🌸 Traveling with Parents | Shinsaibashi Store 🌸

24-Day Off-the-Beaten-Path Kansai Tour! 『Okayama Chapter』 🌸 It's my first time taking my parents to the land of cherry blossoms, so I'm jotting down some notes~ 🚫 Original post, no reprints allowed 🈵 Date: End of May to early June 💚 The itinerary for the third day includes: [Daimaru - Shinsaibashi Store], [Ichiran Ramen], [JR Shin-Osaka Station], [JR Okayama Station], [Okayama Castle], [Korakuen Garden], [Rotating Sushi] 💚 In front of [JR Okayama Station] (on the side with the Momotaro statue), many bus routes can take you to [Okayama Castle]~ The bus is a vintage tram, and you can hear the sound of the rails rubbing against the vehicle as it moves, duangduangduang~ The fare is fixed, and there's a vague feeling of "going back in time"~ Get off at [Jōka Station], the signs are very clear, and it's not long before you can see the lake and bridge of Korakuen Garden, with [Okayama Castle] on its right side. ✅ [Okayama Castle] ❇️ Recommended visiting time: 1 hour Okayama Castle's operating hours end at 17:30, and the operating hours for the adjacent [Korakuen Garden] end at 18:00, so plan accordingly. On the day of our visit, entry to Okayama Castle was free, 💰 usually the admission fee is 400 yen~ The visiting order is to take the elevator to the 6th floor and then down floor by floor. Okayama Castle is also known as the "Crow Castle" because of its black exterior. I'm interested in this place mainly because I'm fascinated by Tokugawa Ieyasu from the Sengoku period. The castle was originally built by Ukita Hideie, a vassal of the Toyotomi family, and Kobayakawa Hideaki, who influenced the Battle of Sekigahara, was also once the lord of this castle~ On the 3rd floor, there is a huge folding screen painting of the Battle of Sekigahara~ On the 1st floor, there is an area specially set aside for tourists to take photos, and there are also some samurai armor, models of the castle, and so on. ✅ [Korakuen Garden] ❇️ Recommended visiting time: 2 hours One of Japan's three great gardens, Korakuen Garden has maintained the style of the Edo period and is a well-deserved [World Cultural Heritage] site~ There are two gates, and the one closest to [Okayama Castle] is the South Gate~ It is open all year round, but the closing time varies by season. #OffTheBeatenPath #FreeTravel #Travelogue #NicheTourism #Okayama #Korakuen #JapanFreeTravel #OkayamaCastle #TravelingWithParents