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Here you’ll find travel reports about Okayama. Discover travel destinations in Japan of travelers writing a travel blog on FindPenguins.

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18 travelers at this place:

  • Corina SchalteggerGrosse Reise
    Day76

    Okayama

    October 15 in Japan

    Wobin ich stehen geblieben? Ach ja, in Okayama. Es gibt hier in Japan so viel zu sehen, dass es mir richtig schwer fällt, mich zu entscheiden was ich machen soll. Und auch mit dem Berichten komme ich kaum hinterher. Also Okayama. Eine nette Stadt mit Schloss und Park. Aber vor Allem habe ich von hier aus einen Ausflug ins nahe Töpferstädtchen Imbe gemacht, wo die sogenannte Bizen-Keramik produziert wird. Die Töpferware wird unglasiert im Hozofen gebrannt und nur durch zugabe von Holz, Asche und der Position im Brennofen entstehen ganz verschiedene Farben. Am liebsten hätte ich mein gesamtes Reisebudget verpulvert.Read more

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  • Barrable TravelsGlobal Wanderings 2017
    Day12

    Okayama Korakuen & U-jo Castle

    May 8, 2017 in Japan

    Today was mainly a travel day. Met up with a friend at the station and went for lunch and then a coffee in a traditional coffee shop. It was great and I really enjoyed both the food and the company. All too soon though it was time to get back on the road.

    I intended to go back east to Hamamatsu and catch an overnight train to Matsue but I changed my plans at the last minute when I could not get a private berth on the sleeper. Instead I caught the Shinkansen to Okayama.

    My luck was in as on arrival I discovered it was the last evening that Okayama Castle and the Korakuen Gardens would be illuminated. There was also a free shuttle from my hotel which was great. Travel here in Japan is just so smooth and efficient; everything on time and working like clockwork and everything super convenient. I love it! :-)

    The illuminations where great but I'm not sure my photos do it justice. I'm still learning how to do good night photography and you really had to be there to appreciate it especially the 'projection mapping' on some of the buildings.

    Got the shuttle back to the hotel at 10pm and had a luxurious soak in the tub before getting a good night's sleep in a proper bed. I can cope with futon on tatami for a couple of nights but nothing beats a raised bed and chairs especially given my size. I often think the Japanese are so fit because they spend thier life getting up and down off the floor all day. :-)    Read more

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  • Barrable TravelsGlobal Wanderings 2017
    Day13

    Kibitsu Jinja & the Legend of Momotaro

    May 9, 2017 in Japan

    I spent the morning visiting the magnificent Kibitsu Shrine about 30 minutes by train from Okayama. There was hardly a soul there, which was great. This is clearly off the tourist track and all the better for it. In fact I have been lucky on this trip not to have to put up with the crowds of western tourists and the hoardes of Chinese tourists in large tour buses. Probably not luck actually as having done the main tourist spots on my last visit in October 2016 I have chosen some more out of the way but equally stunning places to visit.

    Kibitsu Jinja is linked with the folktale of Momotaro or 'Peach Pit Boy who, born from a Peach, conquered the local demons. Because the legend is similar to a legend about Kibitsu-hiko-no-mikoto who was enshrined at Kibitsu Jinja for conquering the demon Ura - who is said to still lay entombed beneath the shrine - the two legends have become linked.

    The architecture of the shrine is called 'hioku-irimoya-zukiri' and is a much more traditional Japanese architecture than seen in some of the more Chinese influenced shrines and temples.

    The shrine itself is massive and the covered corridor that connects different buildings and sub shrines is 400 metres long. Much larger than even the Izumo Taisha shrine in Shimane that I will visit next on my trip around Western Japan.

    After taking in the sights of Kibitsu Jinja I returned to Okayama to get my train; the Limited Express Yakumo 13 to Matsue. The train wound its way up through forested mountains, narrow valleys and rock strewn rivers; bamboo and wild wisteria everywhere. Before breaking out onto the north western plains of Shimane. Matsue is sitated between two lakes - lake Shinja and lake Nakaumi - and close to the Sea of Japan.

