Kinojo Castle

In November I will be staying (again) for 1 week in Okayama city. I really like the city... (thanks to Rabbityama and others for all the good advice last year). This time I want to visit Kinojo Castle. I prefer not to rent a car... so I think the best I can do is go to Hattori station and walk then around 6 km. I don't mind walking but if there is a better way to go to Kinojo Castle please let me know!

So my question... what is the best way to go visit Kinojo Castle without a car.

Thanks!

How about rent a cycle(1000Y/day) from JR Soja stn[‘�ŽÐ‰w]?
Rent shop name is "ren-ta cycle ARAKI ƒŒƒ“ƒ^ƒTƒCƒNƒ‹�r–Ø" placed near Soja stn east exit[“ŒŒû].
http://www.okayama-kanko.jp/modules/kankouinfo/pub_kihon_detail.php?se...
Soja stn map:
https://www.jr-odekake.net/eki/premises.php?id=0650403

From the Visitor Center :
5.5km from JR Hattori Station. You can either walk, ride a bus (get off: Sunagawa Park ) or take a taxi (~2000 yen).

Yes, the Rentacycle is the fastest way without a car (aside from a taxi).

When I went, there was actually a bus that went to the top from the park near the bottom of the mountain however, it was during a major holiday, and I cannot find any information about such a bus, so I suspect it was a special thing offered only that day.

If you have time, Iyama Hofukuji Temple is a great temple in Soja where the famous painter Priest Sesshu studied as a child and is said to have painted a mouse with his tears:
http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/dictio/kaiga/55sesshu.html

Beyond Kinojo, you can also go to the Ashimori area with the nice Omizuen Garden, samurai home, and small historic district.

sorry to sidetrack a bit but i felt that looking at japanese castles was just looking at reconstructions made with modern materials like they were a bit fake. so i looked up on wiki and found that many castles were originally made of wood and they didnt last so over different periods were rebuilt especially in the 1920s when the government gave money for their upkeep so what your seeing when you look at those perfect castles is not very real

Thank you all for the information. Good to know that there is a bus till Sunagawa park. Depending on the weather the bike or taxi are also good options. Rabbityama thank you for the extra information, I still have to plan most of my days when staying in Okayama so I will definitely check this out.

Thanks.

youngalistai, your information is off and also not what the Wikipedia article says.

Many of Japan's castles were still originals prior to WWII however, as the article states, some of Japan's great castles, such as Okayama, Wakayama, Nagoya, etc were destroyed by air raids. Had these cities not been bombed, you would be able to see many original castles.

Instead, there are only 12 original castle keeps however, there are a lot of original structures aside from keeps. For example, there are original turrets at Okayama and Nagoya Castles.

At any rate, there is no reason to respond to this post with your opinion that Japanese castles are not worth visiting (a question that was not asked), and this particular castle site is nothing like the ones you are describing anyway.