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Okayama Korakuen
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Okayama Castle, Castle Tower
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Ohara Museum of Art
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Kibitsu-jinja Shrine
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Tsuyama Castle (Kakuzan Park)
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Kibitsuhiko-jinja Shrine
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Achi-jinja Shrine
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Saijo Inari (Saijo Inari-san Myokyoji Temple)
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Roadside Station Kasaoka Bay Farm
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Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
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15 Best Cat Island Across Japan
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Best Places To See Wild Animals In Japan
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7 of Japan's Natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Travel Plans
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- Walking trip to touch on Kurashiki culture
- 1days
- The plan explores the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarters, which are not be missed when sightseeing in Okayama. Visitors feel like they've slipped back in time as they walk around the attractive townscape, filled with unique architectural styles like white-walled houses and namako kabe walls (walls of slate with a white grid pattern) that have stood since the Edo period. A great place to explore and visit places offering unique Kurashiki taste and culture.
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- A drive through Okayama Prefecture’s railway heritage and history—recommended for families and railway buffs
- 1days
- Welcome to this one-day excursion by car through western Japan’s Okayama Prefecture. From classic Okayama sights to train-lover delights, this trip is also ideal for families looking for a short getaway. Moreover, there are lots of stores and restaurants along the way, as well as a ton of regional cuisine and local specialties.
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- Discover culture, history and cuisine around Okayama Station
- 1days
- As well as the popular and beautiful Bikan Historical Quarter in Kurashiki City, Okayama is also dotted with many tourist spots. Visitors can fully enjoy the culture, history and gourmet of the region just a short walk from the tourist base of Okayama Station. On this one-day plan, take a walk and discover the hidden sightseeing spots around the station, unveiling charm of the city.
- Create your own Travel Plan
Travel Guide
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Top Things to do
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- Okayama Korakuen
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4.51709 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Okayamashi Kita-ku Kourakuen 1-5
- This Japanese stroll garden is located in Okayama City and named one of the Big Three Japanese Gardens. Construction of the garden began in 1687 by Tsunamasa Ikeda, Lord of Okayama, with its initial completion in 1700. Since this time, it was beloved and enjoyed as a place of relaxation for the feudal lord and as a place of interaction with the retainers and people of the domain. One can see the footprints of history through the structural remains preserved in the expansive 144,000 square meters area and enjoy blooms in each season dotting the park. The Korakuenmae bus stop is the closest public transport stop.
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- Okayama Castle, Castle Tower
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4.01163 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Okayamashi Kita-ku Marunouchi 2-3-1
- Okayama Castle was constructed over a period of eight years by Ukita Hideie, one member of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Council of Five Elders, and was completed in 1597. It is also called “Crow Castle” for its external appearance, as the castle tower walls have black lacquered siding which was a characteristic of this era. The three-tiered, six-storied watchtower-style castle tower is a pentagon of unequal sides and is said to imitate the castle tower of Oda Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle. The castle tower, which was a National Treasure, was lost due to wartime fires but was rebuilt in 1966.
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- Ohara Museum of Art
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4.5706 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Kurashikishi Chuou 1-1-15
- Located in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, this museum was Japan’s first private museum dedicated to Western art. The museum was built by Kurashiki industrialist Magosaburo Ohara in 1930. The Main Gallery, styled like a Greek temple, remains as it looked when the museum first opened. Inside, works by master Western painters such as Cezanne, Degas, and Renoir are on display. Several gallery concerts are held each year, a tradition which began in 1950.
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- Kibitsu-jinja Shrine
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4.5369 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Okayamashi Kita-ku Kibitsu 931
- A Shinto shrine primarily dedicated to Kibitsu-hiko-no-mikoto, a prince who subjugated rebels and brought peace and order to this area as one of the four mighty Shido Shogun. Kibitsu-hiko-no-mikoto is also known as the model for the legend of Momotaro, one of Japan’s most popular folktales. The shrine is one of the largest in the old San’yodo area. The front shrine and main shrine, built in the hiyoku irimoya-zukuri style, are designated National Treasures, and were rebuilt in 1425 by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Must-see highlights include the shrine’s roughly 400 meter long covered gallery, and the various flowers which grow on the grounds year round. The shrine is famous for the Narukama Shinji, a ritual in which the whistling of a steaming iron pot is used for fortune telling purposes. The nearest station is Kibitsu Station.
