Yumesuki Park

Yumesuki Park sits in the Shingo district of Niimi City, in the mountainous interior of Okayama Prefecture, western Japan. The park is built around the preservation of two long-standing traditions of the region: water-powered rice milling and the craft of handmade washi paper. Nestled at the foot of the Chugoku Mountains with thatched-roof structures along a riverside setting, the site has served as a cultural landmark for the local community and a point of civic pride for Niimi.

The park's defining feature is the Oyako Mago Suisha (親子孫水車), or "Parent-Child-Grandchild Waterwheel" — a set of three interconnected waterwheels recognized as the largest of their kind in Japan. The largest wheel, representing the "parent," has a diameter of 13.6 meters, while the "child" and "grandchild" wheels measure 6 meters and 4.5 meters respectively. Up through the mid-Showa Period (1926–1989), waterwheels like these were essential tools across rural Japan for milling paddy rice. Today, the trio stands as a working monument to that agricultural heritage, visible directly from the national highway and dramatically illuminated during seasonal events.

Within the park, the Kami no Yakata (Paper Center) documents the history of Okubicchu Kojiro Washi — a traditional handmade paper that has been produced in this part of Niimi for generations. Visitors can take part in a hands-on papermaking experience using kozo and mitsumata plant fibers, following the same techniques passed down locally. The session takes approximately 30 minutes and allows participants to produce their own postcard, priced at ¥300. The park also hosts regular cultural events including the annual Kamisama Yume Furin wind chime festival each summer, and a traditional rice-planting ceremony with taiko drumming at the adjacent paddy fields in late May.

By car, the park is approximately 15 minutes from Niimi IC on the Chugoku Expressway, and on-site parking is available. By public transport, take the JR Hakubi Line to Niimi Station — approximately 1 hour 35 minutes from Okayama or 1 hour 20 minutes from Kurashiki — then board a bus toward Kirameki Hiroba and alight at the Monzen stop (around 30 minutes). A taxi or car from Niimi Station takes roughly 15 minutes.