The jeans colored 4-wheeler “Kojima Jeans Buggy”

A new activity has arisen in Kojima, Kurashiki City in Okayama, which is the birthplace of Japanese jeans.
And the activity is called the “Kojima Jeans Buggy”!

The 4-wheeler which is painted by the color of jeans is pretty small, but it can go places where ordinary cars cannot enter.
That means you can have a small adventure with this vehicle.

You can rent a “Kojima Jeans Buggy” at the Kojima Station Branch of “Heisei Car Rentals.”
The price is from 1,650 yen for one hour.
If you have a driver’s license which allows you to drive an ordinary vehicle, you can drive this buggy on the public roads.

So this time, we rented some jeans buggies and had a pleasant ride through the port town “Shimotsui,” with great viewing spots near the Seto Ohashi Bridge!
You can also have the experience of riding this buggy through a 360-degree movie – just use the link at the bottom of this article.
Don’t miss it!

Enjoy a great view of the Seto Ohashi Bridge on the Jeans Buggy!

You arrive in Shimotsui and the area at the foot of the Seto Ohashi Bridge after 20-minute-ride south from the Kojima Station Branch of Heisei Car Rentals.

There are so many great viewing spots which are well-known only to the few people in Shimotsui.
At first, take a souvenir picture at this parking where you can see the Seto Ohashi Bridge so close up.

Let’s take a little narrow road right under the Seto Ohashi Bridge!

This is “Tazuchinoura Park,” on the foot of the great bridge, and it has a road along the shore barrier where you can go under the bridge while looking at it!

Actually, ordinary cars are not allowed to use this road, but this compact Jeans Buggy can!
This is a good feature that allows you to fully enjoy “the view right under the Seto Ohashi Bridge.”

Drive through the old townscape of Shimotsui!

After fully enjoying the view of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, take a break at the café “Kitchen Madakanaya” next to the museum, “MukashiShimotsuiKaisen-don-ya.”

When you go onto the back streets, you will find an old townscape as if you just time-traveled to hundreds of years ago…!
Let’s go east on this street.

There are some unique and interesting shops on this street.
For example, the shop in the photo above is an antique shop called “Otama-ya.”
There are so many different things showcased here, and the chaotic display itself is a form of entertainment!

Some “power spots” with great views which you can visit by Jeans Buggy!

Keep going east through the old town of Shimotsui, and you will find a stone Torii gate and steep stone stairs.

This is “Yohashira Shrine.”
Please look back after going up the stairs and through the mountain gate.
You will see the superb view of the Seto Ohashi Bridge and the townscape of Shimotsui before you!

Also, we recommend that you to go to the “power spot” (a place thought to be flowing with mystical energy) with a fantastic view, “Tatsuchinouranimashimasu Shrine” located on another hill.
You can easily climb up the steep slope with the Jeans Buggy!

Don’t you agree that you can enjoy the Kojima Jeans Buggy touring course while visiting a lot of great viewing spots in Shimotsui?

Also, there is another course which we also recommend if you are stopping by “Jeans Street” in Kojima!

A real buggy riding experience with a 360-degree movie!

You can view a ride using this 4-wheeler at the link below, and find the moment that the buggies go underneath the Seto Ohashi Bridge!

※If you are unable to play the video, or would like to use a larger screen, press the 『YouTube』 button at the lower left and open the video in the YouTube app.

Photographs and text by Hironobu Matsuoka