Scenic views of the Seto Inland Sea and Seto-ohashi Bridge. Koraku-en Garden offers beautiful views of Okayama Castle.

Okayama is situated in the southeastern Chugoku region and faces the Seto Inland Sea. The mild climate and scant rainfall make Okayama ideal for growing grapes, peaches, and other fruit. The Chugoku Mountain Range extends in the north, the Kibi-kogen Highlands spread south of the mountains beyond the Tsuyama Basin, and the Okayama Plain faces the Seto Inland Sea in the south.

Okayama is endowed with abundant natural beauty, including the islands in the Seto Inland Sea, the Seto-ohashi Bridge that spans Honshu and Shikoku islands, Mt. Washu-zan (which overlooks them), and the Hiruzen-kogen Highlands in Daisen-Oki National Park. Other must-sees are Okayama Castle (noted for its unique black exterior), Kibitsu-jinja Shrine (which has a national treasure sanctuary and worship hall as well as the important cultural property Kita-zuishin-mon Gate), and many other historic sites and historical structures.

The Koraku-en Garden is, one of the three major gardens in Japan, offers a beautiful view of Okayama Castle. There is also Kurashiki Tivoli Park, created to resemble the world's first theme park, Tivoli Park in Denmark.

The old-fashioned art of hand-kneaded ceramics making, in the hometown of Bizen-yaki pottery.

Bizen is a city of pottery facing the Katakami Bay in southeastern Okayama. The city is known as the hometown of Bizen-yaki, one of the six types of ancient Japanese pottery styles. Bizen-yaki is more than 1,000 years old, and is the oldest among the six ancient pottery styles. The old name of Okayama, Bizen, is retained in the name of the pottery.

The town bustles with Bizen-yaki pottery and ceramic shops. Bizen-yaki uses neither glazing nor painting. The flames in the kiln change the patterns on this simple pottery, and no two pieces are alike. There is a workshop where you can experience making your own piece by modeling the clay by hand without using a potter's wheel.

The Bizen Ceramic Art Museum displays Bizen-yaki pieces and materials of the ceramic artists who live in this town. You can learn about the mechanism of the kiln at the Bizen Provincial History Museum. Many restaurants serve food in Bizen-yaki dishes. You can enjoy them with your palate and eyes.

Here, too, is the Shizutani School. The first school for the general public in Japan was established in the 17th century. The original lecture hall, built in the 18th century, still stands and has been designated a national treasure. The roof tiles are, of course, Bizen-yaki.


An herb garden that displays 250 different species of herbs. A clear water stream inhabited by giant salamanders.

The Hiruzen-kogen Highlands are situated at the foot of three mountains-the 1,200-meter-high Mt. Kami-Hiruzen on the border of Okayama and Tottori, Mt. Naka-Hiruzen, and Mt. Shimo-Hiruzen-and are part of Daisen-Oki National Park. The highlands are also known as the Karuizawa of the west. For 14 kilometers east and west, and 5.5 kilometers north and south, you can see herds of Jersey cows grazing in the peaceful scenery.

Around the highlands is the Hiruzen Herb Garden, which boasts of its 2.5 hectare-size. Two hundred and fifty different varieties of herbs, including 20,000 lavender plants, are grown. At the Kaori-no-Yakata, or the House of Scent, which is attached to the garden, you can experience making herbal goods. There is also a restaurant at which you can savor dishes that use herbs grown here. This garden is popular with visitors.

The Shiogama-reisen Cold Spring, the source of the Asahi-gawa River that runs at the foot of the Hiruzen-kogen Highlands, is known for having some of the best water in Japan, and the area around the spring is a habitat for giant salamanders, a protected species.