"Sun Road Kibiji" has been renovated! Enjoy the appeal of lunch, bakery, hot springs, and accommodation.

• Table of Contents
• "Sun Road Kibiji" reopens after renovations.
• Restaurant Muscat" with a great view
• The popular "Kinojo Gozen Set Meal "
• Couleur, a bakery cafe popular for its bread.
• Natural hot spring bath
• Accommodation
• Kibiji Tsuru-no-Sato（Red-Crowned Crane Sanctuary）
• The mascot character is "Kibiji Kuutan "
• The shop has popular souvenirs!
• The direct-from-the-farm market offers fresh vegetables and fruits!

"Sun Road Kibiji" reopens after renovations.

The Sun Road Kibiji(Soja City) reopened in June 2026 after renovations!

This is the first time the facility has been closed for major renovations since its opening in 2003. It is a popular tourist hub in Soja City , where visitors can buy vegetables at the Sun Direct Plaza "Eetoko Soja," use the day-trip hot springs, and have lunch.

The brightened lobby

The lobby lighting has also been replaced with LED lights, making it brighter. The large pillars on the floor are the same size as those used at the west gate of " Kinojo Castle, " which is about a 20-minute drive from the Sun Road Kibiji Kibiji.

The terrace overlooking the grassy area where you can play ground golf is also a space where you can relax and enjoy nature. It's quiet because it's shielded from the national highway by buildings, and I could hear the singing of Japanese bush warblers.

Restaurant Muscat" with a great view

The Restaurant Muscat on the second floor of the facility is so popular that many customers line up even before it opens, as their weekday lunch includes a mini buffet of salads and side dishes, a soft drink bar, and soft serve ice cream.

You can get a good view of the crane sanctuary and Kibiji Crane Village on the premises, and if you're lucky, you might even spot some cranes. The photo shows the view from the restaurant.

The popular "Kinojo Gozen Set Meal "

I had the popular "Oni no Shiro Kinojo Gozen Set Meal Kinojo Castle " in Soja City .

This meal alone is quite substantial, but I was surprised to find that it also comes with a mini buffet, soft drinks, and soft serve ice cream!

I especially recommend the Okayama specialty Okayama sushi, which is like a seafood rice bowl; the fresh seafood was delicious. The dishes on the plates outside the tray are from the buffet, but I took them sparingly because the set meal was so substantial.

Mini buffet featuring local ingredients

The salads and side dishes made with locally grown vegetables looked delicious. There was also a wide variety of soft drinks, and the soft-serve ice cream I had for dessert was amazing! You can add mango sauce and chocolate sauce to your liking. Scooping the soft-serve ice cream while it was spinning was quite an experience too.

[Muscat Grape]

Opening hours: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Last order 1:30 PM)

Closed on Wednesdays

Couleur, a bakery cafe popular for its bread.

Located on the first floor of the building, the Bakery Café Couleur" is popular for its freshly baked, homemade bread. It also offers eat-in options and is a favorite among local customers! They serve breakfast and lunch, and the spacious cafe is always bustling with activity.

Ancient burial mounds transformed into curry!

I heard that the " Tsukuriyama Kofun（Soja） Curry with Soja grown Vegetables" (1,300 yen) is popular at the Bakery Café Couleur," so I went to try it!

The Tsukuriyama Kofun（Soja）(Soja City), located near Sunroad, is a keyhole-shaped burial mound with a circular back and a trapezoidal front. The mound is built in three tiers, which is distinctive and is cleverly represented in the curry, making it visually appealing. The vegetable toppings are seasonal vegetables grown in Soja City, and their vibrant colors whet the appetite. The curry roux had just the right amount of spiciness and was delicious. The marinated celery is a specialty of Soja City and is highly recommended for its mild flavor and delicious taste.

[Bakery Café Couleur"]

Opening hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Morning: 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM (Last order 10:00 AM)

Lunch: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Last order 2:30 PM)

Natural hot spring bath

The large public bath with natural hot spring water has also completed its first major renovation since its opening in 2003.

There are two types, Japanese style and Western style, and they are available for use by men and women on alternating days.

The hot spring water is a colorless, transparent, and mild alkaline simple hot spring that warms you to the core and is known for Beauty Bath. It is effective for neuralgia, joint pain, poor circulation, chronic digestive disorders, and fatigue recovery. It is popular with both overnight guests and day visitors.

