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Okayama is a city in the Chugoku Region, famous for its Korakuen Garden, one of Japan's three best landscape gardens. It is also a transportation hub, a modern art destination, and a historic castle town with a connection to the Peach Boy legend.
Okayama is a city in western Japan with a mild climate and a rich history. It is known for its castle, garden, fable, and airport.
Discover the top things to do in Okayama, known for Bitchu Matsuyama, Okayama and Tsuyama castles, gardens like Okayama’s Korakuen, and Ohara Museum of Art in Kurashiki’s Bikan Historical Quarter. Discover history at Shizutani School or Kibitsu Shrine.
Okayama Prefecture is a transportation hub in Western Japan, and is easily accessible as the midpoint between the famous tourist spots of Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima! It is about an hour from Kyoto by Shinkansen, and about 35 minutes from Hiroshima!
- Contents
- How to Get to Okayama Japan
- Top Things to Do in Okayama City
- Day Trips from Okayama, Japan
- Okayama Hotels
- Okayama Vegetarian Food
- Is Okayama Worth Visiting?
- More Japan Posts
Okayama is located on a shinkansen (bullet train) line, so it’s easy to reach quickly and comfortably from major Japanese cities including Hiroshima (40 minutes), Osaka (50 minutes), Kyoto (1 – 1.5 hours), and Tokyo(3 – 4.5 hours). You can check train times and prices on the Navitime websiteor app. We had a Japan Rail Pass for our stay in Okayama, ...
1) Okayama Korakuen Garden
The most famous Okayama attraction is Korakuen Garden, which is known as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan (along with Kenroku-en in Kanazawa and Kairaku-en in Mito). This large landscape garden was first created in 1687 by the feudal lord for entertaining his family and guests. It features many classic elements including a large pond with stone bridges and small shrines and a lookout point up a hill. There are also extensive lawns, a cherry blossom grove, tea and rice fields, a cluster...
2) Okayama Castle
Across the Asahi River from Korakuen Garden is Okayama Castle, which you’ll see if you enter the gardens by the south gate and from certain points in the gardens. It’s known as Crow Castle because of its black outer wall. It was originally completed in 1597 but was destroyed in World War Two; the current castle is a reconstruction (as is the case for most Japanese castles). We just enjoyed the view from outside. Inside, you can find displays about the castle’s history and the opportunity to d...
3) Handayama Botanical Garden
Our absolute favourite cherry blossom spot in Okayama wasn’t Korakuen or the Asahi River, but the magical Handayama Botanical Garden. This hillside garden has views of the city and an incredible 1000 cherry trees—they stretch on and on and you feel fully immersed in the blooms. Best of all, this hidden gem is not very crowded (even on a sunny weekend in full bloom). There are plenty of grassy areas to lie back and gaze at the flowers or enjoy a picnic. We had a blissful afternoon here and it...
Okayama City itself has enough sightseeing to occupy you for a day, but what we loved most about it was its convenient location for exploring many other destinations. In addition to the places below, you could also visit Osaka and Kobe from Okayama. Kyotois also possible, but I think it warrants a longer stay. If you have a Japan Rail Pass(like we ...
Hotel Granvia Okayama
We chose to stay at Hotel Granvia Okayamabecause of its convenient location and we’re so glad we did. This huge four-star hotel is connected to the Okayama train station, so it couldn’t be easier to take day trips. It’s just a few minutes’ walk to the platforms and you don’t even need to go outside. We stayed in one of the newer refurbished rooms on the 18th floor, which was nicer than most Japanese business hotels with a modern bathroom. They were sold out of the larger double rooms so we ha...
Other Hotels in Okayama
Mitsui Garden Hotel Okayamais also close to the station and is less expensive than Hotel Granvia Okayama. It features a public onsen. If you are looking for a hostel, Lazy Househas twin rooms and dorms. Search for more hotels in Okayama here. Back to Contents
There aren’t a huge number of places to eat vegetarian food in Okayama, but there was enough to keep us going. Unfortunately, Yasai-Shokudo Koyama, which we previously recommended, has now closed. We often grabbed a snack (pizza slices, cheese bread, pastries) from the Vie de Francebakery in the train station. See our vegetarian Japan guidefor more...
While Okayama might not be a priority if you are a first time visitor to Japan, I do think it’s well worth visiting for returning travellers or those on longer trips. I hope this Okayama travel guide has encouraged you to give this less-visited city a go. It’s an affordable and convenient base for exploring the area and has a few lovely attractions...
Okayama City, the prefectural capital and largest city, is home to the imposing, black Okayama Castle and Okayama Korakuen, one of Japan's three greatest landscape gardens.
We introduce the charms of Okayama Prefecture in Japan, such as its location, access methods, climate, experiences, and gourmet food.
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