🏔 Tottori / Okayama / Hiroshima · 2 days
Mt Daisen & Oku-Daisen Drive: Tottori's Volcano, the Hino River Headwaters and the Chugoku Mountains
A 2-day Mt Daisen road trip from Yonago: the Daisen loop road under the highest peak in western Honshu, the spring country of Oku-Daisen, the Hino River headwaters and the Koigakubo marsh, with 5 michi-no-eki in driving order across Tottori, Okayama and Hiroshima.
Mt Daisen is the one mountain in western Japan that locals compare to Fuji. At 1,729 m it is the highest peak in the Chugoku region, and from the Sea of Japan side its north face lifts so cleanly out of the farmland that the old name for it is Hoki-Fuji — the Fuji of Hoki province. This drive starts where that view is best. Michi-no-Eki Ooyama Megumi no Sato sits on the coastal plain in Daisen town with the whole mountain filling the windscreen, and the loop road climbs from there through beech forest to the passes on the southern side, where Daisen stops looking like Fuji at all and shows a broken alpine wall of rock instead.
The second half of the route leaves the mountain and follows the water. Oku-Daisen, on the sheltered southern flank in Kofu town, is the spring country the mountain is famous for; from there the road drops along the Hino River through Nichinan, a headwater town in some of the deepest snow country in western Japan, and crosses into Okayama at Tetsusei, where the Koigakubo marsh — a nationally designated natural monument with around 400 plant species, often called the Oze of the west — lies ten minutes from the roadside station. The drive ends at Tojo in Hiroshima on the Chugoku Expressway, so you finish pointed at Hiroshima or Okayama instead of doubling back. Five michi-no-eki, in driving order, from the coastal plain up into the Chugoku mountains.
The stops, in driving order
- 1 Michi-no-Eki Ooyama Megumi No Sato 道の駅 大山恵みの里 · Tottori
Michi-no-Eki Ooyama Megumi No Sato (道の駅 大山恵みの里) is a government-designated roadside station in 西伯郡大山町, Tottori, Japan, registered in 2009 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 62 cars and 14 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–18:00（12月~2月は9:00–17:00）. 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 Ara Essa, Pooto Akasaki and Kon No Ura.
Nearby: 🏛妻木晩田遺跡展示施設 (6.5 km) · 🏛大山自然歴史観 (12.6 km)
- 2 Michi-no-Eki Oku Ooyama 道の駅 奥大山 · Tottori
Michi-no-Eki Oku Ooyama (道の駅 奥大山) is a government-designated roadside station in 日野郡江府町, Tottori, Japan, registered in 2015 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 baby room. There is free parking for about 36 cars and 6 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 8:30–18:30〔施設により異なる〕. 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 Nichinan Hino Kawa No Sato, Ara Essa and Hirose ・ Tomita Shiro.
Nearby: 🏯江美城跡 (1.9 km) · 📸グレイスガーデン (7.1 km)
- 3 Michi-no-Eki Nichinan Hino Kawa No Sato 道の駅 にちなん日野川の郷 · Tottori
Michi-no-Eki Nichinan Hino Kawa No Sato (道の駅 にちなん日野川の郷) is a government-designated roadside station in 日野郡日南町, Tottori, Japan, 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 79 cars and 2 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–18:00〔施設により異なる〕＜年中無休＞. 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 Oku Ooyama, Okuizumo Orochi Ruupu and Shuzou Okuizumo Kouryuu Kan.
Nearby: 🏛Nichinan Town Museum of Art (0.9 km) · 📸石霞渓 (1.5 km)
- 4 Michi-no-Eki Koi Ga Kubo 道の駅 鯉が窪 · Okayama
Michi-no-Eki Koi Ga Kubo (道の駅 鯉が窪) is a government-designated roadside station in 新見市, Okayama, 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 local-products shop, free Wi-Fi, hands-on experiences and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 37 cars and 5 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are ※新型コロナウイルス感染症のため営業時間短縮中 売店9:00–17:00 レストラン11：00–14:00 こめ工房9:00–16:00. 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 Yuu You Saron Toujou, Okuizumo Orochi Ruupu and Nichinan Hino Kawa No Sato.
Nearby: 🌄三室峡 (12.2 km) · 📸西江邸 (12.8 km)
- 5 Michi-no-Eki Yuu You Saron Toujou 道の駅 遊YOUさろん東城 · Hiroshima
Michi-no-Eki Yuu You Saron Toujou (道の駅 遊YOUさろん東城) is a government-designated roadside station in 庄原市, 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 cafe, a local-products shop, EV charging and a tourist-information desk. There is free parking for about 54 cars and 11 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–18:00. 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 Koi Ga Kubo, Risutoasuteeshon and Sanwa 182 Suteeshon.
Nearby: 🏛神石高原町立神石民俗資料館 (7 km) · 📸西江邸 (16 km)
Make this route yours — load all 5 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 (Tottori / Okayama / Hiroshima · 1 with onsen / 3 with rooms)
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Hiruzen Kougen 道の駅 蒜山高原 · Maniwa, Okayama · ~30 km off the route -
Fo Resuto Kimita 道の駅 ふぉレスト君田 · Miyoshi, Hiroshima · ~39 km off the route -
Toyohira Donguri Mura 道の駅 豊平どんぐり村 · Kitahiroshima, Hiroshima · ~81 km off the route -
Supa Rakan 道の駅 スパ羅漢 · Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima · ~121 km off 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 Tottori📍 Every michi-no-eki in Okayama📍 Every michi-no-eki in Hiroshima
Route tips
- Rent at Yonago — airport or station — and the north face is twenty minutes away. Kakekake Pass, about 9 km from Oku-Daisen, is the classic viewpoint for the south wall; autumn colour peaks late October to early November.
- None of the five stops has an onsen, rooms or a campsite. Book the night in Yonago (Kaike Onsen is on the coast) or in Daisen town, and run the inland half as the second day.
- Koigakubo keeps the shortest hours on the route — shop 9:00–17:00 and the restaurant 11:00–14:00 only — so time lunch around it. Ooyama Megumi no Sato is 9:00–18:00 (17:00 December to February), Oku-Daisen 8:30–18:30, Nichinan Hino Kawa no Sato 9:00–18:00 and open every day, Yuu You Salon Tojo 9:00–18:00.
- Large vehicles: Oku-Daisen has room for only 6 and Nichinan for 2, so campervans should base on Ooyama Megumi no Sato (14 large bays) or Tojo (11). EV charging is at every stop except Koigakubo, and Nichinan and Niimi are heavy-snow country — studless tyres from December to March.
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 — Mt Daisen & Oku-Daisen
How many days do you need for the Mt Daisen & Oku-Daisen route?
2 days is a comfortable pace: roughly 90 km of driving with 5 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 Yonago, Tottori (Daisen IC on the Yonago Expressway) and ends at Tojo, Shobara, Hiroshima (Tojo IC on the Chugoku Expressway). Load all 5 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; autumn colour late October to early November. Studless tyres essential December to March.
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 →