Okayama is the main city of Okayama Prefecture in Japan's Chugoku region. Okayama Korakuen, one of Japan's three great gardens, sits close to the black-walled Okayama Castle, and the old merchant town of Kurashiki is about 30 minutes west. The area is also known for peaches, grapes and the Momotaro legend.
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March-May and October-November are good for walking (average highs about 20°C in April and 17°C in November). June-July are the rainiest months (about 170-180 mm a month), and August is hot with average highs of about 33°C. December-February get less rain but are chilly, with average lows around 0-2°C. Cherry blossom and autumn leaf timing changes every year, so check the official forecasts.
Warmest: Aug (avg high 33.3°C) · Coolest: Jan (avg low 0.1°C) · Wettest: Jul (177.4 mm)
| High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.6° | 0.1° | 36.2 |
| Feb | 10.5° | 0.5° | 45.4 |
| Mar | 14.6° | 3.5° | 82.5 |
| Apr | 19.8° | 8.5° | 90.0 |
| May | 24.8° | 14.8° | 112.6 |
| Jun | 27.6° | 18.7° | 169.3 |
| Jul | 31.8° | 23.4° | 177.4 |
| Aug | 33.3° | 24.6° | 97.2 |
| Sep | 29.1° | 20.0° | 142.2 |
| Oct | 23.4° | 13.4° | 95.4 |
| Nov | 17.1° | 6.8° | 53.3 |
| Dec | 11.7° | 2.1° | 41.5 |
Monthly averages of daily highs and lows, and average monthly rainfall. Any given year can differ.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency · Okayama station · 1991–2020 normals —View source
Runs from Okayama Momotaro Airport to the West Exit of Okayama Station. You can pay with transit IC cards, a dedicated ticket from the machine, or cash. Extra buses to Okayama Station are timed to international arrivals; they are not on the timetable and leave a set time after arrival.
A bus via the expressway to Kurashiki Station North Exit, without intermediate stops. There is no ticket machine at Kurashiki Station North Exit, so if you board there you pay on the bus.
The airport has a taxi stand. Check official information for fares to the city. For the return trip, flat-rate taxis from the Okayama Station area to the airport are available by advance booking.
Lines to Higashiyama and Seikibashi leave from the Okayama-Ekimae stop. Adults pay a flat JPY 160 (children JPY 80), and a one-day pass is JPY 400 for adults. Board at the back, get off at the front and pay as you get off. Transit IC cards work.
From bus stop 1 at the Korakuen-guchi (East Exit) bus terminal of Okayama Station, the Korakuen bus reaches the garden in about 10 min. On a regular route bus, get off at Korakuen-mae (about 10-15 min).
For Kurashiki, take the Sanyo Line from Okayama Station to Kurashiki Station. Kibitsu Shrine is about a 10-minute walk from JR Kibitsu Station. Check JR West timetables for train times.
Korakuen is about 25 minutes on foot from Okayama Station, or about 10 minutes by taxi (about 1.8 km).
Good for: First visit, easy transport
The airport bus (West Exit), the Korakuen bus (East Exit) and the streetcar all start at the station, which makes it easy with luggage.
Good for: Garden and castle walks
The garden and castle are close together, so they are easy to see in one go. About a 10-minute walk from the Shiroshita streetcar stop.
Good for: Old-town walks, a night's stay
About a 10-minute walk from Kurashiki Station. After sunset the white-walled buildings are lit up and reflected in the river, so some visitors stay a night for an evening stroll.
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Built about 300 years ago by Ikeda Tsunamasa, lord of the Okayama domain, and counted among Japan's three great gardens. Paths and streams link wide lawns, ponds and an artificial hill, and red-crowned cranes are kept here. Entry is JPY 500 for adults (15-64) and JPY 200 for 65 and over; high school students and younger enter free until 31 March 2027. Open 7:30-18:00 from 20 March to 30 September and 8:00-17:00 from 1 October to 19 March (last entry 15 minutes before closing), every day of the year. Hours may change for events.
Its black-painted wooden walls earned it the nickname U-jo (Crow Castle). The keep is said to have been finished in 1597; it burned in the war and was rebuilt in 1966. Open 9:00-17:30 (last entry 17:00), closed 29-31 December. Entry is JPY 500 for ages 15 and over and free for junior high students and younger. A combined ticket with Korakuen is JPY 800.
Below Okayama Castle you can shape clay in Okayama's local Bizen-yaki pottery style. The standard session is JPY 1,250 (500 g of clay) and takes about 60 minutes in total; reservations get priority, so contact them in advance.
Enshrines Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto, said to be the model for the Momotaro legend. Highlights are the National Treasure main hall and worship hall, a corridor of about 400 m running straight along the land, and the Narukama ritual (鳴釜神事), which reads fortune from the sound of a kettle. About a 10-minute walk from JR Kibitsu Station.
A riverside street of white-walled storehouse mansions from the Edo period, Western-style buildings and willow trees. Boats recreating the old cargo boats show the town from the water; buying same-day tickets at the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Center is recommended. Check official information for operating days and times.
Founded in 1930 as Japan's first private museum of Western art. See famous Western paintings such as El Greco's Annunciation and Monet's Water Lilies. Check official information for hours and fees.
Summer brings the Okayama Momotaro Festival with fireworks and dancing, and winter brings the Naked Man Festival at Saidaiji Temple. Check official information for dates.
Colorful scattered sushi topped with Seto Inland Sea seafood and seasonal vegetables. The story goes that when an Edo-period thrift order allowed only one soup and one dish per meal, people started eating it, saying a dish on top of rice was still one dish.
Okayama's rice bowl of freshly fried pork cutlet covered in hot demi-glace sauce. Many places serve it, especially in Okayama City, and the sauce and toppings differ by place.
Okayama's signature sweets made from mochi rice. A popular souvenir.
Okayama peaches are grown with a bag over each fruit, which keeps the skin pale and soft. Varieties follow one another from late June through the summer.
Okayama achieved Japan's first successful cultivation of Muscat of Alexandria with greenhouse growing in 1886. Okayama City promotes itself as a city of fruit parfaits made with seasonal fruit.
According to a Japan Tourism Agency survey (2025), foreign leisure travellers visiting Okayama Prefecture spent an average of about ¥47,000 per person per visit (excluding travel between prefectures). Actual costs vary widely with itinerary and accommodation.
Amounts are rough figures in local currency. Check exchange rates before you go.
Airport bus to Okayama Station, streetcar to Shiroshita, Okayama Castle (Bizen-yaki workshop), Okayama Korakuen, then demi-katsudon or barazushi for dinner.
JR to Kibitsu Station, the Kibitsu Shrine corridor, JR to Kurashiki Station (about 40 min from Kibitsu), the historical quarter and Ohara Museum of Art, then the airport bus from Kurashiki Station North Exit (about 35 min).
Prices and times are approximate as of 2026-09 and may change. Always re-check visa and entry rules with official sources before you travel.