Okayama & Kurashiki

Korakuen, one of Japan's three great gardens, and Okayama's black “Crow Castle,” plus Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter's white-walled canal and Kojima's Jeans Street—an easygoing two-day trip in the “Land of Sunshine.”

Okayama & Kurashiki lie in southern Okayama Prefecture in western Honshu, facing the Seto Inland Sea. The prefecture has the most days in Japan with less than 1 mm of rain, earning it the nickname “Land of Sunshine.” Okayama City is the prefectural capital and a hub on the Sanyo Shinkansen, with its main sights clustered along the Asahi River: Korakuen, one of Japan's three great gardens, the black “Crow Castle” of Okayama Castle and several nearby art museums, all linked easily on foot. About 17 minutes west by train, the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is an Edo-period merchant town where willow-lined canals, white-walled storehouses and the Ohara Museum of Art form the classic scene; to the south, the Kojima Peninsula has Jeans Street and Mount Washu, with views of the Great Seto Bridge. The Kibi Plain between the two cities is the setting of the Momotaro legend; you can cycle the Kibiji bike route past Kibitsu Shrine, ancient burial mounds and the five-story pagoda of Bitchu Kokubunji. Heading north to Takahashi, you can see Bitchu Matsuyama Castle floating above a sea of clouds in autumn and winter, and the red-hued town of Fukiya; to the east are the National Treasure Shizutani School, the Bizen pottery center of Imbe and the harbor town of Ushimado. Okayama is about 45 minutes by Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka and about 35 minutes from Hiroshima, and Okayama Station is also the transfer point for Takamatsu and Matsuyama on Shikoku and for Naoshima. Cherry blossoms bloom in March–April, white peaches and Muscat grapes are in season July–September, and Shizutani School's autumn leaves peak in November. Plan on 2–3 days, staying in either Okayama or Kurashiki; a car makes it easier to reach Takahashi and Ushimado.

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