Things to do in  Okayama Prefecture

Step back in time with a visit to the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter (Kurashiki Bikan Chiku), a beautifully preserved old town just a short jaunt from Okayama. Here, you'll find old white-washed buildings with mushikamado latticed windows, pretty walkways, occasional stone bridges, and picturesque, willow-flanked canals.

Featuring works from American and European luminaries, such as El Greco, Picasso, Modigliani, Pollock, and Warhol, the Ohara is Japan's first museum of Western art. More than a typical art museum, its collections aim to bridge Western and Japanese aesthetics, mixing Western art with Japanese paintings, woodcuts, pottery, and works from the Mingei Folk Craft Movement.

One of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Okayama Korakuen Garden was built over more than 13 years in the late 17th century. Today, the garden is a protected public park. It retains its original appearance with traditional plum and cherry orchards, wooden footbridges, and rare red-crowned crane habitats despite extensive restorations after World War II.