There are so many places in Japan that are worth visiting. Out of the many places to choose from, may I suggest Okayama.
Okayama is not visited often by tourists even though it is on the main shinkansen line between traveler's going from Osaka to Hiroshima. When people think day trip from Osaka, they typically go to Kobe (which yes, do it). But Okayama is another great day trip to consider as the city of Okayama has a lot to offer.
What is Okayama famous for? Well, when you arrive at Okayama station your question will be answered by an interesting statue. The statue in question tells the story of Peach Boy, or "Momotaro," a boy born out of a peach that was floating down a river and found by an older couple who could not have a child of their own. The story says the boy was sent by a god to the couple to be their son. Momotaro left his parents to fight a band of demons, and along the way was joined by a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant. With their help, Momotaro was able to defeat the demons and return home.
The statue isn't massive but definitely stands out. I am a huge fan of the Momotaro story, so this was a great surprise to see at my arrival into the city.
The reason for my visit to Okayama in the first place was to see Okayama Castle. I love visiting Japanese castles, even though I am not a fan of history or anything like that. I actually like to visit the castles of Japan for the architecture (it must be the art major in me). My long-term goal is to visit all the castles in Japan. Since I knew my travel path would cross over Okayama, I decided to stay for a night to enjoy the area. Once I was done admiring the Momotaro statue, I made my way over to Okayama Castle.
The outside of the castle itself may not seem impressive to most, but the path towards the castle was, in my opinion. There were steep stairs and a pathway that could have been difficult for invaders to take to the castle (one of the things I like to observe about Japanese castles). Like many Japanese castles nowadays, the inside is like a museum with artifacts and history to read up about the castle and the surrounding area. Usually you are not allowed to touch the artifacts, but I found Okayama castle very engaging for visitors. Even though I didn't participate, they offer a ceramic lesson during certain times of the day and have kimono to dress up in. They also have something super cool called a palanquin which was used to transport people of important by foot. You are able to sit inside it and take pictures of yourself and friends. There was also a traditional cafe inside where I cooled myself down with peach flavored kakigori during my summer visit (peaches are famous in Okayama). These different experiences definitely made it unique from all the other castles I have visited so far.
From inside the castle lookout you could see my next destination across the Asahi River, the Okayama Korakuen. This is a massive garden that was used by 18th century Edo period rulers, but is now a very popular tourist attraction. I bought the special ticket at Okayama Castle that included an admission to the Okayama Korakuen. The Okayama Korakuen grounds are filled with beautiful ponds, temples, and various gardens and fields. It was like seeing multiple attractions at once, there was so much to see. Towards the end of my visit to Okayama Korakuen, the resident crane made himself known with his loud screeching. And I couldn't help but stop inside the "gift shop" where I bought some peach candies.
After spending hours in the sun, it was time for a rest inside the hotel room (which to make things easier I stayed at a hotel right next to the station). Once I was well rested, it was time for dinner. One of my favorite things to eat in Japan is yakiniku and it seemed like Okayama was a great place to have it since there were so many yakiniku restaurants in the area around me. I sadly don't remember the restaurant I went to, but it was all-you-can-eat and we ordered our food through a screen which could be done in English. Our waiter knew English, so I didn't have to stress about being a translator. The food was delicious, along with my three servings of ice cream for dessert. I thought it was reasonably priced for a dinner especially with the quality of food. 10/10!
It was a great day in Okayama. Like I said, I spent the night in Okayama so I could reduce the travel time, but I believe it could be done as a day trip too. I hope that one day you will visit Okayama and even explore more than what I have shown you in this blog. I would happily go back to Okayama in the future.
Hopefully I have directed your attention to Okayama for your next visit to Japan. Please feel free to explore many blog for more Japan travel ideas. Thank you for reading this blog entry.
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