenic beauty spot, it is also known as one of Hiroshima Prefecture’s representative scenic spots. There are also a variety of activities to enjoy nature, such as sightseeing boats and Segways.
Onbashi Natural bridge（雄橋）
Arrive at the Onbashi Natural bridge! It is a natural bridge made of limestone.
The paths that go under can be passed through!
Spot Outline
The Onbashi Natural bridge in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is one of the natural bridges over the Teishakyo Gorge and is designated as a national natural monument. It is thought to have originally been part of a limestone cave that was left behind, making it a valuable object. The path under it can be passed through, and the male bridge, generated by nature, is a popular outdoor and Onbashi Natural bridge.
3:45pm Kitamura Sake Brewery（北村醸造場）
I came to the brewery to buy some souvenirs.
Here you can purchase “Kikubunmei”, a famous sake among famous sake, which won an honorary award in the Junmai-shu (p category from the Hiroshima Regional Taxation Bureau in 2020!
Carp’s boar cups are also for sale, and I’m looking forward to having a glass of wine with my dinner when I get home…
Exterior
The old-fashioned building has a sense of history.
Entrance
Interior
Karp’s boar cup
Spot Outline
Kitamura Brewery, located in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a brewery with a history of about 200 years. Here, you can purchase a famous sake called “Kikubunmei” that has been loved for a long time.
Goto Shoten（後藤商店）
A store selling the famous red vinegar is located just a few steps from the brewery.
We will be happy to let you sample the vinegar, so please find your favorite vinegar!
Exterior
Entrance
Tools of the Festival
Tools for the annual November festival were also on display.
Spot Outline
Goto Shoten, located in Kawahigashi, Tojo Town, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a store that sells its famous red vinegar. Located just a few steps from the brewery, the store offers tastings so you can find your favorite vinegar.
We Tojo Store（ウィー東城店）
Next came this one, which is a bookstore but not a regular bookstore.
Books are also sold, but the other items of note are the assortment of other items.
It sells not only stationery, but also cosmetics and food products. It is a bookstore, like a supermarket.
magazine
clothing goods
stationery
cosmetics
Accessory
Spot Outline
We Tojo Store is a bookstore in the town of Shobara, Hiroshima Prefecture. It looks like an ordinary bookstore, but it also sells stationery, cosmetics, and food products, giving it the feel of a supermarket. What is noteworthy is its assortment of non-book items.
Mon petit chéri（モンプティシェリ）
This last place we visited is a popular local bakery!
However, it was late and the restaurant was closed…
The store closes when all the freshly baked bread is gone, so everyone is encouraged to visit early!
Spot Outline
mon petit chéri is a bakery located in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is a popular local bakery, and its freshly baked bread is very popular. However, freshly baked bread ends as soon as it is gone, so it is recommended to visit early in the day.
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