I recently spent a day exploring the Japan countryside in Tokushima Prefecture, and it turned into one of those simple road trips where the journey itself was part of the fun. Instead of crowded shopping streets and famous tourist attractions, the day was filled with huge mountains, local food, peaceful scenery and places where we could simply slow down and enjoy being outside.
If you want to see a completely different side of Japan, exploring the rural areas of Japan is definitely worth adding to your trip.
Meeting a 1,000-Year-Old Giant: Kamo no Ōkusu
Our first stop was Kamo no Ōkusu (加茂の大クス) in Higashimiyoshi.
And calling this a “big tree” really doesn’t prepare you for how enormous it is.
Kamo no Ōkusu is an ancient camphor tree estimated to be around 1,000 years old. It stands about 26 metres high, with a trunk circumference of 16.72 metres. Even more impressive is the spread of its branches: approximately 52 metres from east to west and 42 metres from north to south. It was designated a Natural Monument in 1926 and became a nationally designated in 1956.
Standing underneath it really puts those numbers into perspective. The branches stretch so far in every direction that, from a distance, the tree can almost look like a small forest by itself. It was easily one of the biggest trees I have ever seen.
But what makes Kamo no Ōkusu even more interesting is its spiritual history.
The tree stands on the former grounds of Wakamiya Shrine, and local historical material explains that it was treasured as the shrine’s sacred tree (御神木). Although the shrine itself disappeared following shrine consolidation during the Meiji period, the giant camphor tree remained.
A small shrine at its base is still connected to local religious traditions, with ceremonies held there during the area’s autumn festival.
There are even local stories about a white snake deity associated with the tree. According to Higashimiyoshi Town, people have traditionally prayed there when they have lost something, hoping that it will be found.
This tree has stood there while generations of people lived, worked and changed around it.
It is exactly the kind of unexpected place that makes exploring rural Japan so interesting.
Fresh Yomogi Udon at Craft
After seeing the tree, it was time for lunch.
We stopped at うどんと創作料理 くらふと, a small local restaurant in Higashimiyoshi. During the day, it operates as a self-service udon restaurant, while in the evening it serves creative dishes and drinks.
I ordered something I hadn’t really seen before: yomogi udon (よもぎうどん).
Yomogi is Japanese mugwort, and the restaurant uses yomogi harvested locally around Higashimiyoshi and Miyoshi. The leaves are made into a paste and kneaded directly into the udon dough, giving the fresh udon noodles their distinctive light green colour and subtle yomogi aroma.
And the udon was so good.
It’s one of those meals that fits the location perfectly. You’re driving through the Japan countryside, then stopping at a local restaurant and eating noodles made with an ingredient grown in the surrounding area
If you’re still hungry, there’s another nice bonus: they offer kaedama (替え玉), or extra noodles, for only ¥100 for regular udon and ¥200 for yomogi udon. The udon was so good that I couldn’t resist getting seconds!
Climbing Above Tokushima at Mizunomaru Fureai Park
After lunch, we headed higher into the mountains to Mizunomarufureai Park.
The drive itself already felt like an adventure. As we continued climbing, the roads became quieter and the scenery opened up around us.
Once we reached the top, though, the view was incredible.
You are surrounded by mountains, and from the high ground it feels like you can look out in practically every direction. After spending so much time living around cities, standing somewhere with such a huge open view was a completely different feeling.
Mizunomaru is also famous for paragliding.
This isn’t just a random spot where a few people happen to fly. Tokushima’s official tourism site describes Mizunomaru as one of Japan’s notable paragliding flight bases, and the Asian Paragliding Championships were held here in 2010.
Once you see the landscape, it makes sense. The mountain setting and huge open skies look perfect for it.
This scenery alone makes the drive worthwhile.
Why I Love Exploring Rural Places in Japan
One of the best things about visiting rural places in Japan is simply having space.
At many famous destinations in Japan, getting a good photo can mean waiting for people to move out of the way. Sometimes you’re concentrating more on navigating the crowd than actually enjoying where you are.
This day felt completely different.
There were no huge crowds rushing us from one attraction to another. We could take as many pictures as we wanted, stop and enjoy the scenery, and appreciate how peaceful everything was.
That’s what I enjoyed most about this trip.
The rural areas of Japan aren’t necessarily about checking ten famous attractions off a list.
Sometimes the experience is driving along a quiet road, discovering a gigantic 1,000-year-old tree, eating green udon made with local ingredients, and then ending up on top of a mountain looking across Tokushima.
A Different Side of Japan
My day exploring Tokushima reminded me that some of the most memorable experiences in Japan happen far away from its biggest cities.
If you’re travelling through Shikoku and have access to a car, spending a day exploring the Japan countryside is a great way to experience a slower and quieter side of the country.
Kamo no Ōkusu gave us history and a glimpse into local spiritual traditions. Craft gave us delicious local fresh udon noodles. Mizunomaru gave us incredible mountain scenery and a chance to discover one of Tokushima’s paragliding spots.
And between all of that, we simply got to enjoy driving through rural Japan.
It wasn’t a complicated trip.
Just good food, beautiful scenery, a ridiculously huge tree, plenty of photos and a peaceful day away from the crowds.
It was definitely a fun road trip and a side of Tokushima I’d love to explore more of.