♨ Hiroshima · 2 days
Inland Hiroshima: Kagura Country, the Ini Rice Terraces & Three Hot-Spring Stations
A 2-day drive down the inland spine of Hiroshima: the sea of fog at Miyoshi, the kagura towns of Kitahiroshima, the Ini rice terraces, the Sandankyo gorge, and six michi-no-eki — three of them with their own hot springs and two with rooms.
Almost everyone who drives Hiroshima drives the coast: Miyajima, the castle, the Inland Sea. Turn inland instead and the prefecture changes completely — river valleys, soba fields, kagura halls, and a run of roadside stations that are also bathhouses. This route takes the inland road from Miyoshi in the north-east down to Rakan in the south-west, and three of its six stops have hot springs, which is unusual enough to build a two-day drive around.
Miyoshi sits where three rivers meet, and on clear mornings from autumn into winter the basin fills with fog that you look down on from the Kodaniyama deck. Kimita, just north of town, is the first bath and the first bed: a hot spring with rooms in a quiet side valley. The road then runs south-west through Kitahiroshima, where kagura — the all-night masked dance of the Chugoku mountains — is still a village institution rather than a show, and where Toyohira is known for hand-cut soba and has an onsen, rooms and showers on site. Beyond it the valley narrows toward the headwaters of the Ota River: the Ini rice terraces, one of the hundred selected terraced landscapes of Japan and the only one in the prefecture, sit two kilometres from the Togouchi station, and the Sandankyo gorge — a designated place of scenic beauty, walked rather than driven — opens a little further on. The last stop, Rakan, is a hot spring on the Ose River under Mt. Rakan, and a good place to be at the end of the second day.
The stops, in driving order
- 1 Michi-no-Eki Fo Resuto Kimita 道の駅 ふぉレスト君田 · Hiroshima
Michi-no-Eki Fo Resuto Kimita (道の駅 ふぉレスト君田) is a government-designated roadside station in 三次市, Hiroshima, Japan, registered in 1997 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, lodging and EV charging. There is free parking for about 115 cars and 3 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 8:30–16:30（施設により異なります）. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chugoku road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Yume Rando Funo, Takano and Akagi Kougen.
Nearby: 🌄高谷山展望台 (11.7 km) · ⛰Mt. Takatani (12 km)
- 2 Michi-no-Eki Yume Rando Funo 道の駅 ゆめランド布野 · Hiroshima
Michi-no-Eki Yume Rando Funo (道の駅 ゆめランド布野) is a government-designated roadside station in 三次市, Hiroshima, Japan, registered in 1996 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, EV charging and a tourist-information desk. There is free parking for about 74 cars and 8 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–16:30〔施設により異なる〕＜休 年末年始＞. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chugoku road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Fo Resuto Kimita, Akagi Kougen and Kita No Sekiyado Akitakata.
Nearby: 🌄高谷山展望台 (7.1 km) · ⛰Mt. Takatani (7.2 km)
- 3 Michi-no-Eki Mai Roodo Ic Chiyoda 道の駅 舞ロードIC千代田 · Hiroshima
Michi-no-Eki Mai Roodo Ic Chiyoda (道の駅 舞ロードIC千代田) is a government-designated roadside station in 山県郡北広島町, Hiroshima, Japan, registered in 2003 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, EV charging and free Wi-Fi. There is free parking for about 175 cars and 12 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 8:30–18:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chugoku road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Toyohira Donguri Mura, Kita No Sekiyado Akitakata and Mizuho.
- 4 Michi-no-Eki Toyohira Donguri Mura 道の駅 豊平どんぐり村 · Hiroshima
Michi-no-Eki Toyohira Donguri Mura (道の駅 豊平どんぐり村) is a government-designated roadside station in 山県郡北広島町, Hiroshima, Japan, registered in 1994 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, lodging, EV charging and a tourist-information desk. There is free parking for about 259 cars and 16 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–19:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chugoku road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Mai Roodo Ic Chiyoda, Raimu Togouchi and Kita No Sekiyado Akitakata.
