Ranzan Valley Barbecue Area

Highly ranked barbecue area

Ranzan Valley Barbecue Area on the Tsuki River has ranked high on tourist company's barbecue listings for the last nine years. However, in my humble opinion it is over-rated. The area is very picturesque, but the river isn't very clean. There are cleaner rivers nearby in neighbouring Tokigawa and Higashimatsuyama. Also the river beach is rockier than most. Furthermore, it is expensive at 1000 yen for parking even if you are only parking for less than an hour. However, on the flip side, it has more facilities than other river barbecue sites in the area. At this time of year (June) it has the added bonus of being right next to Japan's largest lavender fields. You get three bin bags when you pay to use the car park. If you want to leave your rubbish at the site's bins you need to separate your rubbish accordingly. Facilities include a shop, toilets and barbecue rental.