Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Okayama Prefecture

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Country
  
Japan

Island
  
Honshu

ISO 3166 code
  
JP-33

Area
  
7,112 km²

Team
  
Fagiano Okayama

Region
  
Chūgoku (Sanyō)

Area rank
  
15th

Districts
  
10

Capital
  
Okayama

Okayama Prefecture wwwjapanguidecomg10prefectureokayamatopjpg

Population
  
1.932 million (31 Mar 2012)

Weather
  
9°C, Wind NW at 11 km/h, 98% Humidity

Destinations
  
Kurashiki, Okayama, Maniwa, Tsuyama, Mimasaka

Colleges and Universities
  
Okayama University, Okayama University of Science, Okayama Prefectural University, Notre Dame Seishin U, Shujitsu University

Points of interest
  
Kōraku‑en, Yumeji Art Museum, Okayama Orient Museum, Inujima, Hayashibara Museum of Art

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.

Contents

Map of Okayama Prefecture, Japan

History

Prior to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the area of present-day Okayama Prefecture was divided between Bitchū, Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces. Okayama Prefecture was formed and named in 1871 as part of the large-scale administrative reforms of the early Meiji period (1868–1912), and the borders of the prefecture were set in 1876.

Geography

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Hiroshima Prefecture. It faces Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea and includes 90 islands in the sea.

Okayama Prefecture is home to the historic town of Kurashiki. Most of the population is concentrated around Kurashiki and Okayama. The small villages in the northern mountain region are aging and declining in population - more than half of the prefectures municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.

As of 1 April 2014, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Daisen-Oki and Setonaikai National Parks; the Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park; and seven Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Universities in Okayama Prefecture

  • Okayama
  • Okayama University
  • Okayama University of Science
  • Okayama Shoka University
  • Sanyo Gakuen University
  • Shujitsu University
  • Kurashiki
  • Okayama Gakuin University
  • Kurashiki Sakuyo University
  • Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare
  • Soja
  • Okayama Prefectural University
  • Tsuyama
  • Mimasaka University

    • High schools in Okayama Prefecture

  • Okayama
  • Okayama Ichinomiya Senior High School
  • Okayama Asahi Senior High School
  • Okayama Sozan Senior High School
  • Hosen Senior High School

    • Rail

  • JR West
  • Sanyo Shinkansen
  • Sanyo Line
  • Hakubi Line
  • Kibi Line
  • Ako Line
  • Uno Line
  • Kishin Line
  • Geibi Line
  • Inbi Line
  • JR West and JR Shikoku
  • Honshi-bisan Line
  • Chizu Express
  • Ihara Railway
  • Mizushima Rinkai Railway

    • Tramways

  • Okayama Electric Tramway

    • Expressways

  • Sanyo Expressway
  • Chugoku Expressway
  • Seto Central Expressway
  • Yonago Expressway
  • Okayama Expressway
  • Tottori Expressway

    • National highways

  • Route 2 (Osaka-Kobe-Himeji-Bizen-Okayama-Kurashiki-Asakuchi-Onomichi-Hiroshima-Shunan-Shimonoseki-Kitakyushu)
  • Route 30 (Okayama-Uno-Takamatsu
  • Route 53 (Okayama-Tsuyama-Tottori)
  • Route 179
  • Route 180 (Okayama-Takahashi-Niimi)
  • Route 181 (Tsuyama-Maniwa-Yonago-Yasugi-Matsue)
  • Route 182
  • Route 183
  • Route 250 (Okayama-Setouchi-Ako-Aioi-Takasago-Akashi)
  • Route 313 (Fukuyama-Takahashi-Maniwa-Kurayoshi)
  • Route 373
  • Route 374
  • Route 429
  • Route 430
  • Route 482 (Kyotango-Toyooka-Wakasa-Kagamino-Maniwa-Kofu of Tottori
  • Route 484

    • Airport

  • Okayama Airport

    • Culture

  • Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery)
  • Bizen Osafune/Bitchu Aoe swords

    • Association with Momotarō legend

    Okayama Prefecture is closely associated with the folklore hero, Momotarō. This tale is said to have roots in the legendary story of Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto and Ura which explains that the Prince Ura of Kudara used to live in Kinojo (castle of the devil) and was a cause of trouble for the people living in the village. The emperor's government sent Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto(Momotarō) to defeat Ura. The city of Okayama holds an annual Momotarō-matsuri, or Momotarō Festival.

    Sports

    The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

    Football

  • Fagiano Okayama F.C. (Okayama city)
  • Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima F.C. (Kurashiki)

    • Volleyball

  • Okayama Seagulls (Okayama city)

    • Tourism

    Some tourist attractions are:

  • Koraku-en Japanese garden in Okayama
  • Okayama Castle, Okayama
  • Ki Castle, Sōja
  • Shizutani School, Bizen
  • Bikan Historical Area (倉敷美観地区, Kurashiki Bikan Chiku), Kurashiki
  • Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, Takahashi
  • Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama
  • Bisei Astronomical Observatory (美星天文台, Bisei Tenmondai), Ibara Town (following dissolution of Bisei Town)
  • Maki-do Cave, in Niimi

    • Notable people from Okayama Prefecture

  • Shin Koyamada, Hollywood actor
  • Yuko Arimori, marathon runner
  • Tesshō Genda, voice actor
  • Ryutaro Hashimoto, Kiichiro Hiranuma, Inukai Tsuyoshi, Kan Naoto and Hatoyama Yukio former Prime Ministers of Japan
  • Sen'ichi Hoshino, baseball manager
  • Koshi Inaba, singer
  • Ichiyo Izawa, pianist and former member of Tokyo Jihen
  • Yoshio Nishina, known as the Father of Physics in Japan
  • Yumeji Takehisa, famous and influential early 20th century artist
  • Sesshu Toyo, suiboku master
  • Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, boxer
  • Haruka Fukushima, manga artist
  • Masashi Kishimoto, manga artist and creator of Naruto
  • Seishi Kishimoto, manga artist
  • Daisuke Takahashi, Olympic figure skater
  • Dorlis, jazz musician
  • Miyamoto Musashi, samurai
  • Megumi Fujii, MMA Fighter
  • Masaki Kajishima, creator of Tenchi Muyo!
  • Morihiro Hashimoto, darts player

    • References

    Okayama Prefecture Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


    Similar Topics