Okayama Prefecture Specialties, Souvenirs, Shrines, Temples, and Travel | 47 Prefecture Guide

Okayama is “the Land of Sunshine”, as the prefecture calls itself. Its low rainfall helped create its fruit-producing areas.

Specialties

White peaches and Muscat of Alexandria.

White peaches are grown in bags to keep them away from sunlight. This makes the skin white, and the flesh white as well. It is the opposite idea from many other fruits: using extra care to remove color. Muscat grapes are grown in glasshouses, and there is also a method of growing only one bunch on a single tree.

Chiya beef, bara-zushi, and Hiruzen Jersey dairy products.

Souvenirs

Kibidango is, is a souvenir that spread through its connection with the Momotaro legend. The myth of Ura’s defeat in Kibi Province is considered the prototype of Momotaro.

White peach jelly, denim from Kojima, and Bizen ware glasses.

Shrines and Temples

Kibitsu Shrine in Okayama City has a main hall and worship hall that are National Treasures.

What makes this shrine famous is the corridor that extends about 360 meters along the ridge. The roofed corridor descends in waves, following the rise and fall of the land. It is the result of adapting the architecture to the land, not a design made for show. At Okamaden within the grounds, the Narukama ritual connected to the legend of Ura’s defeat is still performed today.

Saijo Inari in Okayama City is a rare example of a temple that did not become a shrine after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, but continued to enshrine Inari as a temple. Its official name is Myokyoji, and it is counted as one of Japan’s three major Inari sites.

Bitchu Kokubunji (Soja City), its five-story pagoda stands amid the rural scenery of Kibiji. The sea of clouds at Bitchu Matsuyama Castle.

Sightseeing

Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter with its white-walled storehouses and rows of willow trees. Ohara Museum of Art opened in 1930 and was Japan’s first private museum centered on Western art in total.

Okayama Castle and Korakuen, one of Japan’s three great gardens, Tsuyama, and Ushimado. And Naoshima (Kagawa Prefecture), reached by boat from Uno Port (Tamano City), has become an island of contemporary art that draws visitors from around the world.

Traditional Crafts

Nationally designated items are Bizen ware and Katsuyama bamboo crafts, making 2 items.

Bizen ware uses no glaze and has no painted decoration. Its color is determined only by clay, fire, and wood ash. That is why no two pieces are exactly alike. It is one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns.

For details, see [VILLAGE Report vol.15] Choosing No Glaze and No Painting

Articles About This Prefecture

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References: Okayama Prefecture, Okayama City, Kurashiki City, Bizen City, Soja City, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries — Value Village Editorial Department