A simple shrine in a leafy setting, decorated with Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery) figures of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. To get there, exit Imbe Station and follow the road opposite to the end, then turn right and walk for five minutes to the temple gates.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
13.9 MILES
Kōraku-en draws the crowds with its reputation as one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. It has expansive lawns broken up by ponds, teahouses…
-
29.19 MILES
One of the most beautiful gardens in the country, Ritsurin-kōen dates from the mid-1600s and took more than a century to complete. Designed as a walking…
-
21.68 MILES
In Honmura, half a dozen traditional buildings have been turned over to contemporary artists to use as the setting for creative installations, often…
-
17.86 MILES
Teshima's art 'museum' impresses for its architecture – a monumental concrete shell, forming a low teardrop-shaped dome on the hillside, designed by Tokyo…
-
27.63 MILES
About 500m north of Yashima station, Shikoku-mura is an excellent village museum that houses old buildings transported here from all over Shikoku and…
-
24.48 MILES
This is Kurashiki's premier museum, housing the predominantly Western art collection amassed by local textile magnate Ōhara Magosaburō (1880–1943), with…
-
0.17 MILES
This kiln and gallery-shop is run by the Kimura family, one of the six original families granted official permission in the early 1600s to produce pottery…
-
Marukin Soy Sauce Historical Museum
20.86 MILES
Shōdo-shima was famous for its soybeans long before olives arrived, and several old soy-sauce companies are still in business here. Marukin has a small…
Nearby Western Honshū attractions
0.12 MILES
This understated, pretty wooden shrine sits among the trees and bamboo groves of the hills behind Imbe.
0.12 MILES
Tempogama is a large kiln ruin (c 1832), a short walk up a lane leading off Imbe's main street of shops and galleries. The kiln is fenced off for…
0.17 MILES
This kiln and gallery-shop is run by the Kimura family, one of the six original families granted official permission in the early 1600s to produce pottery…
4. Okayama Prefectural Bizen Ceramics Art Museum
0.22 MILES
This ceramics-focused museum exhibits pieces from the Muromachi (1333–1568) and Momoyama (1568–1600) periods, plus work by several modern artists who have…
5. Friends of Bizen-yaki Ceramics Society
0.26 MILES
Gallery and shop on the 2nd floor of the Imbe station building, displaying a wide range of ceramics by contemporary potters.
4.97 MILES
The first public school in Japan, Edo-era Shizutani Gakko has wood interiors with glossy lacquered floors and beautifully preserved Bizen-yaki roof tiles…
7. Inujima Seirensho Art Museum
12.7 MILES
The drawcard of little Inujima island is this copper refinery converted into an eco-building, displaying artist Yanagi Yukinori's surreal take on the…
13.88 MILES
Prominent Taishō-era artist and poet Takehisa Yumeji (1884–1934) is particularly known for his bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), and various wistfully…