Soja

By train

You can travel directly to Soja from Okayama via the JR Kibi Line (¥410) or JR Hakubi Line (¥500) to Soja Station.
The JR Hakubi Line can be used to access Soja from many cities in Okayama. From Kurashiki, you can get to Soja for only ¥240. From Takahashi, it costs ¥410, and from Niimi it costs ¥970.
You can also travel on the JR Limited Express Yakumo 16 from Yonago for ¥4420.

By car

Route 180, which runs from Okayama to Yonago, cuts directly through Soja. The Okayama Expressway also travels through Soja. Those traveling from the north can connect in Maniwa via the Chugoku Expressway, and in the south it branches off from the Sanyo Expressway.

By car

By bus

By bike

Thanks to the Kibi District Cycling Trail, Soja is a great place for biking. Most of the sites can be reached by bike, and the bike rental is located just outside Soja Station. You can rent a bike for two hours for ¥300 or for a day for ¥1000.

On foot

• Soja ShrineThe city was named after this shrine.

• Iyama Hofukuji TemplePriest Sesshu, one of Japan's most famous painters, studied here as a child. There is a legend that he painted a mouse using only his tears, and it is here that this event is said to have taken place. Very nice leaves colors in autumn. Worth the detour if you are cycling the Kibiji cycling trail.

• Komori-zuka Burial MoundAlthough the mound is quite small, this burial mound offers you the opportunity to have a look inside the tomb. This tomb is believed to date back to the sixth century. Aside from this, not much else is known about it.

• Bitchu Kokubunji TempleKokubunji Temples are special temples that were designated by the Emperor Shomu as provincial temples. This is the provincial temple of the Bitchu area (western Okayama prefecture). The large five-story pagoda, constructed in 1844, is one of the highlights of the Kibi trail. The area surrounding the temple is known as the Kibiji Fudoki-no-oka Prefectural Forest Park. For those wishing to see this temple without travelling along the cycling route, you can take a bus from Soja Station.

• Tsukuriyama Burial MoundNot to be confused with the more famous Tsukuriyama Burial Mound nearby in Okayama, the burial mound in Soja is differentiated only by the characters used to write its name: 作山古墳. Like the mound in Okayama, visitors are free to walk atop this mound.

• Kinojo CastleWhile only the castle walls remain, this site is one of the sites linked to the Momotaro tale. It is said that the demon Ura used this castle as the base from which he would pillage the nearby village.

• Gokei GorgeA scenic gorge that is particularly popular in the fall when the valley is painted in red, yellow, and orange.

• Kibiji District Cycling TrailAlthough the recommended course is to start at Bizen Ichinomiya Station in Okayama and bike towards Soja, alternatively, you can begin at Soja station and bike the trail in the opposite direction to reach Okayama. The trail is very well-marked for travel in both directions, so if beginning in Soja is more convenient for you, it should not be difficult. If you don't have your own bike, don't worry; you can rent a bike at Soja Station for ¥1000 for the day. After you've finished cycling the trail, return your bike at the bike center just outside of Bizen Ichinomiya Station (a straight walk from Kibitsuhiko Shrine, the last attraction along the trail if travelling from Soja). The trail is 15 kilometers long, and while they officially say it takes two hours to bike the trail, a person who takes the time to view and appreciate the sites along the way will easily be able to make an enjoyable half day trip out of this trail. For a list of the sites you will pass along the trail, refer to the Kibiji Area of the Okayama guide. Note that the sites are listed in the order that you will see them if travelling from Okayama to Soja, so if you want to know the order in which you will see each site, start from the end of the list and read up to the first site.

• Kitchen Taro

  address: Soja-shi, Ekimae 2-6-1
  Nice place that makes bento similar to Hokka-ben, but higher quality. Take out, but also small area for eat-in.

• Sun Road Kibiji

  address: 086-690-0550
  Offers Western and Japanese-style rooms.

• SuntopiaA nice hotel with a large pool that feels like a small waterpark (the pool costs ¥1400 for adults, ¥1100 for middle and high school students, ¥700 for elementary school and senior citizens)

• Station Plaza Ikedaya Hotel

  address: 1-2-2 Ekimae
  A nice hotel in front of the station.

• Toron

  address: 2-chome, Okayama Soja Soja 4-14
  Basic tatami mats above a shop selling Thai ethnic merchandise, ¥1000.

• Kurashiki: A charming city famous for its large, well-preserved historic district
• Okayama: Bike in via the Kibiji Cycling Trail or go into the inner city to explore Korakuen Garden, the castle, and a variety of museums
• Takahashi: Home to Japan's highest castle, which is also one of Japan's few remaining original castles
• Yakage
• Ibara
• Fukuyama
• Niimi
• Tsuyama