Oriental White Stork Tour

Leave Kyoto by express train to Kinosaki Onsen. Spend time exploring the many fascinating shops in Kinosaki. Then, you can take the Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway up halfway to Onsenji Station, where you can visit the Onsenji Temple. Afterwards, you can hop back on the ropeway to go up to the top of the mountain. From there you can sip coffee while enjoying the view, or try your hand at throwing small discs (kawarake) at a target located just off the mountain. Other available activities include a straw craft workshop (1 hour) and cycling around Kinosaki on a bicycle rented from SOZORO. Spend the night in your ryokan, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and a delicious dinner.

Touch the lives of the local people while walking around the countryside and waterfront on the Oriental White Stork Watching Tour. Sign up for a guided tour and a tour guide will bring you from Kinosaki to and around Toyooka for the duration of the tour. Start with observing the landscape of Maruyama River and the rice paddies. Learn about the lives of the people in Toyooka, followed by a short film about the extinction and reintroduction of the Oriental White Stork.

In the afternoon, learn about the farming method for Stork Natural Rice, which lives in harmony with the Oriental White Stork. Then take a walk around rice paddies and wetlands to see where Oriental White Storks live. Head back over to Kinosaki Onsen in the evening for dinner and to stay the night.

Have breakfast in your ryokan before heading out to explore more of Kinosaki. Afterwards, choose between two self-guided tours you can take using a rental bicycle. One option is to go for the Nature & Stork Sanctuary route. You can bike past the Hachigoro Toshima Wetland, where you can spot the famous Oriental White Storks in their natural habitat. Also, you can visit Genbudo Park, and see magnificent caves made of hexagonal pillars that formed as the result of a volcanic explosion, as well as visit the newly renovated museum. Have lunch at the Genbudo Museum right nearby.

The other option is to bike in the River & Port area. On this route, you can bike to Kehi Beach, Tsuiyama Fishing Port, and past the Maruyama River. During the spring and summer months, you can enjoy swimming in the ocean at Kehi Beach, as well as BBQing. See the sea life and have lunch at Kinosaki Marine World. In mid-afternoon, leave Kinosaki Onsen by express train back to Kyoto.