Shinjo (Okayama)

If you have a car, Shinjo is on Route 181 (also called the Izumo Kaido after the ancient pilgrimage path), which travels from Yonago in the north to Maniwa where it branches off from the Chugoku Expressway. There are no train stations in Shinjo, but there are options for those without a car. From Chugoku-Katsuyama Station, there are four buses per day that travel to Shinjo with departures at 08:22, 12:12, 16:02, and 18:59 from Apr to Sep and 18:22 from Oct to Mar. It takes 40 minutes to reach Shinjo from the station. There are also four return buses. By taxi, Shinjo is 20 minutes from Neu Station on the Hakubi Line in Hino. Hime-no-mochi is one of Shinjo's local specialties. Translated as "Princess mochi", the large difference in day and night temperatures and the purity of the local water are said to contribute to the overall taste and purity of the mochi....