Rikan Castle Ruins
Built in five years by the powerful Ikeda family, this mountaintop castle was known for its majestic tower that seemed to pierce the clouds. Climbing the mountain is permitted only when accompanied by a designated guide.
DetailDetailed information
- Address
- Hirafuku,Sayo Town
- Related web sites
- https://sayoyamajiro.wordpress.com/
MAPNeighborhood Information
RecommendRelated Recommended Spots
Hanataka Gokufuten
Enjoy workshops on pressed flower crafts and porcelain art, which involves painting on white porcelain with transfer paper. (Reservations required)
Sayo Star Resort Golf Club
Spread out over nearly 123 acres of land, the resort features a golf course and tennis courts, accommodations designed by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando, a natural hot spring, a covered, all-weather barbecue terrace, an outdoor swimming pool, and other facilities, making it ideal for golfers as well as for families and friends. The convenient location, just 10 minutes from the Sayo IC, is also a plus.
Fukumori Meat Shop
"This butcher store sells A4 to A5 Japanese black beef, ""Sayohime Pork,"" a melt-in-your-mouth brand of meat raised in Sayo Town, fresh hormone, and handmade roast pork and croquettes baked slowly in an oven. They are also handled by Furusato and department stores, and can be shipped regionally. Please contact us before ordering."
Nanko Sunflower Museum
The sunflower fields of Nanko spread out like a sea of yellow in the summer sun. At the Nanko Sunflower Museum, you can find everything from organic sunflower seeds and sunflower oil to sunflower dressing and sunflower curry. These popular, all-natural sunflower products are additive-free and can also be found at farm-to-table stands along roadsides and near train stations in the area.
Shinsayo Yakiniku
Established in 1975, the restaurant still maintains its quaint Showa Period Japanese atmosphere. All the grilled teppan-yaki and yakiniku BBQ meat dishes are made only using the finest Japanese black wagyu. You can also enjoy offal yakiudon, stir-fried noodles, with a delicious miso-based sauce.
Nishishinjuku Grandpa and Grandma’s Iris Garden
In a converted terraced rice paddie grow 13,000 iris flowers of 170 varieties. Visitors can also enjoy strolling through the wildflowers in the surrounding fields. Flowering season lasts for about three weeks starting in early June.
GourmetNearby Gourmet Spots
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.
Juju
Authentic Chinese restaurant offering homemade chili shrimp, egg rolls, and more. The popular hors d'oeuvres and vinegar miso dressing made with local glutinous soybean miso are not to be missed.
Sayo Shokudo
Enjoy a bowl of ramen or a Japanese set meal using only the finest local Sayo vegetables, rice, and seasonings. This restaurant strictly uses no additives or preservatives, ensuring the freshest and most natural local dining experience.
HOTELNearby Accommodations
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.
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."
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.
Sayo Star Resort Golf Club
Spread out over nearly 123 acres of land, the resort features a golf course and tennis courts, accommodations designed by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando, a natural hot spring, a covered, all-weather barbecue terrace, an outdoor swimming pool, and other facilities, making it ideal for golfers as well as for families and friends. The convenient location, just 10 minutes from the Sayo IC, is also a plus.
University of Hyogo Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory
Located at the summit of Mount Onade, the Nishi-Harima Observatory is equipped with a two-meter aperture Nayuta telescope, one of the world's largest available for public use. Centered around the observatory, there are nature trails, lodging facilities for groups and families, restaurants, and other facilities that allow visitors to stay overnight and enjoy stargazing to the fullest. Viewing parties are held every evening for overnight guests, while a general viewing party is held on Sundays for day-trippers. Please note that reservations are required on Saturdays and holidays. Many astronomical events are held throughout the year, allowing visitors to feel closer to the stars and the universe.
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."