    The weather here is overcast and grey but I guess I cant be lucky every day. I have two days and three nights here so hopefully at least one good sunset. :-)    Read more

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  • Reisepinguine Jonas und LisaSüdostasien
    Day137

    Okayama und die Krähenburg

    August 15 in Japan

    Nach sechs Nächten in Kyoto gehts für uns weiter nach Okayama. Eigentliches Ziel war die Insel Naoshima im Süden, übernachten ist aber unfassbar teuer. Uno, der nächstgelegene Ort auf der Hauptinsel ist scheinbar total ausgebucht. Zugtickets haben wir ja schon, also fiel der Finger auf Okayama. Das scheint auch von sich aus einiges zu bieten. ☺ Stadtmaskottchen ist ein Pfirsichjunge. 🍑🙇 Der Legende nach hat 'Momotarõ' (aus der Steinfrucht entstanden), mit der Hilfe eines Affen, Fasans und Hundes, einen menschenfressenden Dämon bezwungen. Soso.. Die Geschichte ist selbst auf den Gullideckeln bebildert.. süß. 😊
    Wir durchzotteln also die schachbrettartigen Straßenzüge der unbekannten Stadt und fanden letztendlich unser Hotel 'Maira' am hübschen Kanal.
    In Japan mussten wir unsere Ein-Tag-im-voraus-buchen-Taktik über den Haufen schmeißen. Das ging in Südostasien spitze, aber in Japan ist halt alles ausverkauft, oder unbezahlbar. Dabei ist nicht einmal Kirschblütensaison.. 💸💹
    Somit fanden wir in Okayama nur noch ein Hotelzimmer, aber wir sind dennoch dankbar. So können wir für zwei Nächten den Schlafsälen entfliehen. Privatsphäre, hurra!! 😁
    Dank des ausgesprochen guten Service, der mit kostenlosem Kaffee, Kakao und Soft-Drinks sowie frei verfügbarem Eis und Milchbrötchen-Spezialitäten aufwartete, haben wir die Mehrkosten bald wieder drin. 😉
    In der Nähe steht zudem, ganz in Schwarz, eine kleine, aber prächtige Burg. 🏯 Die "Krähenburg" wurde 1966, nach ihrer Zerstörung im 2. Weltkrieg, wieder errichtet und ist nun beispielsweise mit einem Fahrstuhl ausgestattet. Ein historisch inkorrekter Komfort-Bonus. Von ganz oben haben wir einen schönen Rundumblick und sehen bereits unser nächstes Ziel: den Wandelgarten Kōraku-en. Er gehört zu den drei berühmtesten Gärten Japans. Wirklich wunderschön, nur spielte das Wetter nicht ganz mit. ☔ Besonders unerwartet finden wir die kleine Teeplantage und das Reisfeld. 🌱🌿

    Abends aßen wir bei einem Peruaner, der vor 17 Jahren nach Japan kam und seit zwei Jahren dieses leckere Restaurant betreibt. Auf dem Heimweg steckten wir unsere Nasen noch in ein paar Geschäfte, ehe wir einschlummern. Morgen brauchen wir wieder viel Energie. ⚡😴    Read more

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  • blue penguinAgain in Japan
    Day300

    Okayama

    January 7 in Japan

    Just for one night couchsurfing with a wonderful lady, who prepared yummy Nabe, I stayed in Okayama. Before taking the train back to Nagoya, we went to Okayama castle and the garden together.

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  • Patrick VorsteveldJapan North to South
    Day33

