This guide covers the limited express into Chizu from Osaka, Kyoto, Okayama and Tottori, and the walk into Chizu-juku, the old post town. It gives admission and visiting times at Ishitani House, tea room prices, and the guide, kimono and weaving options in Chizu-juku. It adds daifuku-yaki, a rental bicycle and the shared taxi, then plans the day.
Getting to Chizu Station and Walking to the Post Town
From Osaka and Kyoto, the Limited Express Super Hakuto runs through on the Chizu line to Chizu Station. From Okayama, the Limited Express Super Inaba follows the same Chizu line to Chizu Station. From Tottori, either the Super Hakuto or the Super Inaba reaches Chizu Station on the Inbi line. The timings are in the table below.
| From | Route | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka | Limited Express Super Hakuto, Chizu line | about 2 hours |
| Kyoto | Limited Express Super Hakuto, Chizu line | about 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Okayama | Limited Express Super Inaba, Chizu line | about 1 hour 20 minutes |
| Tottori | Limited Express Super Hakuto or Super Inaba, Inbi line | about 30 minutes |
Once off the limited express, the post town is close at hand: it is about a ten-minute walk from JR Chizu Station to Chizu-juku. Arriving before midday leaves the rest of the day for Chizu-juku and Ishitani House, both of which are reached on foot from the same arrival point, as described in the sections below.
The Chizu Town Tourism Association runs a general information center, and its reception hours are nine in the morning to six in the evening. The same center handles the electric-assist rental bicycle described further down, so its reception window is the first time to note when you plan the day around the post town.
Chizu-juku: Guide, Kimono and Weaving
Chizu-juku is the post town itself, and it is about a ten-minute walk from JR Chizu Station. Three ways to spend time here carry set prices: a volunteer guide for the post town, a kimono to stroll in, and weaving at the Itaihara hamlet workshop. The kimono price is quoted with the dressing and consumption tax already included.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Chizu-juku volunteer guide | 1500 yen per guide |
| Kimono rental and dressing for strolling Chizu-juku (kimono rental, dressing and consumption tax included) | 2,900 yen |
| Coaster weaving at the Itaihara hamlet workshop | 500 yen |
| Table center weaving | 1,500 yen |
| Ohiki (plant fiber extraction), listed with other items | 3,000 yen |
The volunteer guide fee is set per guide rather than per person. At the weaving workshop the coaster is the least expensive item and the table center the next, while ohiki, the drawing of fiber from plants, is listed alongside other items. Any of them pairs with the walk through the post town, morning or afternoon.
Where to stay
Places to stay near Chizu, Tottori, Japan →
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Ishitani House: Admission, Hours and Tea
Ishitani House, the Ishitani family residence, is the other fixed point of a Chizu day trip, and it is about a fifteen-minute walk from JR Chizu Station. Measured from Chizu Express Chizu Station instead, Ishitani House is a ten-minute walk. Admission, visiting times and the tea room prices are gathered in the table below, group rates included.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Individual admission | adults 600 yen, high school students 500 yen, elementary and junior high school students 400 yen |
| Group admission (15 or more people) | adults 500 yen, high school students 400 yen, elementary and junior high school students 300 yen |
| Annual passport | 1,200 yen |
| Hours | 10:00 to 17:00, last admission 16:30 |
| Tea room matcha tea set (with a sweet) | 800 yen |
| Tea room cake set | 1,000 yen |
If one day feels short, browse places to stay in Chizu and make it two.
Ishitani House is open from ten to five, and the last admission is at half past four, so be at the gate well before then. Group admission applies from fifteen people, and an annual passport is sold for those who mean to return. The tea room offers a matcha tea set with a sweet, and a cake set.
Daifuku-yaki, Bicycles and the Shared Taxi
The snack to look for is daifuku-yaki, listed as imagawayaki, which Kyobashi sells by the piece. If you would rather ride than walk, an electric-assist rental bicycle is available by the day from the general information center, within set use times. The daily rate and the use times are both in the table, with the taxi fare.
| Item | Price or time |
|---|---|
| Daifuku-yaki (imagawayaki) at Kyobashi | 120 yen per piece |
| Rental bicycle (electric-assist), per day | 1,000 yen (tax included) |
| Rental bicycle use hours | 9:00 to 18:00 |
| Shared AI taxi Noririn, fare for non-residents of the town | 750 yen per ride |
The shared AI taxi, Noririn, is the third option, and visitors from outside the town pay a set fare per ride. Between them, these three cover the gaps a day on foot in the post town leaves: something to eat on the walk, wheels for the longer stretches, and a seat when you would rather not walk at all.
Planning One Day in Chizu
Three times shape the day. The general information center of the Chizu Town Tourism Association keeps reception hours of nine in the morning to six in the evening, so arrive in the morning and begin there. Chizu-juku, about a ten-minute walk from JR Chizu Station, fills the late morning, with a kimono or a weaving session if you like.
Keep Ishitani House for the early afternoon, since the last admission is at half past four and you will want time inside. If you took a rental bicycle, its use hours run nine to six, so bring it back before then. If one day is not enough, make it two with places to stay in Chizu.