Okayama (Kurashiki) Food (Part One)

Okayama doesn't have much along the lines of local cuisine, but visitors to Kurashiki should definitely plan on snacking a bit while they're there.

 The canal area offers plenty of places to pick up some treats hot off the grill, including these things. I don't know what they are and I haven't tried one yet, but they sell pretty well. What you actually see above is a model, but the edible ones look exactly the same.

 The region's most well-known food is kibi dango. Dango is a mildly sweet flour dumpling on a stick; kibi dango is darker than most I usually see and covered in powder.

The region is known for its grapes and peaches. On my first trip, I found grape juice for 100 yen per (smallish) cup. Delicious, especially on a hot day!

Be sure to keep your eyes open for shops selling fresh snacks like these both along the canal and on the back streets surrounding the canal! The kibi dango and grape juice were both from a store along the east side of the canal.

Kurashiki's Ohara Museum of Art

 Japan has plenty of museums showcasing Western art, but Ohara was the first. Located in Kurashiki, this private museum has several buildings plus an additional building down the street.

 Photography isn't permitted inside the museum, but I feel the exhibits were worth every penny. The Main Gallery is in the Western building seen in the top photo, and has works by Picasso, Rodin, Pollock, and more. The collection is very diverse so it doesn't get monotonous.

 Several old Japanese warehouses are connected together to expand the collection. The Annex has works by Japanese artists. The Craft Art Gallery displays ceramics, woodblock prints, stencil dyeing, and other crafts. I saw works by top names in their fields, especially when it comes to ukiyoe and ceramics. There is a final building in this area housing Egyptian artifacts and Chinese antiques.

 This main museum area has a central courtyard with a small pond (note the flower picture below left) and a small garden near the Asiatic Art Gallery (the Asiatic Art Gallery is shown in the photo below right).

 Finally, about five minutes away in Ivy Square is another building housing the Kojima Museum. Kojima purchased a lot of the art in the Main Gallery for Ohara. This museum houses some of Kojima's own works, as well as lots of Islamic and Egyptian art.

All of Kurashiki's sights are located around the canal area, about a 10-15 minute walk from Kurashiki Station. The Ohara Museum is in the southern end of the area, just off the main street. Ivy Square, where you'll find the Kojima Museum, is at the northern end a couple short blocks from the canal.

The museums are open 9:00-17:00 (closed Mondays), and admission is 1300 yen including both the Ohara Museum and Kojima Museum. An English audio guide is available, though I didn't try it.

Okayama: A Few Sights Around Town

 Okayama is one of a fairly long list of cities in Japan that are "designated" cities; these are cities with populations over 500,000 and who have applied for this designation. I don't know what being a designated city brings, but Okayama is the smallest on the list, with a population around 700,000.

It serves as the major transportation hub for western Honshu and for through connections to Shikoku. The surrounding plains are used for farming of multiple crops and the mountains are home to the area's famed peaches and muscat grapes. The city also serves several industries and is the headquarters for some major corporations. Historically, the town has been important due to its strategic position and agricultural development.

And speaking of history, the area is also home to one of Japan's biggest fables. Momotaro, or Peach Boy, has appeared in books, films, and other works. The story basically goes like this:

Momotaro came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found by an old, childless woman. The woman was washing clothes in the river when the peach floated by; she and her husband discovered the boy when they opened the peach to eat it.
Years later, as an adult, Momotaro leaves his parents to fight a group of demons or ogres inhabiting a nearby island. Much like Dorothy on her trip to the Emerald City, Momotaro befriends several creatures (namely, a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant) along the way who agree to help him on his quest.
Arriving at the island, Momotaro and his companions battle their way into the ogres' fort cave and force a surrender. Of course, everyone lives happily ever after.

The demon island (Onigashima) considered to be the one Momotaro visited is Megijima, near Takamatsu on Shikoku Island. I visited Megijima before coming to Okayama.

While Momotaro can be found all over town and in my photos below, let's start with this water fountain just outside Okayama Station's East Exit.

 Momotaro can be found on top of some Japan Post mailboxes in a cartoon form.

 A more lifelike statue is situated outside Okayama Station, showing Momotaro with his companion dog, pheasant, and monkey.

 If you take the tram for part of the journey between the train station and Okayama Castle, you'll use a pedestrian underpass to get through the large intersection. This underpass is also used for those walking the entire way. There's a nice open-air fountain with a statue of a woman sitting naked on a log. You'll also pass through a small park with more statues and a small stage. I saw some teenagers practicing dancing on it during my second visit to Okayama.

 Again continuing the trip to Okayama Castle, you'll follow part of the river. The castle can be seen in the distance, with Korakuen Garden on the left across the bridge.

 Look down! Some manhole covers show Momotaro, again with his companions.

Last, but not least, I did use the tram for at least one journey. And the inside of the train was well-decorated with these cat decals for some promotion. But more interesting is the series of bells with tags on them; I'm not sure what they're for or how permanent they are/were, but each tag carries a handwritten message of some kind.

Okayama isn't known for any specific local cuisine, with one exception. So dining options in town are the standards - this is a good place to try Japanese curry, gyudon (beef bowl), ramen or other noodles, and so on. As I mentioned before, the area produces a lot of agricultural goods, so you can find expensive peaches and grapes in the souvenir stores. And for those looking for local food, give kibi dango a shot - it's a chewy, mildly sweet snack or desert sold on sticks. But I recommend getting this in Kurashiki.

Korakuen, Okayama: Beautiful Photos from one of Japan's Top Three Gardens

 Korakuen is listed as one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan, in addition to Kenrokuen and Kairakuen. And it's definitely worthy of that distinction.

 Like most Japanese gardens, it's laid out in a series of little scenes.

 And again, like most gardens, there's a large central pond and a hill to use as a lookout point.

 And yet again, like other Japanese landscape gardens, you'll find tea houses. But this one has a nice foot soaking pond.

 Korakuen is much larger than other gardens, and it actually is its own island in the middle of a river. So the views are more expansive and the immersive effect is better.

 The larger area means this garden can have large lawns and some groves. There are rice and tea fields, an archery range, and a crane aviary too.

 A tea house.

 There's a small shrine.

 Another tea house.

 The foot soaking pavilion.

 Okayama Castle is the only building I remember being able to see outside the garden, and it serves as a nice background.

 The garden used to be an entertaining place for the local feudal lord and his guests.

It was mostly overcast during my visit, but even without much shadow contrast, the garden is very beautiful. I wasn't able to return on my last visit, but I'd love to spend time on a sunny day getting even more great shots.

There are several museums located in the vicinity of Okayama Castle and Korakuen Garden. I didn't visit any of these, but fans of art or looking for a bit of a history lesson might find something of interest here. (I would like to check out a couple of them at some point,) This is Japan Guide's list of Okayama museums with important details.

Korakuen Garden is just across the river from Okayama Castle. Walk about 30 minutes straight east from Okayama Station, or take a 5-minute tram ride to Shiroshita, from where the garden and castle are an additional 10-15 minute walk. The closest entrance to the pedestrian bridge is the smaller south gate (seen in the first photo above) to the right, but the main gate is a short walk to the left after crossing the bridge. The Prefectural Museum is located beside the main gate.

The garden is open 7:30-18:00 from March 20 through September and 8:00-17:00 other times. Admission is 400 yen, but most people will want the combo ticket for 560 that includes Okayama Castle (not available when the castle has special exhibitions).