RV Park smart Genkai Kaijo Onsen Parea

Open-air bath facing the sea
The restaurant offers a variety of dishes made with the finest ingredients.

Dedicated Site

Map of RV Park smart Genkai Kaijo Onsen Parea

RV Park smart Genkai Kaijo Onsen Parea Area

Terraced paddy fields in Hamanoura

The beautiful scenery in a small cove was selected as one of the "100 best terraced rice paddies in Japan.

The Hamanoura district faces a small inlet in Genkai Town. The name "Hamanoura" is said to mean a steeply sloping beach, a gentle hill, or a village in a cove. The terraced rice paddies running up from the coast cover an area of approximately 11.5 hectares, with 283 paddies of various sizes. The geometrical patterns of the footpaths between the rice paddies are a delight to the eyes. In 1999, the area was selected as one of the "100 Best Rice Terraces in Japan," in 2011 as a "Saga Prefecture Heritage Site," and in 2020 as a "Designated Rice Terrace Area. The beautiful scenery, which changes with the seasons, time of day, and weather, attracts many visitors, especially from mid-April, when the rice paddies are flooded, to early May, when the rice planting season is over.

Green hills with peony

Not only peony and peony, but also other flowers in off-season

It is said that about 400 years ago, when the Hata clan, the lord of Kishidake Castle, which ruled this area, was defeated by the forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a vassal moved the peony from Ming China, which the lord of the castle and his wife loved, out of the castle and planted it. The park was opened in honor of this anecdote. In the Japanese garden of the Chikusan-Rinsen-Kaiyu style, 2,000 peonies of 100 varieties and 30,000 peonies of 30 varieties from Japan and around the world are planted. It is the largest peony garden in Kyushu. The peony season is around mid-April, with early, mid, and late blooming in that order. The peony garden is at its best from early to mid-May. Although each of these gardens is open during the season, in fact, the off-season is not to be missed. Visitors can enjoy beautiful seasonal flowers such as plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, daffodils, and hydrangeas.

Terraced paddy fields of Oura

The beauty of the terraced rice paddies, where the rural landscape of Japan still unfolds, will always remain.

Driving along Prefectural Route 218 from "Botan to Midori no Oka" to "Iroha-jima Observatory," you will see a landscape of terraced rice paddies. The terraced rice paddies of Oura are spread over three small villages, Ouraoka, Ourahama, and Mitsukoshi, with a total cultivated area of 30 hectares. At its peak in the 1950s, there were more than 1,200 terraced rice paddies. The terraced rice paddies, set on a hill overlooking Imari Bay with the sea view of Iroha Island in the background, are popular as a photo spot and walking course. The area has been recognized as one of the 100 best terraced rice paddies in Japan.

Iroha Island

Iroha nihohe... a small island in the sea, just like a mini Kujuukushima

Iroha Island is the collective name for 48 uninhabited islands of various sizes in Imari Bay. It is said that Kobo Daishi named the islands after the 48 Iroha characters. It is said that Kobo Daishi threw his brush at the beauty of the blue sea and the green islands floating in it. It is part of the Genkai National Park. The Iroha Island Observatory is located along Prefectural Route 218, and there is also an observatory on a hill on Shimayama Island, the only island that can be crossed by a drawbridge. The island used to be an "island of flowers and adventure" with field athletic facilities and outdoor playground equipment. The waters around Imari Bay are calm, and the island is known for pearl cultivation and natural oyster production.

Ruins of Nagoya Castle

Built by Hideyoshi who set his sights on the continent. One of the largest national special historic sites in Japan.

After unifying Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, aiming to advance to the continent, built Nagoya Castle in 1591 as a frontline base for his invasion of Korea. At the time, it was the second largest castle in Japan after Osaka Castle, and more than 130 warring feudal lords from all over Japan, including Tokugawa Ieyasu and Maeda Toshiie, gathered there. A huge castle town was built around it. However, the war ended when Hideyoshi died of illness. Nagoya Castle was abandoned and the materials used for the castle were used for Karatsu Castle, and the remaining stone walls were destroyed during the Shimabara Rebellion. In 1955, the Nagoya Castle ruins and 23 camp sites were designated as special national historic sites. Visitors can also download the app "VR Nagoya Castle" to view the castle, stonewalls, and other scenery of the time on their smartphones or tablets. (Photo courtesy of the Saga Prefecture Tourism Federation)

Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum

Let's learn about the long exchange between Japan and Korea and the history of Nagoya Castle and its camp ruins.

The museum was opened for the purpose of preservation and maintenance of the Nagoya Castle and camp ruins, a special historic site, and to serve as a center for the history of exchange between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula, as well as for academic and cultural exchange between Japan and Korea. The museum's permanent exhibition focuses on the history of exchange between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula, with occasional thematic exhibitions on such topics as the Bunroku and Keicho Disturbances, Nagoya Castle, and the history and culture of the Karatsu and Higashimatsuura regions. The mini-theater on the first floor shows a powerful VR (Virtual Reality) reproduction of Nagoya Castle as it was 420 years ago, entitled "The Phantom Castle: Hizen Nagoya Castle" (10 min.). (Photo courtesy of Saga Prefecture Tourism Federation)

Roadside Station Momoyama Tenkaichi

If you spend time at the Nagoya Castle Museum and Historic Site, you should definitely stop by the roadside station.

Located at the gateway to the ruins of Nagoya Castle, which Hideyoshi had built for his invasion of Korea, the station's name is also derived from the gorgeous Momoyama culture. A wide selection of fresh local vegetables and fruits are available. Specialty products include marine products from the Genkai Sea. At the "Fisheries Direct Selling Center," fresh turban shells and oysters can be purchased, as well as a wide variety of processed squid products such as "Matsuurazuke," a traditional whale cartilage pickled in sake lees, "Ika Shumai," and "Ika no Overnight Dry Dried Squid. At the adjoining Japanese restaurant "Momoyama-tei Kaifune," visitors can enjoy squid sashimi, grilled squid, tempura, and more. There is also a demonstration shop where amanatsu (sweet summer) ice cream is very popular.

Matsuura Municipal Buried Cultural Center Guidance Facilities

Discovered from the bottom of the sea over a long period of time! Exhibition of relics from the sunken ship of the Mongolian invasion

Takashima Takashima, connected by the Hizen Ohashi Bridge, is an island at the mouth of Imari Bay. 4,400 ships of the Genko pirates anchored in Imari Bay sank to the bottom of the sea around Takashima in 1281 (Koan 4) due to a kamikaze (typhoon). Based on this historical fact, research has been conducted in the sea around Takashima, the place where the Genko ended, and many relics of the Genko pirates have actually been discovered. In the VR corner, visitors can experience as if they were on board a ship of the Genko pirates using the latest VR technology.

Roadside Station Takara Island

A small island associated with the Genko pirates is a treasure island full of gifts from the sea

Access to the Floating Roadside Station Takara Island page!

Pet hospitals in the area

Higashimatsuura Livestock Clinic

Furukawa Animal Hospital

Chiba Veterinary Clinic

Sakurai Veterinary Hospital

Seed Animal Hospital

Kagami Veterinary Hospital

Dog cafes in the area

Dog Run Hills

dog run Eboshi