Okayama and Kurashiki

Momotaro Hometown: Okayama
The mascot of the city. Picture taken from http://www.pref.okayama.jp/kikaku/kokusai/momo/e/
I grew up watching Superman, Batman, Robin Hood and Spiderman who are fictional superheros from the West, they fought against the baddies to protect civilians. Momotaro "Peach Boy" is the name the Japanese famous legendary superhero born out of peach. He fought the Ogres on Ogre island with the help of a monkey, a dog and a pheasant. And came back victoriously with all their treasures. The legend can be read here Click here for the song on his triumph over evil!
Therefore do catch sight of (1)Momotaro Statue in front of JR Okayama Station,(2)The Momotaro statues along Momotaro-Odori Street & around the town which depict the characters from the legend and the young Momotaro. (3)Momotaro Festival from the end of July to the beginning of August
If you are feeling peckish do try - (1)Kibi Dango(Millet Dumplings) (2)Peaches

Okayama Castle & Koraku-en
Okayama Castle aka Crow Castle(烏城, U-jo) It is a refreshing change seeing a black castle compared to a white castle. There is also a museum inside the castle but the text is mostly in Japanese.





Pink vs Green Trees


*The highlight of the museum is the dress up section, which allow visitors to don on an Edo Period Costumes & headgear and have their pictures taken in them for FREE! There is even an attendant who will help the visitors to dress up! However there is a catch, there is a limit to the number of visitors who can dress up in an hour!


Day Trip from Osaka
Opening Hours 9 AM to 5 PM daily.
A combination ticket for the castle and Kōraku-en is also available.

Kurashiki - 15 Mins JR ride from Okayama to Kurashiki
Kurashiki has a waterway with Willow Trees surrounding it, running through the Bikan historical district. And in the warmer months(Mar-Nov), take a boat ride down the Kurashiki River.








*This place reminded me of Suzhou in China

You might also like to visit:
2) Ivy Square


3) Seto Ohashi Bridge

You might be interested in
Matsumoto Castle The other "crow castle in Japan)
Information on what to do in Okayama Prefecture
Accomodation in Osaka(Japan Stay Club)

Japan Stay Club

If you plan to stay at any of the major towns in Japan for one week or more, perhaps you might like to consider booking an apartment. I booked an apartment from Japan Stay Club.

Before I decided to use that agent, I searched the net for reviews about that company. However I hardly found any! Many of us often worry about the RELIABILITY of the agent. This is heightened by the highly publicised online credit card scams. Most of the time to secure an apartment, the full amount will be deducted from your credit card prior to arrival! Therefore there is the lingering fear of possibly being cheated!

Here is my review of Japan Stay Club:
In order to secure an apartment by JSC, a full payment by credit card is necessary. In addition to the rental fees advertised, there are additional fees such as cleaning,insurance and misc fees. Based on my experience, I feel that the company is reliable. The interior of the apartments are exactly like the photos on the website! Most importantly they are clean and spacious, it beats staying in a hotel room!

Everyday items such as towels, toiletries, washing detergent are provided making it a comfortable home away from home! The lovely part of staying in an apartment is that they are often located in neighbourhood districts. Therefore you will be able to dine at eateries not found in any guidebook.

There are two ways to collect the key for the apartment. You can either get it from JSC's office or you can ask them to leave the key in the mailbox. I prefer the latter. I have rented 3 apartments from them and what I saw on the website was what I got! Maybe I was just lucky, leave a tag if you disagree! There is a saying - Do not judge a book by its cover. The exterior of the apartment may look run down, however the interior is fine.