Enjoy the Starlit Skies at Bisei Town in Okayama Prefecture
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Astronomers chose Bisei Town in Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture as one of Japan's three best starlit skies. At Hoshifuru Restaurant, visitors can enjoy a dinner cooked with local ingredients under the starry sky. They can also try kyudo (Japanese archery) or indigo dyeing in nearby areas.
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Tokyo, Japan
Bisei Town in Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture boasts one of Japan's three best starlit skies. If you have the chance, be sure to enjoy dinner cooked from local products at the Hoshifuru Restaurant.
Visitors can also try kyudo (Japanese archery) and indigo dyeing in the town. They can also purchase denim items or sake for souvenirs.
A Town Worthy of a World Heritage Site
Bisei Town, located in the southwestern part of Okayama Prefecture, is known for its beautiful starlit sky. It's also the first Japanese town to decide on a local ordinance to prevent light pollution.
After long years of promotion, the town was certified as a dark-sky preserve® community by the International Dark-Sky Association on November 1, 2021. Bisei is the first municipality to be recognized in Asia.
Along with the panoramic view of the starlit sky, the nature-rich town also offers a wide variety of outdoor recreations, such as cycling or hiking.
Since the Edo Period, cotton growing has become the main industry in the area, and Ibara City is now known as the mecca of domestic cotton. Visitors can participate in a tour of a denim factory or try their hands at indigo dyeing in Ibara.
Access
By Train/Bus: Take the Shinkansen to Okayama Station, switch to the JR Hakubi Line, and get off at Kiyone Station. From Kiyone, take the Ibara Railway to Yagake Station. The train ride from Okayama will take about an hour. To Bisei Town, it is a 30-minute ride on the Hokushin Bus from Yagake.
By Car: Rent a car at either Okayama or Kurashiki Station. It is a 70-minute drive from Okayama and a 50-minute drive from Kurashiki to Bisei Town.
Outdoor Activities Under the Starlit Sky
While Bisei Town offers various attractions to enjoy the night sky, Hoshifuru Restaurant is the best. Visitors can view the stars while dining in a cozy setting.
Hoshifuru Restaurant
This is a limited-time event using local products and held at carefully chosen sites where the starlit skies are stunning. The restaurant has opened in Tokunoshima (Kagoshima), Teshikaga (Hokkaido), and Bisei (Okayama).
The Bisei restaurant is 400 meters above sea level, where visitors can enjoy a view selected among Japan's three best starlit skies.
Dinner will be served at the pension terrace, where guests can view the fantastic scenery, including the changing colors of the sky at sunset. (The photo shows the restaurant in winter. Tables will be set outdoors from spring to autumn.)
The meal will be prepared by Mr. Kawakami, the chef at Kiraku Bettei in Bisei, a Japanese restaurant. Organic vegetables produced in Okayama, soft Bisei beef, and fragrant Bisei pork will be used in the special dinner. The staff will also be serving wine with each dish.
After the meal, dessert and drinks will be served outdoors, along with a short talk from the pension owner about the enchanting night sky.
For further information, please check the following links.
Hoshifuru Restaurant Official Website: https://hoshifuru-restaurant.com/
Pension Comet Official Website: https://pension-comet.com/ (English and traditional Chinese pages will be added to the website in late January.)
Bisei Astronomical Observatory
This observatory is one of the few facilities open to the public, furnished with a 101-centimeters-diameter telescope. Visitors can view planets such as Jupiter and Mars, depending on the season.
At the observation deck, large-size binoculars and smaller telescopes can be used to view the stars. Even without the tools, visitors can enjoy the stars. Shooting stars can be seen regularly in the meteor stream season.
Please note that from the Hoshifuru Restaurant, visitors will have to drive or ride a taxi (one-way fare is about 1,200 yen) to the observatory by themselves.
Pension Comet
Hoshifuru Restaurant is held at Pension Comet (the meal will be served indoors in winter). Since it is located away from urban areas, the sky will be filled with stars at night. There is also the sound created by nature, which adds another charm to this pension.
After gazing at the stars, return to the air-conditioned dining room, where guests can learn about the charms of Bisei Town from the pension owner.
Electric bicycle rentals are available at this facility, so you can tour the town after breakfast.
Recommended Activities in Nearby Areas
Along with outdoor attractions, visitors can enjoy other activities such as kyudo (Japanese archery) and indigo dyeing.
Kyudo
Ibara City, where Bisei Town is located, has strong ties to Nasu no Yoichi, the famed archer of the Minamoto clan (*). During the conflict against the Taira clan, Yoichi scored a bulls-eye on a critical target. He was then awarded the rights to five territories, one of which is the current Ibara.
*: A samurai clan, Minamoto defeated Taira and established the Kamakura shogunate.
At Yoichi Memorial Archery Dojo in Ibara City, visitors can try their hand at kyudo with assistance from members of the Ibara Kyudo Association. Even beginners should be able to enjoy the experience.
Chusei Yumegahara
This facility displays buildings of the Kibi Highlands in the Kamakura and Muromachi Period, re-created from studies of ancient scrolls and excavated materials.
There is a village of thatched roof houses, where visitors can watch the performance of a blacksmith. Visitors can also see how children played at the time, and also try indigo dyeing.
The dyeing workshop is held from April to November.
Participants will choose a pattern, tie the material, soak it in dye, and take it out every three minutes to speed up the coloring.
After repeating this process several times, the dye is washed away, and a unique dyed cloth will come into creation.
Ibara Souvenirs
In the late Sengoku Period, cotton growing prospered in the area which is now Ibara City. Indigo dyeing started in the Edo Period, and items woven with dyed cotton became popular all over the country. Ibara is now known as the mecca of domestic denim, so visitors looking for souvenirs should not miss out!
Sake, made with the local water and rice, makes another perfect souvenir.
Nihon Menpu
Nihon Menpu, a company promoting Ibara denim to the world, has a history of more than a hundred years. Their product is known for its high quality, since prominent fashion brands worldwide employ them.
Nihon Menpu Shop is managed directly by the company, handling shirts, pants, pouches, tote bags, and pencil cases made in denim. They are all perfect as a gift for friends.
Yamanari Brewery
Yamanari Brewery, with a history of over 200 years, uses Okayama rice and pristine water drawn from Oda River. Their products, made from January to March when the air is clean, has an elegant fragrance and a smooth, sweet taste.
Ran no Homare, a junmai sake, was awarded first place in the 2023 Bitchu Toji Sake Competition.
The brewery shop also handles Ibara wine and Nara-zuke made with sake lees, which are ideal souvenirs.
Yume-Yasuragi: A Destination for Railroad Fans
This is an excursion train that operates between Soja and Kannabe stations.
The interior is designed in the image of a living room or a tea room, with muku tree used for the luggage shelf creating a serene atmosphere. The exterior color, reminiscent of a gorgeous sunset, has a nostalgic air.
The train was designed by Eiji Mitooka, the creator of Kyushu Shinkansen and Seven Stars in Kyushu. All of these trains possess an intricate yet calm ambiance.
Yume-Yasuragi Official Website: https://www.ibara-railway.co.jp/train/yume-yasuragi/
Visit Bisei Town to Enjoy the Starlit Sky, Fine Food, and Culture
Bisei Town in Ibara City is the perfect place for those looking to avoid crowds at sightseeing spots. Please enjoy the attractive starlit sky, fine cusine created from local ingredients, and the unique culture.
Sponsored by Pension Comet
Author: Chu
Written by
Tokyo, Japan
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