Okayama岡山県

Places to seeWhere to go in Okayama

Start with the first of these. Each is worth half a day.

Kurashiki Bikan倉敷美観地区

A canal of white warehouses and willows, walked in an hour and worth two.

Half a day

MAP

Korakuen後楽園

Wide lawns, with the black castle standing behind them.

2 hours

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Okayama Castle岡山城

A black-walled keep beside the river, next to the garden. Easy to combine in one morning.

1 hour

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Washuzan鷲羽山

A viewpoint over the inland sea and its islands, with the long bridge to Shikoku below.

2 hours

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What Okayama is

If your dates are fixed and you want the best chance of a clear day, come here.

The reason to stop is Kurashiki. A canal of white-walled rice warehouses runs through the middle of the old town, with willows over the water and boats going along it. It is twenty minutes from the city and it looks like nowhere else in the prefecture.

When to comeThe same place, four different places

Pick the season first and the days will arrange themselves.

March – May

Cherry blossom along the canal at Kurashiki. Dry, mild and the clearest light of the year.

June – August

Less rain than anywhere else in Japan, but hot. White peaches ripen from July.

September – November

Muscat grapes, then autumn colour in the garden. An easy, dry season.

December – February

Cold and dry, with very little snow. The garden is at its emptiest and quietest.

Find it fastEverything in Okayama