Townapedia
佐用町役場
佐用町役場 · ペ有家音, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sayo town Mikazuki junior high school
Sayo town Mikazuki junior high school · KASEI, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sayo town former Rikan elementary school
Sayo town former Rikan elementary school · KASEI, CC BY 3.0
Hattouji01
Hattouji01 · matthias schmid, Public domain
Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center
Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center · KishujiRapid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ohara-juku01s3200
Ohara-juku01s3200 · 663highland, CC BY 2.5

Sayō, Japan

佐用町

Sayō is a town of 15,863 people in Hyōgo, Japan, founded in March 1, 1955.

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Population15,863 GeoNames
Local name佐用町
RegionHyōgo
Elevation155 m 509 ft
FoundedMarch 1, 1955
Time zoneAsia/Tokyo
Land area307.4 km²
Nearest airportOkayama Airport (OKJ) 53 km

Why visit Sayō

Townapedia lists 39 museums and landmarks, 10 parks and trails, 19 places to eat, 12 places to stay and 27 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Shirahata Yama, 三濃山, 八塔寺ふるさと村 and 利神城跡.

About Sayō

Sayō (佐用町, Sayō-chō) is a town located in Sayō District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 March 2022, the town had an estimated population of 15,701 in 6797 households and a population density of 51 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 307.44 square kilometres (118.70 sq mi).

From the Wikipedia article Sayō, Hyōgo (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Things to do27

Shirahata Yama

Scenic view · 10.7 km

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三濃山

Scenic view · 13.2 km

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488.8

Scenic view · 13.4 km

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Mt. Hattoji

Scenic view · 13.1 km

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Mt.Nodoka

Scenic view · 12.2 km

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三原栗山

Scenic view · 8.9 km

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三方里山

Scenic view · 6.7 km

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城山

Scenic view · 12.8 km

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壇の平

Scenic view · 11.2 km

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多賀登山

Scenic view · 6.9 km

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大乗山

Scenic view · 8.3 km

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15 more on the map.

Museums and landmarks39

八塔寺ふるさと村

Monument and historic site · 13.5 km

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利神城跡

Monument and historic site · 5.2 km

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因幡街道大原宿

Monument and historic site · 13.5 km

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武蔵の里

Monument and historic site · 10.7 km

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武蔵資料館

Museum · 10.7 km

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いきいき交流ふるさと館

Museum · 11.3 km

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三日月村道路元標

Monument and historic site · 7.3 km

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三河村道路元標

Monument and historic site · 8.7 km

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佐用町立平福郷土館

Museum · 5.1 km

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八塔寺ヒルクライム

Monument and historic site · 12.4 km

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兵庫県昆虫館

Museum · 12.2 km

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別格本山 瑠璃寺

Monument and historic site · 12.7 km

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27 more on the map.

Parks, trails and playgrounds10

兵庫県立西はりま天文台公園

Sports field and stadium · 3.4 km

407-2, 佐用町

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佐用スターリゾートゴルフ倶楽部

Golf course · 4.1 km

669番地, 佐用町

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Stork Hill Golf Club

Golf course · 10.1 km

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JOYXゴルフ倶楽部 上月コース

Golf course · 7.5 km

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G-style CC

Golf course · 2.4 km

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チューリップ公園

Park · 10.7 km

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三日月カントリークラブ

Golf course · 7.9 km

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南公園

Park · 11.0 km

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栗の木谷公園

Park · 10.8 km

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芝生公園

Park · 10.6 km

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Restaurants and cafes19

Cafeteria

Restaurant · Japanese · 8.6 km

08:00-09:30; 11:30-14:30; 17:30-19:30

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Sepia

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 2.3 km

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Volcano

Restaurant · Italian · 8.3 km

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お多福

Restaurant · Noodle · 0.6 km

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さようの食堂

Restaurant · Ramen · 2.7 km

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まこと屋

Restaurant · Noodle, Ramen · 0.6 km

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樹樹

Restaurant · Chinese · 3.0 km

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Le Proust

Bakery

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USAGIYA食堂

Bar and pub

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Waraji

Cafe

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あんこや ぺ

Cafe · 13.5 km

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かづ

Restaurant · 2.9 km

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7 more on the map.

History

Sayō is located in ancient Harima Province, and the name appears in the Heian period Engishiki records. From the Kamakura period Hirafuku-juku prospered as a post town on the Inaba Kaidō, the main highway from Kyoto and Osaka to Inaba Province in western Japan, and in the Nanboku-chō period, the Akamatsu clan built Rikan Castle overlooking the town. In 1600, the Ikeda clan of Himeji Domain built three-story tenshu and established a cadet domain called "Hirafuku Domain" for Ikeda Teruoki. In 1697, the Tokugawa shogunate established Mikazuki Domain, who ruled parts of Sayō until the Meiji restoration in 1871. The villages of Sayo and Hirafuku were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Both were elevated to town status on October 1, 1928. On March 1, 1955, Sayo and Hirafuku merged with the neighboring villages of Ekawa, Ishii and Nagatani to form the town of Sayō On October 1, 2005, the towns of Kōzuki, Mikazuki and Nankō, all from Sayō District were merged into Sayō.

In August 2009, around a dozen people in Sayo are dead or missing as a result of flash floods due to Tropical Storm Etau, according to NHK. According to the Japan Times, 390 homes were flooded.

From the History section of Sayō, Hyōgo on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to stay12

Churches and places of worship19

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Shopping14

Gas and EV charging7

Schools, colleges and libraries33

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Healthcare10

Map of Sayō

190 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Okayama Airport (OKJ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 53 km away.

  • Tsuyama 33 km west, about 33 min by car
  • Himeji 37 km southeast, about 37 min by car
  • Kakogawachō-honmachi 50 km southeast, about 50 min by car
  • Tottori-shi 56 km north, about 56 min by car
  • Yashiro 56 km east, about 56 min by car
  • Wadayama 58 km northeast, about 58 min by car
  • Yabu 58 km northeast, about 58 min by car
  • Kurashiki 71 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Akashi 71 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Kobe 83 km southeast, about 1 h 30 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.