Introducing places of interest: Setonaikai National Park (Okayama Prefecture)
- Live Images of National Parks and Wildlife
(Internet Nature Information System) 
Seto Inland Sea as viewed from Mt. Wasyu
Hinase Islands
[View from Mt. Yudachiuke]
The Hinase Islands are a group of distinctive islands situated in the southeast corner of Okayama Prefecture. As its name suggests, Kakui Island is a habitat for wild deer. With over half of the island designated a National Wildlife Protection Area, a favorable natural environment is maintained.
Otabu Island once flourished as a port town used for stopovers by ships awaiting better sailing conditions and boasts of numerous hiking options, historic investigative sites, and other points of interest.
Situated in Bizen City on the mainland, Mt. Yudachiuke is also part of Setonaikai National Park and features an observatory overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.
Ushimado-Maeshima
[View from Ushimado Yacht Harbor]
Ushimado Town is located on a part of the Inland Sea called the Aegean Sea of Japan due to its temperate climes and scenic beauty. A yacht harbor, hotels, olive gardens, and other sites of interest dot the town to allow visitors a chance to fully unwind and enjoy themselves in a resort environment.
Shiomachi-Karakoto-dori, an 800-meter-long street still standing in a corner of the town, continues to look as it did in days of old when this port town had grown as a port of call for ships awaiting better wind and current conditions on their passages to and from various provinces to the west. On this street are located various entities and structures, including the storehouse of a long-established sake brewer, Torodo Temple, and the lodgings used by envoys on Korean missions to Japan.
Home to a breathtaking pine forest and other natural wonders, the entire island of Maeshima has been designated part of Setonaikai National Park. Visitors to this island can enjoy shellfish gathering and sea bathing on a white sandy beach.
Mt. Washu
[Seto-Ohashi Bridge as seen
from Mt. Washu]
Mt. Washu is a place that represents one of the finest examples of scenic beauty in Setonaikai National Park.
This peak was given its name because of the resemblance of the peninsula at this location to an eagle with its wings spread apart when seen from a point northeast of this hill.
Officially designated,as National Scenic Beauty, Shimotsui-Washuzan is one of several areas that were conferred such a designation at the time of the establishment of Setonaikai National Park. Notable for a landscape comprising weathered granite, this site has been widely acclaimed for its unparalleled view ever since the Edo period. In days of old, it flourished as a port of call for ships awaiting better wind conditions. Even today, remnants of the old port town can still be seen in the streets of Shimotsui.
The observatory at the summit of this peak offers a panoramic view of the Bisan-Seto area. Nature study meetings and other events are held periodically.
Located immediately below the summit, the Washuzan Visitor Center provides fascinating detailed information on the natural environment and history surrounding Mt. Washu through exhibits and video presentations.
Kasaoka Bay
[Japanese horseshoe crabs]
Japanese horseshoe crabs known as living fossils live in Kasaoka. The local area includes the Yorishima district created through a land reclamation project (Saburojima), Aosabana, and Mt. Mitake in the southeastern part of Kasaoka City. The Kasaoka Islands, a group of approximately 30 islands facing Shikoku, have prospered since days of old as an important point on shipping routes in the Inland Sea. These days, visitors are drawn to Kasaoka Bay by the placid calm of the Seto Inland Sea to enjoy sea bathing, fishing, and other popular marine leisure and sporting pursuits.