Okayama, one of Western Japan’s transportation hubs, Okayama is very conveniently located just 1 hour from Kyoto and about 35 minutes from Hiroshima by Shinkansen.
Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan.
The city is the site of Koraku-en, known as one of the top three traditional gardens in Japan, and the black Okayama Castle, which is ranked among the best 100 Japanese castles.
Okayama serves as the locale for the popular fairy tale of Momotaro (the Peach Boy), so visitors will notice many references to the legendary hero.
Attraction in Okayama
1. Okayama Castle
Completed in 1597 after eight years of construction, Okayama Castle is one of Japan’s top 100 castles. After the keep was destroyed in the war, the castle was rebuilt in 1966.
Visitors are welcome to dress up (free) as feudal lords or princesses, or have a memorial photo taken while riding a daimyo’s palanquin
Visitors can also attend workshops to make Bizen pottery, representative of Japan itself.
Access Information
Address：2-3-1 Marunouchi, Kita Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
10 min by bus from JR Okayama Sta. to “Kenchomae,” and then 5 min on foot; 10 min on foot from “Shiroshita” via tram from JR Okayama Sta.
Click here to see more about Okayama Castle
2. Okayama Korakuen Garden
Outstanding Japanese style landscape garden, one of Japan’s three most celebrated gardens, awarded 3 stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japan.
This quintessential Japanese garden was created roughly 300 years ago by the area’s daimyo (domain lord). A symbol of the power of the samurai, Okayama Korakuen Garden is considered one of the three great gardens of Japan alongside Kanazawa City’s Kenroku-en and Mito City’s Kairakuen.
The garden covers some 13 ha and includes a Noh Stage as well as ponds, hills, plum groves, and a tea plantation. The garden is arranged with wide lawns for an open-mindedness that is not usually found in Japanese gardens. This circuit-style garden is devised so that visitors can enjoy the passing scenery while strolling atop through the garden, particularly atop Yuishinzan Hilll overlooking the garden and, as well as along the nearby waterways.
Access Information
Address：1-5 Korakuen, Kita Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
12 min by bus from JR Okayama Sta. to “Korakuenmae;” 10 min on foot from “Shiroshita” via tram from JR Okayama Sta.
Click here to see more about Korakuen Garden
3. Kibi Plain – Charming plain with attractive cycling route.
Enjoy countryside scenery with a rent-a-cycle. Places in connection with Momotaro (Peach Boy) and historic sites are interspersed along the cycling road.
Many historic sites, including Bitchu Kokubun-ji Temple, the five-story pagoda, Kibitsu-jinja Shrine, and Tsukuriyama-kofun burial mound which are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, are interspersed.
Kibitsu-jinja Shrine is closely associated with the legend of Momotaro, a popular hero of Japanese folklore.
The best part is the 360 m long large corridor. Draw an omikuji (a written fortune) at the vending machine with the illustration of Momotaro printed to tell your fortune. (Translation in English is printed on the omikuji.)
Kibitsuhiko-jinja Shrine deifying the figure that inspired the Legend of Momotaro
It is said the shrine was built on the site where Mikoto’s house once stood (main building). The shrine’s Heian cedar, believed to be more than 1,000 years old, has become the symbol of Kibitsuhiko-jinja Shrine. The precinct’s Koyasu-jinja Shrine is said to bless visitors with children and safe childbirth.
Go cycling on the Kibiji Cycling Road, one of Japan’s top 100 paths.
Time required: 2 hours
A bicycle rented at one of the following places can be returned to either location.
Araki Rent-a-cycle (Inside JR Soja Station rotary)
Business Hours: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Tel: 0866-92-0233 (Reservation required)
* Free luggage check-in, free route map
Uedo Rent-a-cycle (Left to the ticket gate of JR Bizen Ichinomiya Station)
Business Hours: 9:00am – 6:00pm
(1) Drop-off system: 1,000 yen
(2) Return to the place where rented: 400 yen for up to 2 hours
* After the first 2 hours, 200 yen per hour (Upper limit is 1,000 yen.)
Townscape around Okayama Area
Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
This townscape, known for the characteristically Japanese white walls of its residences and the willow trees lining the banks of the Kurashiki River, has earned recognition as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Kurashiki prospered in the 1600s as an integral destination for the transportation of goods, and the area continues to offer a historically attractive atmosphere of a calm and harmonious life.
With its many cultural facilities—including the Ohara Museum of Art and its collection of international masterpieces; the red-bricked Kurashiki Ivy Square, a reproduction of the textile factory once representative of Kurashiki, built on the site of the former factory; the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, boasting a collection with some 700 handicrafts; and the Kurashiki Archeological Museum—Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter offers visitors a taste of Western influence harmonized with Japanese style.
A particularly popular destination for tourists is the “Traditional Boat Tour of Kurashiki Canal.” This boat tour offers visitors a chance to admire the town’s white walls from a small boat along the Kurashiki River that flows through the center of town. Visitors are also recommended to experience Japanese culture firsthand by donning a kimono or a yukata before strolling through Kurashiki’s historic streets.
Kojima Jeans Street
Denim fans from all over Japan come to this shopping district of reformed older storefronts to visit about 30 shops, cafes, and general stores from jeans brands known around the world for high quality. Underneath the numerous pairs of jeans hanging above the street!
Just 5 min from JR Kojima Station via rent-a-cycle (fee required), Kojima Jeans Street is conveniently accessible.
*JR Kansai- Hiroshima Area Pass*
Discover the sights of the Osaka Bay region plus historic Hiroshima further south area with 5 days of consecutive travel with the JR Kansai- Hiroshima Area Pass.
Click here to get JP Pass in advance ~
*Hakama Fitting Cost Free*
Izushi Tourist Information Office
From 1st, 2017 to Juan 25th, 2017 (Saturday, Sunday, and national holidays only)
Time required: About 50 min.
Capacity: One group(up to 5 people each time
Access : from JR Okayama Sta. Take Okayama Electric Tramway to Higashiyama and get off at Shiroshita. From Shiroshita 7 minutes walk.
Recommended Itinerary: Okayama Hiroshima 5 Days Trip