Summary
This time, we rented a car and enjoyed a road trip.
There were so many places I wanted to visit that I didn’t get around to all of them, so I want to revisit them again.
I recommend Okutsu Onsen! Please refer to this page!
*Please note that information and prices listed are subject to change.
Travel Itinerary
10:00am Tsuyama Station（津山駅）
This time, we started from Tsuyama Station.
I’m going to tour a lot of hot springs to refresh myself!
Spot Outline
Tsuyama Station, located in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, is a station of West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Nearby is the Tsuyama Railroad Educational Museum, a preserved railroad exhibition facility, which is also worth a visit for railroad fans. It is also an ideal starting point for a trip, with easy access to hot spring resorts.
11:00am Okutsu Onsen Hanabijin no Sato（奥津温泉花美人の里）
We came to Hanabijin no Sato, a 40-minute drive from Tsuyama Station! Looking forward to hot springs!
in the building
The inside of the museum has a warm, woody atmosphere that makes you feel relaxed ✨
Ticket machine
Except for the family baths, all baths are purchased from a ticket vending machine.
Towels and other items can be purchased!
family bath
It looks like you can reserve a family bath and get in by the hour! I used the family bath this time!
dressing room
The changing rooms in the family baths are spacious and well stocked with amenities✨
family bath
It is very wide! I can swim in this.
washing place
Shampoo, rinse, and body soap are also available in the washrooms, so you don’t have to worry about coming empty-handed!
Rest Space
I’d love to relax here and take a couple of hot spring baths…
I think I’m going to sleep.
Massage Corner
There was also a massage corner! It was already too perfect, and I could relax all day long.
Souvenir Corner
And a souvenir corner. It’s fun to look around at all the different things!
I just end up buying it…
Spot Outline
Okutsu Onsen Hanabijin no Sato, located in Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama Prefecture, is a day-trip hot spring facility. The large bathhouse includes an open-air bath and sauna, and family baths (bath fee not included, 1,500 yen per hour) are also popular. A store is also available.
Roadside Station Okutsu Onsen（道の駅 奥津温泉）
We went to a roadside station located just around the corner from Hanabijin no sato.
Roadside stations are kind of exciting, aren’t they?
Locally grown produce, etc.
At the roadside station, locally grown and processed agricultural products were on sale.
Spot Outline
Michi no Eki Roadside Station Okutsu Onsen, located in Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama Prefecture, is a road station built on a hill overlooking a hot spring resort area. Seasonal vegetables, flowers, processed goods, and woodcrafts are sold in the sales zone, and a wide variety of dishes using wild vegetables and local specialties from the region can be enjoyed at the restaurant.
12:00pm Onsen-tei（温泉亭）
Lunch at Onsen-tei next to the roadside station.
A popular restaurant where you can enjoy nostalgic dishes just like your grandmother used to make in the countryside ✨It’s a Japanese buffet style!
*The business is currently closed.
Menu
There were over 30 kinds of homemade side dishes including oden! They all tasted nostalgic and delicious!
expression of gratitude before meals
It’s fun to have a little bit of everything.
I eat too much…
Spot Outline
Onsen-tei, located in Okutsu, Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama Prefecture, is a restaurant at a roadside station. It is a buffet restaurant that recreates the taste of home that has been passed down by local aunties. The restaurant is currently closed and not in operation.
1:00pm Clothes washing Okutsu no Oyako（衣洗う奥津のおやこ）
Having eaten so much, the next step was to explore Okutsu! A bronze statue of a father and son encountered during a stroll.
There used to be an event called foot stomping laundry, in which people would step on clothes in the river to wash them, although this is not done nowadays!
Spot Outline
The Clothes Washing Okutsu no Oyako in Okutsu, Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama Prefecture, is a statue that recreates the traditional event of washing clothes by stepping on them in the river, which is a tradition in the Okutsu area. It can be seen at the foot of the bridge straddling the Yoshii River.
1:15pm Okutsu Onsen Onsen Stand（奥津温泉 温泉スタンド）
While strolling around, I found a hot spring stand!
Not a gas station, but a hot spring stand.
Schedule of Charges
Looks like you can buy a spa.
It really looks like a gas station!
Spot Outline
Okutsu Onsen Onsen Stand is a hot spring stand located in Okutsu Kawanishi, Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama Prefecture, where you can take out reasonably priced hot spring water ranging from 100 yen per 100 liters to hot water at an altitude of over 400 meters with a waiting list.
2:00pm Home roasting specialty store Kajikaen Coffee（自家焙煎専門店 河鹿園珈琲）
It was snowing and cold that day, so I stopped by a coffee shop on my way out.
Interior
The stylish store is healed by the good aroma of coffee.
Wandering in is one of the best parts of a stroll ✨
Menu
I asked the clerk for a recommendation!
Coffee and Tsuyama’s famous sweets
Jumangoku, Tsuyama’s famous confectionery and coffee.
I wondered if coffee and Japanese sweets go well together. I thought so, but they go very well together.
Spot Outline
Home roasting specialty store Kajikaen Coffee, located in Okutsu, Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama Prefecture, is a specialty store specializing in home roasting. In the store, customers can taste original blends carefully roasted in a roasting machine, and can also purchase home-roasted coffee beans from 100g.
2:30pm Okutsu Onsen Ikedaya Kajikaen（奥津温泉 池田屋 河鹿園）
Hot spring located right in front of Kajikaen Coffee.
The hot spring has long been a favorite of cultural figures, and lodging is also available!
I’m so happy to have a hot spring with running water from the source ✨
kajika no yu
This is the spacious “Kajika-no-yu” bath. There are two other types of baths to choose from depending on the number of people and your mood.
in the building
The atmosphere is quaint, as it was loved by the cultured.
Spot Outline
Located in Kagamino-cho, Okayama Prefecture, Okutsu Onsen Ikedaya Kajikaen has long been a favorite of cultural figures and boasts a hot spring with free-flowing hot-spring water. Located right in front of Kajikaen Coffee, it is also available for overnight stays. Highly rated by locals and tourists alike, it is known as a facility where one can not only enjoy the hot spring but also spend time relaxing.
3:00pm Nikonomori（にこのもり）
Relax at a private house café located about five minutes by car from Ikedaya Kajikaen.
Interior
The warmth of wood can be felt inside the restaurant.
I’ve been in the hot springs and the atmosphere is so serene that it’s kind of sleepy ✨
Sale of vessels and miscellaneous goods
The store also sells tableware and sundries!
It’s nice to take your time and look around.
Coffee and Cheesecake
It was a delicious treat for cheesecake lovers.
Sitting room space is also available.
Only in an old private house?
It’s spacious and has a seating area!
Spot Outline
Located in Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama Prefecture, Nikonomori is known as a private house cafe. Located about a 5-minute drive from Ikedaya Kawashikaen, visitors can enjoy tea in a relaxing atmosphere. Surrounded by the surrounding nature, visitors can enjoy a relaxing time.
5:00pm Tsuyama Station（津山駅）
Drive back to the station!
I wanted to go to Okutsu Gorge, but I couldn’t make it this time, so I would like to revisit it again!
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