Wanderlust: Okayama

Okayama is not so known to foreign tourists as compared to the farther destination Hiroshima and Miyajima. A Shinkansen Ride from Shin Osaka to Okayama takes about almost an hour. We left Shin Osaka a little over 7:23 AM (originally we planned this for 7:11AM but ran late) and arrived at our first destination at around 8:57AM- Korakuen Garden. The Bus stop is just outside the Okayama Train Station. It's a 14min bus ride from Okayama Station to the Garden.

We went giddy just after alighting the bus as we saw a nice spot beside the river. It was lined with Cherry Blossoms and there are benches you can sit on plus, there are no people.

Korakuen Garden

As mentioned previously, this Garden is one of the THREE GREAT GARDENS OF JAPAN. This one is spacious and well maintained. One of our favourites actually.

From their website, Okayama Korakuen Garden:

Tickets		Adults(15-64)	Children(0-14 and students up to 18)	Senior(65+)
Individual Tickets		¥500	free of charge	¥200

Here's what you can expect on different seasons:

Plum: Late January to early March (approximately 100 trees) Cherry blossoms: Late March to early April (approximately 280 trees) Wisteria (Fuji): Late April to early May (34 plants) Azaleas: Mid-April to late May (approx. 260) Iris: Early to late June (approximately 3,000) Lotus: Mid-June to mid-August (approximately 1,800 plants) Autumn leaves: Mid-November to early December (approximately 300 trees)

View from the Pond

View from the Hill

Whole view of the Garden from the Top of the Hill

photo at the hut in the picture below

that's a real thing on the rock

Cherry Blossoms Area

We were back at the Okayama Train Station by 11:00 AM and took our early lunch.

At 12noon, we are already at the Kurashiki Station awaiting for our bus ride to Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter.

After the bus ride, we realized we can even walk our way there, it's a short walk if you are like us who loves to explore on foot.

Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter

This was an important regional trade hub for Japan's most important commodity, rice during the EDO period. Canals were built to allow boats and barges to navigate between the city's storehouses and the nearby port. This central section is preserved and is now a tourist spot.

this little birdie is a paid actor

Kurashiki Ivy Square

Not far out is the Ivy Square. A collection of brick buildings covered in ivy that include a museum, restaurants and a hotel. The area was the site of the first modern cotton mill in Japan.