See Oriental White Storks Dance in the Sky｜Hiking / Cycling｜Things to Do

In 1971, the last oriental white stork disappeared from the wild, and now nearly a quarter of a century later a promise to return the oriental white storks to the wild has been fulfilled. Now more than 100 oriental white storks dance through the skies.

Route map

Recommended Spots of Interest

1) Kounotori-no-sato Station: An unmanned station of the former Japanese National Railways Era. The station was renamed in 2009 to commemorate the return of the stork to the wild.

2) Jizo (guardian deity who guides children) guardian statue of the 60th lower shrine (Consolidation Jizo): The sixty-six Jizo that prayed for the land to harden and are arranged in the Sanskrit charcater "訶" (a character often added before the posthumous Buddhist name.)

3) Kukuhi Shrine: Japan's only shrine for the oriental white stork. Kukuhi is said to be the old name of the stork.

4) Rice fields that support the oriental white storks.: Many fields that act as a source of food for the storks are working on being pesticide-free or reducing the use of pesticides. The rice grown by this method is called "Kounotori-hagukumu-okome （Stork Natural Rice）".

5) Biotope and nesting tower: Local farmers in Shounji area, where the biotope and nesting tower are located, are used to demonstrate an experiment with the stork's natural habitat and feeding ground.

6) Park of the Oriental White Stork and cultural hall: A nuclear facility and park for the preservation and reproduction of the oriental white stork species (41 times the size of Koshien, a professional baseball stadium in Japan).

Route Starting Point and Destination: Start: Toyooka Tourism Association (In front of JR Toyooka train station)
Destination: Park of the Oriental White Stork

Difficulty: ★☆☆

Type of Activity

★☆☆　Flat course（Elevation gain less than 100m）or less than 5km.
★★☆　Slightly undulating course（Elevation gain less than 500m）or less than 10ｋｍ.
★★★　Rugged course（Elevation gain more than 500m）or 11ｋｍ.

Distance	About 4km
Required Time	Walking time of about 4 hours and 15 minutes.
Start & Destination	Start: Toyooka Tourism Association (In front of JR Toyooka train station) Destination: Park of the Oriental White Stork
Getting Here	By Train: Take JR train to Toyooka Station. By Car: Public parking lot in front of Toyooka Station
Road Conditions	Asphalt & dirt
Signpost Presence	None
Contact	Contact: Toyooka Tourism Association Phone: 0796-22-8111

Things to Do

See Oriental White Storks Dance in the Sky 大空を舞うコウノトリに出会えるコース

See Oriental White Storks Dance in the Sky

大空を舞うコウノトリに出会えるコース