    NHK

    June 10, 2016 in Japan

    Being on TV in Japan. Who could have dreamed that? Luckily i didn't lose any sleep over it but as soon as i woke up i got a little bit restless. I mean i am used to being looked at here, especially in the smaller towns. But this is a whole different level of attention. This is a cameraman following your every move and getting aired on (albeit local) TV. I planned to do some local sightseeing anyway today and just try to treat it that way. I got up a litlle earlier than usual since i am not a morning person and need some time to really wake up. I took a nice long shower and double checked if i had al my stuff with me in the backpack. As i came down Mayu and Genki were already at the hostel getting some shots of the building. Mayu was the director/interviewer and Genki the cameraman. We shook hands and said goodmorning and after a short talk we set off into Okayama. I felt myself getting really nervous especially when Genki was pointing the camera straight at me. But i was confident that it would be just a matter of time before this would subside and it more or less did after a while. Basically i tried not to think to much about it and just did my own thing. Meanwhile Mayu asked me things about myself like age, family etc. I think partly to get some information for the article but also make me feel a little bit more comfortable. It helped. :-)
    We got to the station and i got a little bit lost searching for the tram which was a bit hidden from sight. I thought i was smart and asked Mayu but she told me that i had to figure it out myself. She was obviously right. Even things like finding your way in Okayama can be interesting for the article. (maybe even more so when it's me with my legendary navigational skills ;-))
    Eventually i found my way to the tram and Mayu and Genki followed me inside. First stop was Okayama park, a beautiful landscaped park. Genki filmed me having breakfast and i was still nervous enough to make a mess of my riceball, which can be difficult enough to eat anyway. We walked through the park and headed for the castle where i mistakenly took the lady from the ticket booth for a monk who could draw a sealn in my goshuin. :-D You can see it back in the article when i say "doko?" meaning "where?". :-D Remember i didn't get help from Mayu or Genki so i had to find out for myself. Luckily the lady had an English map of Okayama and she pointed out the Okayama shrine to me which was only a 10 minute walk away from the castle. We got to the shrine and Mayu managed to get Genki inside the building so he could film the monk drawing the seal in my book. It was slowly getting time for lunch and I went through a small shopping arcade to find a nice restaurant. But not without going through some shops first. Everytime i entered a shop Mayu would come in right after me, showing her NHK badge and asking for permission to film in the shop. Meanwhile Genki kept filming and pushing memory card after memory card in the camera. One card could hold about 40 minutes of raw material and i saw him change cards at least three times. Eventually we stumbled upon a restaurant with the entire menu and no pictures (which is pretty uncommon). We got inside and after asking for permission to film i tried to ask the shop owner what the specialty of this restaurant was. With some verbal and a lot of non-verbal communication (aka pointing) he managed to explain to me that this was a yakiniku restaurant, which literally means grill meat. It was a BBQ restaurant which basically means meat! I found this a good choice for lunch and with a little help from the owner we ordered spare ribs, beef tongue and some vegetables. Now the idea of yakiniku is that you get the meat raw on the table and you cook it yourself on a miniature BBQ that is integrated in the table. Seriously folks, where can i do this in my home country?! There's not much to it in terms of complexity but the end result is so tasty! I wanted to pay for the lunch but Mayu and Genki insisted on paying since they could join me on this day. For which i thank them a lot!
    We had about an hour left of filming time since the raw footage had to be edited for the evening news and so after a short stroll throught downtown Okayama we went back to the hostel where i treated them to stroopwafels with tea. They did the final interview there before they set of to the NHK studio for editing. I thanked them again for this awesome day and after waving goodbye i treated myself to a shower and a cold beer to cool down a bit. Mayu had said that the item would air somewhere between 6 and 7pm and since the hostel didn't have television i went to the local Okonomiyaki place for some nice hearty food and my TV debut. Marisan from the hostel was so nice to explain the people the situation and if i could see the show, which wasn't a problem. It took about half an hour and and a lot of nervous moments but finally my item was on! It was so awesome! They took the best parts of the day and made a really nice article from it. I recorded the whole item which lasted about 5 minutes so you can see for yourself on Facebook. :-) Back to the hostel i celebrated with a couple of beers with Yiyan from Korea before heading off to bed. I was knackered from all the excitement so i fell asleep right away. Truly a day to remember! Thank you Mayusan and Genkisan!    Read more

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  • Patrick VorsteveldJapan North to South
    Day32

    Stroopwafels

    June 9, 2016 in Japan

    My goal was to take it easy today as all the partying and drinking had physically caught up with me. Luckily the trainride from Osaka to Okayama was a short one and i planned on making two short stops along the way. The first one was in Kobe. At the Oktoberfest on my first Japan trip i learned that there was a Dutch stroopwafelshop (for people who don't know stroopwafels, it's the best cookie in the world, period) and so i was very anxious to see the shop and meet the shopowner, Marco. A Dutch immigrant who started the shop. The shop was not to far from the station and was easily found. When i got in the shopowner was a little bit surprised i knew his name but after telling him my name and explaining we had a mutual acquaintance he quickly got up to offer me a freshly baked stroopwafel, which i happily accepted. It was so weird for me to talk Dutch again after weeks of English, German and very poor Japanese. ;-) We talked a bit about his shop and Yumi, our mutual friend and before i left i bought the biggest pack of stroopwafels he had with all the different flavours he makes. Trust me my fellow countrymen, a chocolate or coconut stroopwafel may sound strange but it's actually pretty darn good. Really! Unfortunately i can't prove it to you as most of the stroopwafels were gone within a matter of hours. In the rush of saying goodbye i forgot to take a picture of us together but that just gives me an excuse to come back to Kobe again. :-)
    Next stop on the way to Okayama was Himeji castle. One of the most famous and beautiful remaining castles of Japan. It has been (partially) closed the last couple of years due to restauration but now you can see over 90 percent of the restored castle again. It was easy to find as the castle is directly visible from the station and a 15 minute walk takes you straight through the entrance of the castle. Now this is obviously a touristy place as well but nevertheless it's a great place to visit. Every effort has been made to keep the castle as authentic as possible. So no elevators or whatsoever and the staircases are narrow and small. This in my mind however adds to the overal atmosphere of the castle. In the beginning i had to find my way across a group of elderly French tourists but some handy moves on my side and i was in the clear. The self guided tour sends you through the castle's main keep and the outer areas with short explanations in English with plenty of opportunity for pictures. The tour leads you to the exit of the castle and back to the station. So glad i could finally see this beatiful place.
    Back on the train for the final and short ride to Okayama. The hostel was easy to find and only a short walk through the downtown area. I checked in and after making my bed i and taking a shower i got back downstairs to the common area and order myself a cold brewski. I was there talking with Emma from the UK and Yiyang from Korea when all of a sudden i turn around only to see a camera pointed straight at me. I was kind of startled at first but soon found out that this was a local TV crew making an article for NHK Okayama on tourist visiting Okayama. NHK is the country's national station but with several smaller stations in major citys nationwide. There is apparantly a rise in tourism to Okayama and they were looking for random tourists to ask for their choice in choosing Okayama as a destination. After talking a bit with them and showing my goshuin they asked me if they could join me in my sightseeing tomorrow and make an article about me! It didn't take much thinking on my part to say yes! I mean how cool is this. Last time i was here i got into a newspaper and now on TV! Are you kidding me? This is just awesome. After some more quistions at the bar this part of the interview was over and we decided to meet up the next day at 9am. I made the wise decision to go to bed early so i would be fresh the next morning. Awesome!!!    Read more

