⛰ Shimane · 2 days
Okuizumo: The Orochi Loop, Tatara Iron Country and a Night at a Roadside Station
A 2-day drive through the Okuizumo highlands of Shimane: the double-spiral Orochi Loop, the sake and rice villages of Kamedake, the tatara ironworking valley at Yoshida, and a roadside station with its own lodging at Tonbara.
Okuizumo is where Japan made iron before it imported it. For centuries the valleys south of Yasugi ran tatara smelters — clay furnaces fed with charcoal and iron sand washed out of the hillsides — and the landscape is still shaped by it: terraced fields where the sand was sluiced away, old merchant houses, and a swordsmithing tradition that supplies shrines to this day. It is also myth country, the valley where Susanoo is said to have killed the eight-headed serpent Orochi, and the modern road has borrowed the name.
Day one climbs from the Nakaumi lagoon at Yasugi, past the hilltop ruin of Gassan-Toda Castle, to the Orochi Loop — a double spiral of bridges that lifts Route 314 some 100m up the pass in eleven turns, with an observation deck at the station that looks straight down the coil. It is one of the best autumn-colour viewpoints in Shimane, and the pass marks the Hiroshima border. Day two works back north and west: the sake brewery exchange hall at Kamedake, where Okuizumo rice and soft water make a famously dry local sake, then Yoshida in Unnan — the Tanabe family's iron town, with the Iron History Museum a kilometre from the station — and finally Tonbara, a 1993-vintage station on the Matsue corridor that has rooms of its own, so the drive can end without hunting for a hotel.
The stops, in driving order
- 1 Michi-no-Eki Ara Essa 道の駅 あらエッサ · Shimane
Michi-no-Eki Ara Essa (道の駅 あらエッサ) is a government-designated roadside station in 安来市, Shimane, 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 98 cars and 14 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–21:30〔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 Hirose ・ Tomita Shiro, Ooyama Megumi No Sato and Oku Ooyama.
Nearby: 🏯Ruin of Yonago Castle (2 km) · 🏛Yonago City Museum of Art (2.7 km)
- 2 Michi-no-Eki Hirose ・ Tomita Shiro 道の駅 広瀬・富田城 · Shimane
Michi-no-Eki Hirose ・ Tomita Shiro (道の駅 広瀬・富田城) is a government-designated roadside station in 安来市, Shimane, 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 local-products shop, a tourist-information desk, hands-on experiences, a park and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 44 cars and 2 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 10:00–17:00. 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, Honjou and Oku Ooyama.
Nearby: 🏯月山富田城 (0.9 km) · 🏛山代二子塚古墳・土層見学施設 (11.5 km)
- 3 Michi-no-Eki Okuizumo Orochi Ruupu 道の駅 奥出雲おろちループ · Shimane
Michi-no-Eki Okuizumo Orochi Ruupu (道の駅 奥出雲おろちループ) is a government-designated roadside station in 仁多郡奥出雲町, Shimane, 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 cafe, a local-products shop, EV charging, a tourist-information desk and an observation deck. There is free parking for about 56 cars and 3 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 4-11月9:00–17:00：12-3月10:00–16:00/毎週水曜定休日・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 Nichinan Hino Kawa No Sato, Shuzou Okuizumo Kouryuu Kan and Orochino Sato.
Nearby: ⛰Mt. Mikuni (2.6 km) · ⛰Mt. Madoyama (3.9 km)
- 4 Michi-no-Eki Shuzou Okuizumo Kouryuu Kan 道の駅 酒蔵奥出雲交流館 · Shimane
Michi-no-Eki Shuzou Okuizumo Kouryuu Kan (道の駅 酒蔵奥出雲交流館) is a government-designated roadside station in 仁多郡奥出雲町, Shimane, Japan, registered in 2006 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a local-products shop, EV charging, a tourist-information desk and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 35 cars and 3 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–18:00（1–2月 9:30–17:30）. 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 Orochino Sato, Okuizumo Orochi Ruupu and Nichinan Hino Kawa No Sato.
Nearby: 🏛Itohara Memorial Museum (7.5 km) · 🏛奥出雲多根自然博物館 (9 km)
- 5 Michi-no-Eki Tataraba Ichiban Chi 道の駅 たたらば壱番地 · Shimane
Michi-no-Eki Tataraba Ichiban Chi (道の駅 たたらば壱番地) is a government-designated roadside station in 雲南市, Shimane, Japan, registered in 2012 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 92 cars and 12 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–20:00. 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 Tonbara, Orochino Sato and Kakeya No Sato.
Nearby: 🏛鉄の歴史博物館 (1.8 km) · ⛰Mt. Oyorogi (9.1 km)
- 6 Michi-no-Eki Tonbara 道の駅 頓原 · Shimane
Michi-no-Eki Tonbara (道の駅 頓原) is a government-designated roadside station in 飯石郡飯南町, Shimane, Japan, registered in 1993 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 59 cars and 8 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 Tataraba Ichiban Chi, Takano and Akagi Kougen.
Nearby: ⛰Mt. Kotobiki (4.6 km) · ⛰Mt. Oyorogi (6.3 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 (Shimane · 2 with onsen / 2 with rooms)
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Tonbara 道の駅 頓原 · Iinan, Shimane · on the route -
Kakinokimura 道の駅 かきのきむら · Yoshika, Shimane · ~110 km off the route -
Muikaichi Onsen 道の駅 むいかいち温泉 · Yoshika, Shimane · ~112 km off the route -
Tsuwano Onsen Nagomino Sato 道の駅 津和野温泉なごみの里 · Tsuwano, Shimane · ~118 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 Shimane
Route tips
- The Orochi Loop station closes on Wednesdays and keeps shorter winter hours (10:00–16:00, December to March); the observation deck itself is always open.
- Tonbara has lodging on site — book ahead in autumn, since it is the only bed on the route and the station is the local hub.
- Route 314 over the pass is well engineered but has no fuel for about 30km south of Kamedake. Fill up in Yasugi or Okuizumo town.
- Adachi Museum of Art, with its much-photographed garden, is 15 minutes from the first station — worth building into day one rather than squeezing in at the end.
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 — Shimane's iron highlands
How many days do you need for the Shimane's iron highlands route?
2 days is a comfortable pace: roughly 120 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 Yasugi (Sanin-do / Yonago Expressway, Yasugi IC — about 30min from Yonago) and ends at Tonbara, Iinan (Matsue Expressway, Yoshida-Kakeya IC). 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?
Autumn colour on the Orochi Loop peaks from late October to mid-November; the loop is snow-swept in midwinter.
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 →