Sayo-cho Insectarium
This small insect museum is tucked away near the entrance of Ruri Temple at the base of Mount Funakoshi. The museum exhibits specimens of aquatic organisms, introduces the flora and fauna of the scenic Chikusa River, and offers hands-on programs for children.
DetailDetailed information
- Address
- 617 Funakoshi,Sayo Town
- Telephone Number
- 0790-77-0103(開館日のみ)0790-82-2424(教育委員会)
- Business Holidays
- Open only on weekends and holidays from April to October
- Usage Fees
- free
- Related web sites
- https://www.konchukan.net/sayo/
MAPNeighborhood Information
RecommendRelated Recommended Spots

Hasegawa Liquor Store
The shop's selection of local sake from the Banshu region and shochu from throughout Japan are ideal for souvenirs and gifts. Domestic shipping is also available.

Business Ryokan Ichihonmatsu
Affordable accommodation for work or sightseeing, starting from ¥3,500 a night or ¥5,000 a night with two meals included. Rooms have an ensuite bath and toilet. Guests are welcome to bring drinks.

Shukubamachi Hirafuku
After a 30-year period as a castle town during the Warring States period, Hirafuku flourished as the largest stopover along the historic Inaba Kaidō trade route. Remnants of history such as ancient documents and other artifacts paint a picture of the village's past, which can still be felt while strolling through the riverside streets lined with traditional buildings.

Totoro
The restaurant specializes in offal yakiudon, stir-fried noodles, and okonomiyaki, savory pancakes, made with 100% wagyu beef. They also offer four varieties of original sauce and karaoke.

Fureai-no-sato Kozuki Specialty Store
Located at Kozuki Station on the JR Kishi Line, Fureai-no-sato Kozuki is popular for its locally-made specialty goods. The shop is bustling with customers who come from far and wide to buy products made with Sayo glutinous soybeans and farm fresh vegetables.

Jyujiro Hirafuku Tea Room
Jyujiro, a popular Japanese confectionery in Himeji, has finally opened a shop in Sayo where it originated. Specialties such as "Ohagi" (sweet bean cakes) and komochi (small rice cakes) are made with all additive and pesticide-free local ingredients including glutinous rice, azuki beans, and glutinous soybeans. Visitors can relax and enjoy these traditional Japanese sweets in the cafe space and also purchase local agricultural products.
GourmetNearby Gourmet Spots

Kurumi
This restaurant is known for its specially prepared sauce, offal yakiudon, stir-fried noodles, and warm, friendly customer service.

Misaki Otoriten Umara Rest Area
"An open-air restaurant like an oasis for anglers located on the banks of the Chikusa River. The salt-baked sweetfish is grilled slowly over binchotan, high-grade charcoal, so the entire fish is edible from head to tail. If you are lucky, natural extra-large eels may be on the menu. The restaurant is open during the sweetfish fishing season, so please call in advance to confirm."

Restaurant Kumotsuki
This restaurant provides specially prepared meals featuring Kobe beef and hand-picked vegetables from local farmers.

"A nostalgic old folk house café in the historic Hirafuku townscape. A modern ""Tea Ceremony Space"" with a sense of hybridity that transcends the boundary between Japanese and Western styles. Enjoy handmade lunches and sweets while seasonal flowers bloom. In addition, when you order coffee, we will deliver the aroma of freshly roasted beans to your seat."

Roadside Shop Shukuba-machi Hirafuku
Hirafuku was a bustling post town along the historical Inaba Kaidō Highway during Japan's Edo Period (1603-1867). This roadside shop is the gateway for sightseeing in the Hirafuku area, where the old castle town remains. The shop offers a sales corner selling fresh local vegetables and local specialities, a restaurant serving dishes made from local ingredients, an observatory overlooking the "Ruins of Toshigami Castle", a tourist information space, and a cycle station for passing cyclists.

Oyasumi-dokoro Uryubara
This community center was renovated from the original residence of the Uryubara family. The Uryubara's ran a foundry business in the region from the Edo Period (1603-1867) until the beginning of the Showa Period (1926-1989). The current building, erected in 1810, has a large smoke vent built into the roof, a unique architectural aspect of buildings in the former inn town of Hirafuku. The facility offers homemade soba, allowing visitors to sit-back, relax, and enjoy a delicious meal while they tour the building.
HOTELNearby Accommodations

Nanko Nature Village
The campground is a popular all-season, full-scale outdoor facility along the banks of the Chikusa River and has been voted as one of the top 100 most beautiful waters in Japan. The family-friendly grounds provide unique tree houses, cottages with wood-burning stoves, and even Finnish saunas. Several cottages are fully equipped with underfloor heating and air conditioning to make your stay as comfortable as possible. In summer, visitors can enjoy outdoor activities such as playing in the river and collecting insects.

Guest House Asagiri
You can rent out a traditional Japanese private house in the mountains surrounded by nature. Please spend a relaxing time as if it's your "home away from home". We have amenities prepared so that you can come empty-handed. You can enjoy barbecues, playing in the river, a bonfire, etc. with your friends and family. It is also ideal for a training camp for a group of colleagues.

Glaminka Sayo
For those who want a unique Japanese glamping experience during their travels, this is the place! This glamping campground was once an old village at risk of falling into ruin, but was instead saved by a team of architects from all over Japan who treasured the building's beauty and historical value. The four old folk houses were restored with a comfortable, modern twist while maintaining the old traditional architectural charm of the structures.

Nipponia Hirafuku Post Town
This private accommodation is set in the renovated former Kimura Residence, said to have been built in the Taisho Period (1912-1926). While preserving the thick beams and traditional exterior, the house is furnished in a way that combines the atmosphere of ages past and modern comforts, with locally produced Minada washi paper used for the shoji screens and sake barrels used as tables. Visitors can enjoy relaxing on the veranda surrounding the spacious courtyard or taking a soak in the spacious bath made of Hyogo cypress.

Tsuboyaki Potato Specialty Store Wako
"A sweet shop where you can enjoy tsuboyaki sweet potatoes, which are slowly baked in a pot by hanging them in a pot over charcoal. In addition to baked potatoes, which is sold by weight and can be served ""hot, cold or chilled"", there is also a coffee shop menu that includes sweets such as warm baked sweet potato topped with ice cream and a fluffy pile of shaved ice. the baked sweet potatoes will end as soon as the matured ""Beniharuka"" runs out (Approx. August) and will be sold from January of the following year, so please contact us before visiting."

Outdoor vacation rental Ahirunomori
"The owner, who used to run an outdoor shop in Osaka, started this hands-on home-stay experience when he moved to the area. The appealing menu includes bushcraft workshops based on the experience of former Self-Defense Forces personnel, and cycling tours using electric cross bikes. Guests are also free to use the self-built huts on the premises, so they can use the Ahiro Forest for BBQ's, ent stays and other fun activities."