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  • Melvin ElzingTravelling through Japan
    Day18

    Dag 18 - Een saaie dag, wel met bier

    May 1, 2017 in Japan

    Reizeeuuuh, dat is wat we voornamelijk gedaan hebben vandaag. We moesten namelijk vanaf Izumo naar Hiroshima, wat op de kaart aan de kust aan de andere kant ligt en een beetje naar het westen. Easy life zou je denken. Niet dus.

    Er gaat blijkbaar geen trein die direct naar het zuiden gaat wat best logisch is, want Japan is een land met vele bergen. Daar moet je dus omheen. We moesten vervolgens dus met een trein terug naar Okayama (wat ten westen van Himeji/Kyoto ligt), om vervolgens een shinkansen te pakken naar Hiroshima. De eerste deel van de reis zou een dikke drie uur duren en de tweede een kleine drie kwartier. Wij braaf in Izumo een kaartje voor de eerste trein reserven wat prima lukte. Bij het reserveren voor de tweede trein liep de communicatie een beetje spaak waardoor we zoiets van hadden "prima, doen we daar wel".

    De treinrit was vrij saai. Het was bewolkt weer dus het uitzicht uit de trein was ook niet echt bijzonder. De conducteur vroeg ons wel enthousiast waar we vandaag kwamen om ons vervolgens een kaartje te geven waar allemaal dingen in het Japans op stonden. Go figure. Volgens Arjen waren het de haltes die de trein af ging. Een lief gebaar I guess. Oh, weet je wat ook koel is. Elke keer als een conducteur een treinstel verlaat, draait hij/zij zich om om nog een buiging te maken. Respectvol!

    Wij aangekomen in Okiyama, willen we reserveren voor de shinkansen. Jah, kannie eh? Blijlbaar waren alle reserveerplekken al op. Gelukkig heeft de trein ook nog non-reserved seats dus zijn we daaraar voor gegaan. Met geluk hebben we een plaatsje kunnen bemachtigen. Dit was een korte rit en op Hiroshima ging ook bijna iedereen er uit. Het moest zo zijn! Wij moesten alleen nog een vervolg trein pakken die twee haltes verder ging. Helaasch moesten we hier wel staan, maar goed dat overleef je ook wel die twee haltes. Wij uitstappen waar Arjen het ingenieuze idee kreeg om alvast tickets voor de Shinkansen terug te boeken (voor over vier dagen) naar Tokyo zodat we zeker weten zitplaatsen hebben. Het is maar goed dat we dat gedaan hebben, want sommige tijden zaten nu al vol! +1 voor Arjen! Dit komt waarschijnlijk door Golden Week waar ik later nog wel een meer over zal uitwijden.

