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Other areas in Okayama


Other areas in Okayama

  • Tokoen (東湖園), 2-2-5 Kadotayashiki, +81 086-272-0165. 9AM-5PM. With Korakuen in the city, many visitors don't think of visiting other gardens, but Tokoen deserves a look. Though not as big as Korakuen, it is quite beautiful and less crowded. Also, it's almost a century older. ¥400. �
  • Handayama Botanical Garden (岡山市半田山植物園), 3-1 Hokaiin, +81 086-252-4183, . W-M 9AM-4:30PM. A botanical garden filled with various types of flowers. It's particularly beautiful during the spring cherry blossom season; however, one can easily enjoy this garden anytime of the year. It's a 10 minute walk from Hokaiin Station on the JR Tsuyama Line. There are also buses from JR Okayama Station.
  • RSK Rose Garden (RSKバラ園), +81 086-293-2121, . Yet another excellent place in Okayama to view flowers (best in May and June). As the name suggests, this garden features roses, and it is the largest rose garden in Japan. Although the roses are the main attraction, there are also other blossoming plants, such as irises, peonies, and plum trees. ¥500. �
  • Sogen-ji (曹源寺), 1069 Maruyama (Sogenji-mae bus stop via Tenmaya Bus Station), +81 086-277-8226. 6AM to 5PM. A large Zen temple located at the base of Mt. Misaoyama at the end of the path between Tendai-ji (right side) and Daiko-in (left side). It is a well known place for western Zen students. Free meditation sessions from 8-9AM most Sundays are usually followed by a simple tea ceremony. The garden behind the temple is famous for having one of the largest cherry blossom trees in Okayama and a lake which beautifully reflects the tree and the surrounding countryside. This garden was designed by the same architect who built Korakuen. Although the mountain is near the center of the city, the area around it maintains a rural atmosphere. It can be very pleasant to hike over around this hill and visit the various small temples and shrines. If Zen meditation at Sogen-ji gives you a backache, you can relieve your aches and pains at a ganban onsen (rock hot spring.) This style of hot spring does not have a large bathing area but instead has gravel and hard rock beds where steam passes up from under you or down from above like a sauna. ¥100. �
  • Saidaiji (西大寺), 3-8-8 Saidaijinaka, +81 086-942-2058, . 9AM-4PM. This is the location of the famous Naked Man Festival (see "Do" section). The priest Yasutaka founded this temple. It is said that while meditating in Hasedera Temple, an oracle came to him instructing him to repair the Kannon Hall in Bizen Kanaoka. He immediately departed for the West. On his way, he met a dragon deity carrying a rhinoceros horn who told him to build the temple and then vanished. The priest did as he was told and called it Saidaiji (犀戴寺) "rhino temple", but the characters were later changed by retired Emperor Gotoba to its current spelling (西大寺) after prayer-writing revealed to him the new name. ¥500. �
  • Hokai-in (法界院), 6-1 Hokaiin (JR Hokaiin Station), +81 086-252-1769. One of the temples of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Temple Pilgrimage. It's a short distance from Handayama Botanical Garden.
  • Ikeda Zoo, 2-5-1 Kyosan, +81 086-252-2131, . 9AM-5:30PM April to October, 9AM-5PM November to March. Ikeda Zoo offers many of the typical zoo animals: elephants, giraffes, tigers, lions, and a variety of birds and monkeys. The most unique animals here are perhaps the tapirs and the red pandas. It's a short distance northwest of JR Okayama Station. ¥1050 for adults, ¥840 for high school students, ¥630 for middle school and elementary school students, and ¥315 for children over 3 years of age. �
  • Kibiji Literary Museum, +81 086-223-7411, . Tu-Su 9:30AM-5PM. Displays of original works and transcripts from famous authors from the Okayama area. It helps to have Japanese reading ability and an interest in Japanese literature, of course. It's just north of the city center, a couple blocks east of the Nishi-gawa Canal. ¥400. �
  • Keikaen (慶華園), 1428-3 Kawaguchi Takebe-cho, +81 086-722-3939. 9AM-6PM. Because of its remote location, near the northern border of the city in the Takebe area, this garden is a great refuge for those looking to get out of the city. Keikaen is said to have begun as a local man's private garden that he just kept expanding. Visitors can also enjoy viewing the variety of birds housed here, as well as a greenhouse. ¥300. �
  • Okayama Digital Museum, +81 086-898-3000, . An odd museum that uses modern technology to showcase the city's history, local culture, and nature.
  • Japanese Fossil Museum, +81 086-237-8100, . W-Sa, M 10AM-5PM. A small museum showcasing fossils found in Japan, particularly ammonite. Free. �
  • Animo Museum, 1196-1 Kita-ku, 086-228-1666, . 10AM-5PM. A museum established to honor Okayama native and Olympic marathon medalist Yuko Arimori. Here you can see her silver medal from Barcelona, bronze medal from Atlanta, and other Olympics memorabilia. ¥300. �
  • Manekineko Museum of Art, (JR Makiyama Station), +81 086-228-3301, . Th-M 10AM-5PM. A museum devoted entirely to the famous good luck cats seen in many shops and restaurants throughout Japan. ¥600. �
  • Yahata no Sato (やはたの里), 609 Takebekami Takebe-cho, +81 086-722-1231. 9AM-5PM. Three interesting yet completely unrelated sites. First up is a Yogurt Factory (ヨーグルト工房) where you can see how they make yogurt and then taste it, too. From there, the Toy Museum (おもちゃの宿) has displays of traditional Japanese toys and some for children to play with. Finally, there is the Killifish Research Center (めだかの学校), which studies the fish of the same name. Yahata no Sato is most enjoyable for those travelling with kids, particularly if they understand Japanese. ¥500, yogurt ¥150 extra. �

  • The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Okayama


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    Okayama Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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