Kibi plain (Kibiji), located in Japan's Okayama Prefecture is a popular sight-seeing area where you can see things such as ancient burial mounds and historic ruins from the past. Once the center of the ancient Kibi Province, this is a spot very popular with fans of history thanks to the many different historic monuments that are gathered here.
Japan's Kibi Plain in Okayama Prefecture
"Kibi Plain" is situated between the northern side of Okayama city, Soja City, and Kurashiki City. Scattered with the graves (burial mounds) of the once great clan that ruled the Kibi Province, it is surely a spot where you can experience and see some of Japan's ancient history for yourself.
Enjoy Cycling in Kibi Plain!
When exploring Kibi Plain, we recommend cycling. You can rent a bicycle from Soja Station. The rental store's open hours are from 9:00 to 18:00. They have a set holiday from December the 29th until January the 3rd. The prices are 1,000 yen if you are returning the bicycle to another location, 400 yen if you return it to the same location (up to 2 hours) and an extra 200 yen per hour extra you want to ride the bicycle for (Up to 1,000 yen).
Our Recommended Kibi Plain Cycling Route
Our recommended Kibi Plain cycling route is one that starts at Soja station and takes you around all of Kibi Plain's top historical locations.
Soja Station → [Bicycle] 45 minutes → Tsukuriyama Ancient Burial Mound → [Bicycle] 20 minutes → Komori-zuka Burial Tomb / Bitchu Kokubun Temple → [Bicycle] 15 minutes → Tsukuriyama Ancient Burial Mound (designated National historic site).
Tsukuriyama Ancient Burial Mound
"Tsukuriyama Ancient Burial Mound" is said to be the grave of the head of the Kibi Kingdom. Spanning over 350-meter as a keyhole-shaped tumulus (a form of ancient imperial grave), it is the largest grave within Okayama Prefecture and ranks 4th in the entire country.
Komori-zuka Burial Tomb
"Komori-zuka Burial Tomb" is a large horizontal stone burial chamber made up of huge rocks, spanning 19.4-meter as a keyhole-shaped burial mound. In terms of scale it ranks 4th in the entire country for horizontal stone burial chambers. It should take you around 30 minutes to look around and explore the area properly.
Bitchu Kokubun Temple
"Bitchu Kokubun Temple" is located in the center of a hilly area within the southern area of Soja city and is often known as the symbol of Kibi Plain. Here you can see a beautiful 5-story pagoda. In spring you are able to see rape blossoms as well as lotus flowers, in summer sunflowers, autumn has the common cosmos flowers, no matter which season you visit know you'll be able to see some beautiful plant life.
Nationally Designated Historic Site Tsukuriyama Ancient Burial Mound
The "Tsukuriyama" is a large-scale keyhole-shaped burial mound which has a total length of 286-meter, and a height of 24-meter. Looking at the characteristics of the toom, from the shape and structure as well as the terracotta figures, it is thought that this grave is built for the head of the Kibi Province at 5th century. It should take you around 30 minutes to look around and explore the area properly.
Access to Kibi Plain
To get to Kibi Plain from Okayama Station, you can get on the JR line from Okyama station to Soja Station.
Spot Information
- Spot name：Soja Station Tourist Information (総社駅前観光案内所)
- Street Address：1-1-1 Ekimae, Soja-City, Okayama Prefecture 719-1136
- Access：Tokyo Station→[Bullet Train] Approx. 3 hours →Okayama Station→[JR] Approx. 40 minutes → Soja Station
- Wi-Fi :Unavailable
- Language：English
- Open Hours：April～September：9:00～18:00, October～March：9:00～17:00
- Holidays：New Year Period
Comments