    Wij aankomen bij ons appartementje op de zesde etage (geen bijzonder uitzicht overigens) staat er maar één, iets groter dan medium sized bed. Dat was niet helemaal de bedoeling natuurlijk, maar gelukkig hadden we nog een futon in de kast gevonden. Dus we hebben de kamer even verbouwd en een extra bed geroggeld. Vervolgens gelijk een wasje gedraaid, want de vieze was zak/tas begon alweer vol te raken. Een minuut later begonnen onze buikjes te rommelen dus gingen we (zoals zo vaak op deze reis) op zoek naar voedsel! We zitten vrij dichtbij het station waar we een leuk tentje vonden met allemaal super lekkere kleine hapjes.

    We wilde wat fris erbij bestellen, maar dat hadden ze niet dus toen werd het maar bier, want ja je moet toch wat eh? Alleen maakte ik een rare beweging waardoor dit gouden goedje overal belanden behalve waar het hoorde; in mijn mond. Typische Melvin actie weer. De serveerster kwam gelukkig aangesnelt met allerlei doekjes en even later met een nieuw biertje! Super service, ze zal wel gedacht hebben. En nee, het was het eerste biertje. Mijn kruis was in ieder geval al nat.

    Het was alleen mijn laatse schone shirt + broek, maar gelukkig stond de wasmachine al aan! Het was een droger/washer combi. Alleen ja dat ding is natuurlijk helemaal Japans. Dus hebben we gewoon in het appartement gechilled totdat het weer droog was. Dat duurde vrij lang want tegen de tijd dat ik weer kleding aan had, was het alweer donker en gingen we opzoek naar voedsel!

    Wat nog vrij lastig was. Veel was dicht en de rest zat allemaal vol. Uiteindelijk gaan zitten bij een soort Amerikaanse bar die een Mexicaanse uitstraling had. Daar was het op één tafel na ook leeg. Al een voorbode? We didn't care en zijn er alsnog gaan zitten. Hier hebben we een biertje en burger genuttigd en dat was niet denderend. Niet slecht ofzo, maar gewoon het minste wat we nu hebben gegeten in Japan. Die eer moet ook aan iemand toekomen. Daarna zijn we nog opzoek gegaan naar een barretje. Helaas gefaald dus zijn we maar terug gegaan naar het appartementje en hebben daar nog even ontspannen. Told you dat het een saaie dag zou worden.

    TL;DR - Niks gebeurt behalve veel gereist en ik heb bier over mezelf heen gegooid.

    Eigenlijk geen noemenswaardige foto's genomen vandaag dus hier is een foto van een Japanse duif die op het station naast me stond.    Read more

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  • Sabitorp DendrikksonJapan
    Day17

    Tag 17 bis 18: Konbanwa Kurashiki!

    October 2, 2017 in Japan

    Nach einer kleinen Irrfahrt über Osaka und Okayama kommen wir in dem beschaulichen Kurashiki an.

    Hier können wir uns ganz langsam wieder an die Zivilisation gewöhnen. Die alte Handelsstadt mit seinen erhaltenen Lagerhäusern ist wunderschön. Japanische Gondoliere manövrieren die mit Kegelhüten ausgestatteten Touristen durch den kleinen Fluß und wir bummeln durch die kleinen Handwerksläden.

    Die längste Zeit verbringen wir vermutlich in einem Katzenladen, der mal wieder die schräge Seite der Japaner bestens präsentiert. Abends finden wir eine wundervolle kleine Jazzbar, in der außer uns nur ein paar müde japanische Junggesellen sitzen. Bei dem ein oder anderen Tom Collins lauschen wir der fantastischen Live-Band und essen köstliche Udon.

    Kurashiki, es war schön hier - wir sind bereit wieder in die große Stadt zu ziehen: Hiroshima, wir kommen!    Read more

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You might also know this place by the following names:

Okayama-ken, Präfektur Okayama, Okayama, Prefektur Okayama, أوكاياما, Окаяма, Prefectura dOkayama, ئۆکایاما, Prefektura Okajama, Gubernio Okajama, Prefectura de Okayama, Okayama prefektuur, استان اوکایاما, Okayaman prefektuuri, Préfecture dOkayama, Kông-sân-yen, Prepektura ti Okayama, Prefettura di Okayama, 岡山県, Préfèktur Okayama, 오카야마 현, Okajamos prefektūra, Okajamas prefektūra, Окајама, ओकायामा, Wilayah Okayama, Okayama-koān, Prefektura Okayama, ضلع اوکایاما, Prefectura Okayama, Okayama Prefectur, Okajama, Префектура Окајама, Okayama Prefecture, Okayama prefektur, Mkoa wa Okayama, Префектураи Окаяма, จังหวัดโอะกะยะมะ, Prepektura ng Okayama, Префектура Окаяма, 冈山县, 岡山縣

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