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- Tsuyama Castle (Kakuzan Park)
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4.0178 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Tsuyamashi Sange 135
- This castle ruin park is located near the Tsuyama Wonder Museum in Tsuyama City. One of Japan's three major mountain castles, it once had 60 towers and was built by Mori Ranmaru's younger brother Mori Tadamasa on Mt. Kaku. Although all buildings were destroyed with the ordinance for the disposal of castles, the Bichu Yagura was restored as a characteristic building of a mountain castle in 2005 and is open to the general public. The ruins of the castle became Kakuzan Park, and is also famous as a place for viewing cherry blossoms that was chosen as one of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots, and has particularly splendid night cherry blossoms illuminated by small lamps with paper shades.
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- Kibitsuhiko-jinja Shrine
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4.0156 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Okayamashi Kita-ku Ichinomiya 1043
- This shrine is located at the foot of Kibi no Nakayama in the Ichinomiya area of Kita Ward, Okayama City. The main shrine building is on the site of the residence of Okibitsuhiko no mikoto, who suppressed Kibi no Kuni, and has him as the principal shrine god. The shrine is also called “Asahi no Miya” (shrine of the morning sun) because the sun rises directly in front of the main torii gate and enters the mirror in the shrine on the summer solstice.
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- Achi-jinja Shrine
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4.0218 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Kurashikishi Honmachi 12-1
- This shrine stands atop a small hill in a corner of the Bikan Historical Quarter. The land is connected with the family of Achi no Omi, who came to Japan from the Korean Peninsula during the time of Emperor Ojin and helped develop Kibi Province, the predecessor to modern-day Okayama, with new technologies. The shrine grounds are home to the largest Akebono wisteria tree in the country; the best time to visit is when the tree is in bloom, from the end of April through May. The shrine sells Achi no Fujimori charms which contain wisteria seeds and are said to bring long life and good health.
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- Saijo Inari (Saijo Inari-san Myokyoji Temple)
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4.0125 Reviews
- Okayama Pref. Okayamashi Kita-ku Takamatsuinari 712
- A Nichiren Buddhist temple located in Kita Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture officially known as the Saijo Inari-san Myokyoji Temple. Founded around 785 by the great priest Ho’on, despite being a Buddhist temple rather than a Shinto shrine, the Saijo Inari is considered one of Japan’s three largest Inari temples. The temple survived the anti-Buddhist movement of the Meiji period unscathed. Permitted to engage in rituals syncretizing Buddhism and Shintoism, the temple is a rare example of an Inari “shrine” which follows Buddhist traditions. The temple grounds are marked by Shinto torii gates and the main temple building is built in the Shinto jingu style. Since ancient times, the temple has been believed to grant worshipers a variety of benefits, including prosperity in business, better fortunes, and traffic safety.
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- Roadside Station Kasaoka Bay Farm
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4.061 Reviews
- 245-5 Kabuto Minami-cho, Kasaoka-shi, Okayama-ken
- This roadside station is located along National Route 2 in the Kabuto Minamimachi area of Kasaoka City. Besides selling specialty products such as local fresh agricultural products and fresh fish, it also offers buffets using delicious land-based food and seafood of Kasaoka. There is also a snack corner and shop selling freshly baked bread. In addition, you can enjoy flowers throughout the year with the approximately one million sunflowers that bloom in flower fields on Kasaoka Bay’s reclaimed land.
Areas

What is Okayama?
Overshadowed by Hiroshima to the west and the Kansai region to the east, Okayama is an easy spot to miss but a nature-rich gem where the Seto Inland Sea laps at its toes and peach and grape farms complete its interior. One of Japan’s Three Great Gardens, Koraku-en in Okayama city is well worth a visit before progressing to Kurashiki, where preserved wooden Edo buildings line the picturesque canal.
Okayama Overviews
Climate
What to Wear
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- Warm Cloth
- Feb
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- Warm Cloth
- Mar
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- Jacket
- Apr
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- Long
- May
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- Long
- Jun
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- Long
- Jul
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- Short
- Aug
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- Short
- Sep
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- Long
- Oct
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- Long
- Nov
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- Jacket
- Dec
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- Warm Cloth
Getting Around
A stop along the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen on the way from Tokyo to Hiroshima, there's no excuse not to jump off at Okayama Station to break up your journey at 3.5 hours from Tokyo. Just 17 minutes down the road on the JR Sanyo Line, Kurashiki is just a small detour but a good stop on the way to the art islands between Honshu and Shikoku.
Access
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How to get to Okayama Airport