Nearby: 🏛美和郷土館 (13.5 km) · 🏛SUWA Glass Village Museum (13.9 km)
- 5 Michi-no-Eki Raimu Togouchi 道の駅 来夢とごうち · Hiroshima
Michi-no-Eki Raimu Togouchi (道の駅 来夢とごうち) is a government-designated roadside station in 山県郡安芸太田町, Hiroshima, Japan, registered in 1995 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, EV charging, free Wi-Fi and a tourist-information desk. There is free parking for about 220 cars and 7 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 平日（火曜日を除く）、年末年始（12/29–1/3開館日）/10:00–17:00 土日祝/10：00–18：00 【令和5年12月より】. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chugoku road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Toyohira Donguri Mura, Hikimi Kyou and Supa Rakan.
Nearby: 📸Ini Tanada (1.9 km) · ⛰Mt. Shinnyu (10.2 km)
- 6 Michi-no-Eki Supa Rakan 道の駅 スパ羅漢 · Hiroshima
Michi-no-Eki Supa Rakan (道の駅 スパ羅漢) is a government-designated roadside station in 廿日市市, Hiroshima, Japan, registered in 1996 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a hot-spring (onsen) bath, a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop and free Wi-Fi. There is free parking for about 31 cars and 3 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 10:00–19:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chugoku road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Muikaichi Onsen, Pyuarain Nishiki and Kakinokimura.
Nearby: ⛰Mt. Rakan (5.1 km) · ⛰Mt. Kanmuri (9.2 km)
Make this route yours — load all 6 stops into the planner, reorder or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
Customize this route →Onsen baths and beds along this route (Hiroshima · 1 with onsen / 2 with rooms)
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Fo Resuto Kimita 道の駅 ふぉレスト君田 · Miyoshi, Hiroshima · on the route -
Toyohira Donguri Mura 道の駅 豊平どんぐり村 · Kitahiroshima, Hiroshima · on the route -
Supa Rakan 道の駅 スパ羅漢 · Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima · on the route
♨ All 143 michi-no-eki with an onsen bath🛏 All 81 michi-no-eki with rooms on site♨🛏 All 46 michi-no-eki with both onsen and rooms📍 Every michi-no-eki in Hiroshima
Route tips
- Three stops have onsen — Kimita, Toyohira and Rakan — and two of them (Kimita, Toyohira) have rooms, so the overnight can go wherever the day ends rather than being booked around.
- Sandankyo is a walking gorge, not a drive-through: from the main entrance beyond Togouchi the first viewpoint is about 30 minutes on foot, and the full course is a half day.
- The Miyoshi sea of fog needs a clear, cold, windless dawn from October to February — if the forecast gives you one, drive up to the Kodaniyama deck before sunrise and start the route afterwards.
- Opening hours inland are short: Funo and Kimita close by 16:30 and Togouchi is shut on Tuesdays, so put the shops and restaurants in the first half of each day and the baths in the second.
Before you drive
- Can you drive in Japan? License rules by country
- Renting a car in Japan: the complete guide
- Can you sleep overnight at a michi-no-eki?
FAQ — Sandankyo & inland onsen
How many days do you need for the Sandankyo & inland onsen route?
2 days is a comfortable pace: roughly 110 km of driving with 6 michi-no-eki stops along the way. You can compress it, but the stops are the point.
Where does the route start and end?
It starts at Miyoshi (Chugoku Expressway / Matsue Expressway, about 1h from Hiroshima) and ends at Hatsukaichi, Rakan (Chugoku Expressway toward Hiroshima or Yamaguchi). Load all 6 stops into the free MichiStops route planner to reorder, add or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
When is the best season to drive this route?
Year-round; the Sandankyo gorge turns in early November, and the Miyoshi sea of fog forms on clear autumn mornings.
Do I need to rent a car?
Yes — michi-no-eki are roadside stations, realistically reachable only by rental car or campervan. Most visitors can drive in Japan with a 1949-convention International Driving Permit; check the license rules for your country before booking. License rules by country →
Can I sleep overnight at the michi-no-eki on this route?
Resting overnight in your vehicle is tolerated at most michi-no-eki, but tents, awnings and open-air cooking are not allowed. Read the overnight-stay guide for the etiquette. Overnight-stay guide →