🍑 Okayama Travel Guide | 🍑 Okayama, the Land of Sunshine and Peach B

❇️ Okayama Prefecture is renowned for its delicious fruits and is often called the "Land of Sunshine" and the "Home of Momotaro." As the capital and largest city of the prefecture, Okayama City boasts the majestic black Okayama Castle and one of the three great landscaped gardens in Japan, Okayama Korakuen Garden Nearby Kurashiki is a historic commercial city known for its canals and quaint atmosphere, while Kojima is home to some of the world's most famous denim manufacturers. Okayama can serve as a starting point for a trip to the modern art haven of Naoshima in nearby Kagawa Prefecture. (For more details on Naoshima, see another guide.) ❇️ Transportation Routes Domestically, you can fly directly to Okayama Momotaro Airport or fly to Osaka Kansai Airport and then take the Haruka to Shin-Osaka to transfer to the Tokaido Shinkansen, with the entire journey taking about 2 hours. The key is to purchase the Kansai Wide Area Pass ❗️(Introduced in the previous guide, it's definitely cost-saving) ❇️ Accommodation/Shopping in Okayama It's recommended to stay near Okayama JR Station for convenient transportation, as Okayama serves as a transit city. It's easy to travel to places like Kurashiki, Kojima, Onomichi, Naoshima, etc. There's an AEON and Takashimaya next to the JR station, making shopping very convenient, and the key point is that there are fewer tourists. ✅ Takashimaya is open from 10 am to 7 pm, with tax refunds on the 9th floor (for purchasing major brand cosmetics and Japanese cosmetics, they have LV, but no Estee Lauder or Mikimoto) ✅ AEON Aeon is open from 10 am to 9 pm. Uniqlo is on the 4th floor. There are two stores with Barbour and Purple Label North Face. Estee Lauder is in the first-floor cosmetics section. ✅ There's a Mitsui Outlet Park next to Kurashiki JR Station. There are no big brands, but it's worth a visit. ✅ 999.9 Glasses Store is near Tenjin-ya. The service is particularly attentive, and it's highly recommended. ❇️ Travel Checkpoint Attractions ✅ Korakuen Garden is one of the three famous gardens in Japan (along with Kenrokuen in Kanazawa City and Kairakuen in Mito City), retaining the beauty of the Edo period's style Japanese garden. Here, you can enjoy various flowers, plants, and trees that change with the seasons, along with landscapes full of Japanese charm. ✅ Japanese denim originated 50 years ago in the southern Kojima area of Kurashiki City, Okayama. Okayama's "Momotaro Jeans" are masterpieces made from the world's highest quality Zimbabwe cotton. You can experience the culture and history of denim there. ✅ Kurashiki Beauty Area (18 minutes from Okayama by JR) features white-walled warehouses, tile ridge boards, willow tree streets, and the Kurashiki River. The streets formed by traditional buildings with nearly 400 years of history and the retro-modern scenery by the Kurashiki River are particularly noteworthy. Especially, Kurashiki Coffee-kan (established in 1971) is worth a visit. ✅ For Naoshima and Onomichi, you can refer to previous notes. #JapanTravel #Okayama #OkayamaKorakuen #JapanOkayamaKojima #JapanKurashiki #MitsuiOutletParkKurashiki