Soja-shi

 Name: Soja (総社・そうじゃ)  Prefecture: Okayama-ken (岡山県)  Population: 67,000 (as of April 2011)  JET count: 1  Website: click here

__**Features**__
====The Kibiji Bicycle Trail starts in Soja City. It's 21 km from Kibiji Sports Arena in Soja City to Okayama Prefectural Multipurpose Ground in Okayama City. Along the way, there are many beautiful temples and shrines which you can stop at.====

**[|Bicchu Kokubunji Temple]**
====Impressive contrast between the temple and the seasonal scenery of Kibiji District. This temple, built in the Nara period (around 8 AD) and then rebuilt in the Edo period (around 18 AD), welcomes visitors to the tranquil, rural Kibiji District, showing off its beauty year round. The five-story pagoda, an important cultural asset of Japan, represents the best scenery in the Kibiji District. Especially in late April during the “Kibiji Astragalus Festival”, as the Astragalus flowers in the fields come into full bloom. This is a time many people come visit to see the nostalgic scenery of the temple and flowers.====