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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Maniwa
真庭市
Go only with a car or a booked bus: 1 night for Yubara Onsen and Katsuyama, 2 nights if you add Hiruzen. Without wheels, skip it.
Maniwa is a spread-out rural city in northern Okayama: a post-town street at Katsuyama, a free riverside onsen at Yubara, the Hiruzen Highlands, and a 100 m waterfall. Sights sit 20–40 km apart along Route 313, buses run 6–7 times a day at best, and trains on the JR Kishin Line are infrequent. It rewards slow travel by car, not a checklist stop.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 真庭市
- Best months
- Apr–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (humid), Jan–Feb for driving (snow and ice on Route 313 and the Hiruzen road)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–16,000 excl. bed · High ¥16,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Hiruzen yakisoba | ¥900–1,300 |
| Coffee | ¥400–600 |
| Sake manju, one | ¥150–250 |
| Kanba Falls entry | ¥300 |
| Bitchu Kanachi Cave entry | ¥800 |
| Katsuyama Samurai Residence or Folk Museum entry | ¥200 each |
| School uniform rental at the former school | ¥800 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- OKJ · Okayama Momotaro
- Nearest airport; about 1 h by car to Kuse, about 1 h 25 min to Hiruzen. No direct bus to Maniwa: taxi or bus to a station first.
- YGJ · Yonago
- About 1 h by car to Hiruzen, about 1 h 20 min to Kuse. Useful from the San'in side.
Typical fares
- Chutetsu Bus, Chugoku-Katsuyama → Okayama
- 4 buses a day; fare check at the counter (check)
- Taxi, Kuse Station → Katsuyama historic district
- about 20 min (check)
- Sunayu open-air onsen, Yubara
- free
Get around
A car is the practical answer: Route 313 links Kuse, Katsuyama, Maga Onsen, Yubara and Hiruzen, and Route 201 branches to Kanba Falls. Without one, 6–7 buses a day run from Kuse and Chugoku-Katsuyama stations to Kanba Falls, Yubara Onsen and Hiruzen; the Katsuyama historic district is walkable from Chugoku-Katsuyama Station and a few sights sit near Kuse Station. Taxis cover the gaps (Hiruzen, Yubara/Maga, Katsuyama, Mimasaka-Ochiai operators).
See and do
Known for
- Yubara Onsen Sunayu, the free riverside open-air bath
- Katsuyama Preservation District and its noren
- Hiruzen Yakisoba
- Kanba Falls
- Daigo-zakura cherry tree
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tsuyama | JR Kishin Line east to Tsuyama, change as needed | About 1–1.5 h |
| Takahashi | Bihoku Bus from Takahashi Bus Terminal into southern Maniwa, or drive Route 313/201 | About 1 h by car |
| Nishiawakura | Drive north from Hiruzen on Route 482 | About 40–50 min |
| Okayama | Chutetsu Bus from Chugoku-Katsuyama Station, 4 a day | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Kuse
- Around Kuse Station: city hotel, rental house, walkable to the Former Senkyo Jinjo Elementary School. Best for a rail arrival.
- Yubara Onsen
- Riverside ryokan and the free Sunayu bath; buses from Kuse and Chugoku-Katsuyama stop here. Best for one onsen night.
- Hiruzen Highlands
- Cooler, higher, resort-style lodges; needs a car or the Hinomaru/Nihon Kotsu coach. Best in summer.
- Chugoku-Katsuyama
- Main JR station on the Kishin Line, on foot to the historic district. Thin choice of beds.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the bus stop? | バス停はどこですか？basutei wa doko desu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Buses are few and stop early: check the last return before you set out.
- Wild monkeys at Kanba Falls: do not approach, and avoid carrying bags or food near the falls.
- Sunayu is mixed-gender; since 2020 bathers are asked to cover their lower half.
- Winter snow and ice on Route 313 and the Hiruzen road: check road conditions before driving.
- Many small shops and restaurants close one or two weekdays and shut by late afternoon.
Rural and calm; the real risks are driving mountain roads, winter ice, few buses, and monkeys at Kanba Falls. Carry cash: small shops may not take cards.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Maniwa yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Yubara Onsen Sunayu, the free riverside open-air bath
- Katsuyama Preservation District and its noren
- Hiruzen Yakisoba
- Kanba Falls
- Daigo-zakura cherry tree
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Maniwa Tourism Association: www.maniwa.or.jp/
- GREENable HIRUZEN: greenable-hiruzen.co.jp/
- Tsuji Honten (Gozenshu) sake brewery: www.gozenshu.co.jp/
- Kuse Espace — Former Senkyo Jinjo Elementary School: kuse-espace.jp/school/
- Wikivoyage: Maniwa, revision 5296612 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5296612
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/maniwa). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.