[Kagamino Town]

Iwai Falls & the Famous Spring Water of Iwai

Located in the northernmost corner of Okayama Prefecture, Iwai Falls is said to bring visitors the blessing of children. Featuring a grotto formed by overhanging bedrock, Iwai Falls is known as an “Urami” (rear-view) waterfall that can be viewed from behind. When viewed from behind, the waterfall takes on the mystical form of a magical curtain, making the falls famous as a “power spot,” as well. The pure Spring Water of Iwai has also been chosen as one of the Top 100 Spring Waters in Japan.

• Kagimino Town Kamisaibara Promotion Center   ☎0868-44-2111
• Kamisaibara, Kagamino Town
• http://kanko.town.kagamino.lg.jp/

---

[Maniwa City]

Hiruzen Highlands

This highland area sits at the foot of the three peaks of Mt. Hiruzen (Kami-Hiruzen, Naka-Hiruzen and Shimo-Hiruzen) at an altitude of 500~600m. One of the leading resort areas in western Japan, the highlands are also home to one of Japan’s largest Jersey cattle ranches, making the area famous for its dairy products as well. From simply taking in the verdant forest scenery to camping, cycling, mountain climbing, autumn leaf viewing and skiing, the area offers many different ways to enjoy the great outdoors year-round.

• Hiruzen Tourism Association   ☎0867-66-3220
• Hiruzen, Maniwa City
• http://www.hiruzen.info/

---

[Maniwa City]

Kanba Falls

At 110m tall and 20m wide, Kanba Falls is one of the largest and most famous waterfalls in western Japan and was chosen as one of the Top 100 Waterfalls in Japan. Wild monkeys also sometimes make an appearance.

• Kanba Falls Nature Park Administrative Office   ☎0867-44-2701
• Kanba, Maniwa City
• http://www.e-maniwa.net/

---

[Mimasaka City]

Mt. Ushiro

Straddling the border between Mimasaka City and Hyogo Prefecture, Mt. Ushiro is the highest peak in Okayama Prefecture, at an altitude of 1,344m. A primeval beech forest covers the mountain from midslope to its peak.

• Mimasaka City Higashiawakura General Branch Office   ☎0868-78-3133
• Mt. Ushiro, Mimasaka City
• http://kanko.city.mimasaka.lg.jp/detail/index_58.html

---

[Nishiawakura Village]

Wakasugi (Japanese Cedar) Primeval Forest

This primeval forest in Hyonosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park is great for taking in the verdant forest scenery. While taking a stroll along its trails, you can also listen to the singing birds and the babbling of the Yoshino River, which is a tributary of the Yoshii River.

• Nishiawakura Village Office of Industry and Tourism   ☎0868-79-2111
• Ogaya, Nishiawakura Village
• http://nishiawakura-kanko.com/sizen/index.html

---

[Tsuyama City]

Nunotaki Falls

Rather than a torrent of water falling straight down, the water of Nondaki Falls cascades along the surface of the rocks on a slope, creating the appearance of a white cloth draped over the rocks (Nondaki means “cloth falls”). The best period to view the falls is from early summer, when the volume of water is at its greatest, through the autumn leaf-viewing season.

• Tsuyama City Aba Branch Office   ☎0868-32-7042
• Aba, Tsuyama City
• http://www.tsuyamakan.jp/en/

---

[Maniwa City]

Shiogama Cold Spring

Cold spring water gushes forth from the valley at the foot of Naka-Hiruzen, in the middle of the three peaks of Mt. Hiruzen. Nearby, you can find the trailhead for climbing Naka-Hiruzen, as well as a campsite, a trout farm and more.

• Hiruzen Tourism Association   ☎0867-66-3220
• Hiruzen Shimofukuda, Maniwa City
• http://www.hiruzen.info/

---

[Kagamini City]

Okayama Prefectural Forest Park

Filled with the green of beech trees and water oaks, the park is also scattered with pepperbushes, Japanese Stewartias and various other types of flowers and plants. At the same time, the forest is always alive with the voices of cuckoo birds, blue-and-white flycatchers and many other creatures.

• Forest Park Administrative Office   ☎0868-52-0928
• Kamisaibara, Kagamino Town (Park Open from Late-April to the End of November)
• http://www.ombara-kogen.com/sinrin-hp/

---

[Shinjo Village]

Yurikago no Komichi (Cradle Lane)

This therapeutic forest hiking trail sits at the foot of Mt. Kenashi. Why not enjoy a pleasant, guided stroll through the forest while absorbing negative air ions?

• Shinjo Village Office of Industry and Construction   ☎0867-56-2628
• Tanami, Shinjo Village
• http://www.vill.shinjo.okayama.jp/index.php?id=92

---

[Misaki Town]

Rice Terraces of Ohaganishi

The Town of Misaki (Kume District) in north-central Okayama Prefecture, there sits among the mountains at an altitude of 400m an expansive valley that is filled throughout with terraced rice paddies—some 850 in all—stretching in every direction along the slope of the valley. The scenery carved out of the mountains by the unique lines of the rice paddies’ ridge pattern is simply breathtaking. Selected as one of the Top 100 Rice Terraces in Japan, these terraced rice paddies are renowned for how their beauty continually transforms with the passing of each season. During the period between the rice-planting season in early summer and the fall harvest, the rice terraces present a spectacular scene sculpted by the collaborative work of man and Mother Nature. During the fall, the rice terraces present another gorgeous view when they are engulfed in the occasional sea of clouds.

• Misaki Town Office of Industry, Construction and Tourism   ☎0868-66-1118
• Ohaganishi, Misaki Town, Kume District, Okayama Prefecture
• http://www.town.misaki.okayama.jp/life/3/3/

---

[Kumenan Town]

Miyaji Yasuragi no Sato

At Miyaji Yasuragi-no-Sato, you can view the lotuses while getting close enough to actually touch them. As a result, this has become a popular spot for taking photos or selfies in July and August, when the lotuses are in full bloom. Spending time surrounded by lotuses, the very flowers said to bloom in Paradise, is a sure way to cleanse both mind and spirit.

• Kumenan Town Tourism Association   ☎086-728-2829
• Miyaji, Kumenan Town
• https://www.town.kumenan.lg.jp/sightseeing_event/sightseeing/miyaji_yasuragi.html