A drive west along Route 9 around lunchtime
Choose a Tajima beef lunch before heading to Kinosaki or Kasumi
Eating Tajima beef in Muraoka works well before heading toward the coast. The restaurant has a range of meat dishes, including steak, hamburg steak and katsudon, a breaded cutlet served over rice. After eating, browse the fresh cuts and prepared foods to make lunch and shopping one stop.
Yoka-Hyonosen Interchange area → Route 9 → Muraoka Farm Garden → Kasumi and Kinosaki area
Weekday meal service ends at 15:00. If you arrive late, it is easier to switch to the shop, café or takeaway options.
When children or other passengers are tired on the way to Yumura Onsen
For a short stop, refresh yourself with shopping and a toilet break
Parking, 24-hour toilets, a multipurpose toilet and a nursing room make this a useful rest stop even without a meal. Browse vegetables, rice, beef simmered in sweet soy sauce and croquettes at the produce stand for a small taste of Kami Town to take home.
Park → toilets → shop and produce stand → coffee or prepared foods
The shops generally close at 17:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on weekends and public holidays. Later in the day, plan mainly on the rest facilities.
Families wanting one nature stop after eating, or adults looking for a short walk
After lunch, add a little walking at Saruo Falls
From the car park, it is about a three-minute walk to the lower pool of Saruo Falls; stairs continue to the upper tier. After lunch at the roadside station, a short drive and a walk in the cool forest add a distinctly Muraoka stop to the day.
Muraoka Farm Garden → Saruo Falls
The stairs to the upper tier are steep. After rain or when it freezes in winter, you may prefer to stop at the lower tier.
On the way back from Hachikita, the highlands or Tajima
On a tiring day, finish at Muraoka Onsen
Muraoka Onsen along the main road is a day-use hot spring that fits well after hiking or skiing. Eat or shop at the roadside station first, then relax in the bath before getting back in the car.
Muraoka Farm Garden → Muraoka Onsen
Kami Town Tourism Navi lists 11:00–20:00 and says it is closed on Thursdays from May. If you plan to bathe, check the day's opening information first.
For a day of flowers, forest or architecture, or a family summer holiday
With half a day, head up to the Uwano Highlands
The Tajima Kogen Botanical Garden and Museum for Wood Culture connect Muraoka's food with highland nature. The garden has seasonal flowers and a large katsura tree; the museum is a nature learning facility designed by Tadao Ando. Make the roadside station your lunch and supply stop, then spend the afternoon in the highlands.
Muraoka Farm Garden → Tajima Kogen Botanical Garden / Museum for Wood Culture
Highland facilities are affected by winter hours, closures and snow. The garden is a good choice from spring to autumn; the museum may suit rainy or very hot days better.
