Izushi

Streets laid out in an orderly grid, white-walled storehouses and lattice-doored merchant houses, and an old clock tower that tells the time. Izushi in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, is the Little Kyoto of Tajima, conveying the atmosphere of a castle town to this day. Walk the calm streetscape that retains the vestiges of the domain era and savor the local specialty Izushi sara soba. It is a town brimming with a quiet charm where you can enjoy both history and gourmet food.

Highlights

Izushi prospered as the castle town of the Izushi Domain with 58,000 koku during the Edo period. Its center still retains grid-pattern streets, with samurai residence sites and merchant-house streetscapes conveying the look of the time. From its beautifully ordered townscape it is called the Little Kyoto of Tajima and is designated a national Important Preservation District. Izushis symbol is Shinkorou, a clock tower built in the Meiji era. Considered one of Japans oldest clock towers, it adds character to the castle-town scenery. On the high ground overlooking the town remain the Izushi Castle Ruins, where you can enjoy stone walls, a reconstructed turret, and a sweeping view over the town below. Just walking here, you can immerse yourself in the feeling of slipping back to an Edo-period castle town.

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring with cherry blossoms and autumn with foliage are especially beautiful seasons. The Izushi Castle Ruins are known as a cherry-blossom spot, and in spring they bustle with many viewers seeking the blossoms that color the stone walls. In autumn the castle-town streetscape and the foliage harmonize, deepening the quiet charm. The specialty Izushi sara soba can be enjoyed year-round, but a bowl finished with warm soba-yu in the cold season has an especially fine flavor. Take a leisurely walk through the castle town, whose expression changes with each of the four seasons.

Access and Basics

To reach Izushi, take a bus about 25 to 30 minutes from Toyooka Station on the JR Sanin Main Line. Since there is no railway station within Izushi town, buses are the main means of access. It is also relatively close to Kinosaki Onsen, so visiting both together is recommended. The castle-town area is small enough to explore on foot, with tourist parking available nearby. Sara soba restaurants are scattered throughout the town, and sights such as Shinkorou and the Izushi Castle Ruins are gathered within walking distance.

Practical Travel Notes

If you combine a stroll through the castle town with a sara soba meal, allow about half a day. Izushi sara soba is served with bite-sized soba on small white porcelain plates, with five plates as a standard serving. The way to enjoy it is to eat at your own pace while adding egg, grated yam, and condiments, and competing over how many plates you eat is part of the fun. Budget is around a thousand yen per serving, and depending on the shop there are all-you-can-eat or extra-plate options. Weekends during the cherry-blossom and autumn-foliage seasons get crowded, so for popular soba shops it is best to avoid peak lunch time or visit right after opening. Combined with Kinosaki Onsen, you can plan a one-night, two-day itinerary enjoying a Tajima castle town and a famous hot spring at once.

A Word of Advice

The real joy of Izushi is the atmosphere of the castle town and food-walking with sara soba. Comparing a few shops to find your favorite is one of the pleasures. Since buses are the main means of access, checking the return times in advance is reassuring. Gazing at the Shinkorou clock tower, spend a leisurely time in the Little Kyoto of Tajima.

📚 Sources

For Izushi, the tourism information of Toyooka City and the Izushi Tourism Association provide reliable references. Its designation as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and the history of the Shinkoro clock tower and the Izushi Castle ruins, can be confirmed through their guidance and on-site signboards. Information on the local Izushi sara-soba shops is also available from the tourism association. The price of sara-soba, bus timetables and shop hours may change, so please confirm the official information of each shop and transport operator before visiting.

Visitor Checklist

• Approximate time needed: About half a day to stroll the castle town and enjoy sara-soba.
• What to bring and prepare: A serving of Izushi sara-soba costs around a thousand yen, so cash is handy. The castle town is walkable, and comfortable shoes are recommended.
• Suggested route: Tour the walkable sights such as the Shinkoro tower and the Izushi Castle ruins while enjoying sara-soba at a soba shop in town, following the flow described in the article. As buses are the main access, check the return times.