Location: Okayama Prefecture
Top Things to do in Okayama Prefecture
Top Hotels in Okayama Prefecture
Things to do in Okayama Prefecture, Chugoku: The Best Gardens
Okayama Prefecture (岡山県, Okayama-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Okayama.
Restaurants in Okayama Prefecture
1. Okayama Korakuen Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,709 reviews
In 1687, daimyo (feudal lord) Ikeda Tsunamasa ordered his vassal Tsuda Nagatada to begin the construction of a new garden. The groundwork took 13 years until 1700, but since then the garden has retained most of its original appearance across the Edo period (1603-1868) until the present day. The garden was used as a retreat for the daimyos as well as a place for entertaining their guests, although people of the fiefdom too could visit it on certain occasions. As time went by, successive daimyos slightly modified the garden adding and removing hills, lawns, ponds and buildings, but the initial concept of Korakuen as a wide, bright space offering beautiful inner and outer vistas remained constant and unaltered. In 1884, the ownership of Korakuen was transferred to Okayama Prefecture and the garden was opened to the general public: since then it is carefully managed as a historical cultural asset to be passed down to future generations.
Reviewed By 798ellenr - Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Canada
We stopped here on a day trip from Kyoto to Hiroshima on the Shinkansen. It is one of the three great Japanese strolling gardens and even in the rain it was magnificent with its plum blossoms, lake, rice fields, camellia garden and more. We saw Geisha strolling and a view of the adjacent castle.It was magical!
2. Hiruzen Herb Garden Herbill
3. Fuji Park
4. Ushimado Olive Garden
5. Handayama Botany
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 48 reviews
Reviewed By 298philipc
This is an easy place to visit from Okayama station by bus 77 from platform 13 for 150 yen. Bus journey is about 15-20 mins and its a short 5 min walk to the garden entrance. We did not take the train as it runs every 30 mins just like the bus and you have to walk ca 15-20 mins from the station to the garden. There are paved roads in the garden to walk, plenty of birds of various species, and definitely a place for spring sakura (cherry blossom) visit. This place seemed not to have a lot of visitors which is a shame as its well maintained, trees labeled with species name. There is no cafe or a place to eat inside. We found a very nice cafe called Canal cafe ca 50 m from the return bust stop by accident and had a very good lunch - highly unexpected and delightful with a friendly owner ( studied in NY and runs a real estate business) and his dad helping out.