There's also a sauna!

The large public bath also has a sauna, so you can enjoy the hot springs and then relax in the sauna. The changing rooms and washing areas are also spacious.

[Day trip bathing]

Opening hours: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM (Opens at 3:00 PM every Wednesday)

*Last entry is at 8:30 PM

*Opening hours may change if Wednesday is a public holiday.

*Business hours may change during major holidays such as New Year's, Golden Week, and Obon.

Admission fees: Adults 800 yen, Elementary school students 400 yen, Infants 200 yen

*Ticket booklet: 8,000 yen (1 booklet for 11 sessions)

After your hot spring bath, enjoy a cold drink!

After warming up in the hot springs, what you want to drink is a cold beverage. They have Shirobara Milk, Shirobara Cafe au Lait, Shirobara Fruit au Lait, and more, and the fact that they're all in bottles and cost 200 yen (tax included) gives them a Showa feel, which is a pleasant surprise.

Accommodation

The second and third floors of the facility are accommodations, offering Western-style rooms, Japanese-style rooms, and Japanese-Western style rooms. From the guest rooms, you can enjoy a relaxing stay with views of the peaceful rural landscape of Kibiji. There is a large public bath, but some of the Western-style rooms, Japanese-Western style rooms, and Japanese-style rooms also have private bathrooms.

Kibiji Tsuru-no-Sato（Red-Crowned Crane Sanctuary）

Located on the grounds of the Sun Road Kibiji, this facility boasts one of the largest crane breeding capacities in Japan. The red-crowned crane is a precious bird designated as a Special Natural Monument of Japan, and visitors can see the cranes' growth process through display panels. I also found it to be a valuable resource to see how the zookeepers have watched over the cranes' development.

[Kibiji Tsuru-no-Sato（Red-Crowned Crane Sanctuary）]

Opening hours: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

TEL: 0866-90-2431

Closed on: None

Admission fee: Free

A red-crowned crane right in front of me!

Here, you can see Japanese cranes up close as they enjoy the changing seasons. I was lucky enough for one to walk right up to me, so I was able to take some close-up photos.

Barbecue too!

There's also an outdoor barbecue area, and I was able to take some photos of customers who were using it for a class reunion.

Since all the equipment and ingredients (drinks can be purchased at the shop) are provided, you can enjoy it without bringing anything, so I highly recommend it!

Since it's outdoors, there's no need to worry about ventilation. (Reservations required for 2 or more people, up to 4 days in advance, outside food is prohibited.)

The mascot character is "Kibiji Kuutan "

The mascot character " Kibiji Kuutan " from Kibiji Tsuru-no-Sato（Red-Crowned Crane Sanctuary） is apparently very popular at the souvenir shop!

They come in various types, including those that can be attached to backpacks and bags, as well as can badges and ballpoint pens, and are apparently very popular with students on school trips. Their cute eyes and convenient size make them irresistible.

The shop has popular souvenirs!

The gift shop inside the building offers a wide variety of items that would make great gifts, including popular souvenirs from Soja City and Kibi Dango from Okayama .

Among them, Hirakawa Sesshu-an 's "Tenchu," a representative souvenir from Soja City , is a famous confection from a long-established shop founded in the early Meiji era, and is a perfect gift.

Also located in Soja City , Charman's "Kofun Cookies" are characterized by their unique shape, modeled after a keyhole-shaped burial mound. This visually appealing product features three different colored cookies.

Furthermore, we also recommend the soft-serve ice cream made with Shine Muscat grapes, a fruit representative of Okayama !

【stand】

Opening hours: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Monday - Thursday), 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM (Friday - Saturday)

The direct-from-the-farm market offers fresh vegetables and fruits!

At the Sun Direct Plaza "Eetoko Soja," you'll find a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits harvested in Soja City.

In Soja City, vegetables such as celery and sweet corn, and fruits such as peaches and Muscat Grape are widely cultivated. This time, it was the beginning of the Muscat Grape of Alexandria season, and they looked absolutely delicious!

[Sun Direct Square: "Looks like a nice place."]

Opening hours: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM (excluding New Year's holidays)

[Sun Road Kibiji ]

Location: 825-1 Misuzu, Soja Soja City, Okayama Prefecture Prefecture

TEL: 0866-90-0550

Parking: Available

Sun Road Kibiji| Okayama Tourism Website