is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,815,165 (1 October 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km<sup>2</sup> (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture borders Tottori Prefecture to the north, Hyōgo Prefecture to the east, and Hiroshima Prefecture to the west.

Okayama is the capital and largest city of Okayama Prefecture, with other major cities including Kurashiki, Tsuyama, and Sōja. Okayama Prefecture's south is located on the Seto Inland Sea coast across from Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, which are connected by the Great Seto Bridge, while the north is characterized by the Chūgoku Mountains.

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

thumb|Map of Okayama Prefecture<br />

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Hiroshima Prefecture.

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

thumb|Okayama City

thumb|Tsuyama

thumb|Takahashi

thumb|Niimi

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! colspan="2" |Name

! rowspan="2" |Area (km<sup>2</sup>)

! rowspan="2" |Population

! rowspan="2" |Map

|-

!Rōmaji

!Kanji

|-

|frameless|25x25px Akaiwa

|

|209.43

|44,498

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Asakuchi

|

|66.46

|35,022

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Bizen

|

|258.23

|35,610

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Ibara

|

|243.36

|41,460

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Kasaoka

|

|136.03

|50,160

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Kurashiki

|

|355.63

|483,576

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Maniwa

|

|828.43

|44,265

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Mimasaka

|

|429.19

|28,502

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Niimi

|

|793.27

|30,583

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Okayama (capital)

|

|789.92

|720,841

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Setouchi

|

|125.51

|37,934

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Sōja

|

|212

|67,059

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Takahashi

|

|547.01

|31,556

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Tamano

|

|103.61

|60,101

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Tsuyama

|

|506.36

|102,294

|frameless|59x59px

|}

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! colspan="2" |Name

! rowspan="2" |Area (km<sup>2</sup>)

! rowspan="2" |Population

! rowspan="2" |District

! rowspan="2" |Type

! rowspan="2" |Map

|-

!Rōmaji

!Kanji

|-

|frameless|25x25px Hayashima

|

|7.62

|12,671

|Tsukubo District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Kagamino

|

|419.69

|14,651

|Tomata District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Kibichūō

|

|268.73

|11,989

|Kaga District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Kumenan

|

|78.65

|4,962

|Kume District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Misaki

|

|232.15

|17,776

|Kume District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Nagi

|

|69.54

|5,861

|Katsuta District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Nishiawakura

|

|57.93

|1,437

|Aida District

|Village

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Satoshō

|

|12.23

|11,204

|Asakuchi District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Shinjō

|

|67.1

|951

|Maniwa District

|Village

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Shōō

|

|54.09

|11,237

|Katsuta District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Wake

|

|144.21

|14,191

|Wake District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|-

|frameless|25x25px Yakage

|

|90.62

|14,041

|Oda District

|Town

|frameless|59x59px

|}

Mergers

Demographics

thumb|Okayama prefecture population pyramid in 2020

Per Japanese census data, and, Okayama prefecture has had continual negative population growth since 2005

Education

Universities

  • Okayama
  • Notre Dame Seishin University
  • Okayama Shoka University
  • Okayama University
  • Okayama University of Science
  • Sanyo Gakuen University
  • Shujitsu University
  • Shujitsu Junior College
  • Kurashiki
  • Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare
  • Kurashiki Sakuyo University
  • Okayama Gakuin University
  • Soja
  • Okayama Prefectural University
  • Tsuyama
  • Mimasaka University
  • Niimi
  • Niimi Public University

High schools

  • Okayama
  • Kurashiki High School
  • Okayama Asahi Senior High School
  • Okayama Takahashi High School
  • Okayama Ichinomiya Senior High School
  • Okayama Hosen Senior High School
  • Okayama Joto Senior High School
  • Okayama Sakuyo High School
  • Okayama Sozan Senior High School

Transportation

thumb|[[Okayama Station|JR Okayama Station]]

thumb|[[Okayama Airport|Okayama Momotarō Airport]]

Rail

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

Tramways

  • Okayama Electric Tramway

Roads

Expressways

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

National highways

  • Route 2 (Osaka-Kobe-Himeji-Bizen-Okayama-Kurashiki-Asakuchi-Onomichi-Hiroshima-Shūnan-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-Kōfu 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.

Arts

  • Inryoji Temple
  • Hayashibara Museum of Art
  • Okayama Orient Museum
  • Okayama Prefectural Museum
  • Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
  • Okayama Symphony Hall
  • Yumeji Art Museum

Sports

thumb|[[City Light Stadium.]]

The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

Football

  • Fagiano Okayama FC (Okayama city)
  • Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima FC (Kurashiki)

Volleyball

  • Okayama Seagulls (Okayama city)

Basketball

  • Tryhoop Okayama (B3 League, Okayama city)

Tourism

thumb|right|Okayama Korakuen Park and Okayama Castle

thumb|right|Hiruzen Plateau and Hiruzen Joyful Park in Maniwa

thumb|right|Hinase Island and Seto Inlandsea in Bizen

thumb|right|Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Takahashi

Some tourist attractions are:

  • , Kurashiki
  • , Ibara Town (following dissolution of Bisei Town)
  • Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, Takahashi
  • Brazilian Park Washuzan Highland, Kurashiki
  • Kakuzan Park, Tsuyama
  • Koraku-en Japanese garden in Okayama
  • Ki Castle, Sōja
  • Maki-do Cave, in Niimi
  • Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki
  • Okayama Castle, Okayama
  • Shizutani School, Bizen

Notable people

  • Yuko Arimori (born 1966), marathon runner
  • Kenji Doihara (1883–1948), army officer
  • Tesshō Genda (born 1948), voice actor
  • Morihiro Hashimoto (1977–2017), darts player
  • Naoki Hoshino (1892–1978), politician
  • Koshi Inaba (born 1964), singer
  • Masaki Kajishima (born 1962), creator of Tenchi Muyo!
  • Shiro Kawase (1889–1946), admiral
  • Sadahiko Miyake (1891–1956), general
  • Chiura Obata (1885–1975), artist
  • Mori Takashi, former member of Gentouki
  • Yōji Takikawa (born 1949), pedagogist
  • Mutsuo Toi (1917–1938), perpetrator of the Tsuyama massacre
  • Inukai Tsuyoshi (1855–1932), former Prime Minister of Japan
  • Jiro Watanabe (born 1955), boxer
  • Takeo Yasuda (1889–1964), lieutenant general
  • Eisuke Yoshiyuki (1906–1940), author
  • Fujii Kaze (born 1997), singer
  • Nishimura Riki, also known as Ni-ki of ENHYPEN (born 2005), K-pop idol, dancer, singer, rapper
  • Issei Mamehara (born 2002), singer, dancer, member of JO1

Notes

References

  • Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; .
  • Official tourism site