Okayama, Japan: a place to see Japan at a quieter pace

When I went to Japan several years back, the U.S. dollar was the pits against the yen. Luckily I had a friend of a friend of my brother’s to stay with in Tokyo. I had a Japanese rail pass for a week so we ventured out on day trips mostly, except for two nights in Kyoto. We went on a day trip to Nara from there. Other trips were to Kamakura and Nikko. This was an impressionistic sort of trip. Japan is such a vivid place that I can conjure up pictures of most of it.

Now that my friend has moved back to Japan, I’m thinking another trip to Japan is in order, particularly since we have another place to go. Okayama, where my friend now lives, looks like it’s a perfect sized city for visiting with children, and one where its possible to taken in the nuances of Japanese culture. In an odd way, it seems to be to Japan what Columbus is to the United States–a reflection of the rest of the country without being overwhelming. There is enough to see and do to make it interesting, but because of the size, the people and sites are accessible.

I’m getting this from the Okayama page at Wikitravel that lists several attractions you can take in.

Here are highlights:

There’s the Korakuen Garden, one of the three Great Gardens in Japan. It dates back to 1687.

The Okayama Castle is a tribute to the tenacity of the Japanese. Destroyed during WWII, it was rebuilt to look like it did before. This might be a place my friend could be an English speaking tour guide–a suggestion Shane left on my post about helping my friend find English speakers.

The Oriental Museum is the place to find out about trade between Persia and Japan. I bet this is a great place to see similarities between textile designs of Persia and pottery designs of Japan. Maybe not, but I would guess.

Sogenji Temple offers free meditation. Plus, temples in Japan are some of the most relaxation producing places on the planet. Here’s also a place to participate in a tea ceremony.

Shizutani School is possibly the oldest public school in the world. It is the oldest school in Japan to be built as an every person’s school. Today it is a national treasure.

There’s also Muscat Stadium, a sports stadium that has baseball games from time to time; a big monthly flea market and the statue of Momotaro. Plus, there’s Mt. Misaoyama for hiking, hot springs for soaking and bike rentals.

Okay, now that I’ve outlined some of what there is to do in Okayama, I have to say, it looks a bit more interesting than Columbus–by a mile.

Japan’s Leaf Peeping Splendor

Leaf Peeping in Ohio is probably going to be a big bust this year. It’s been 90 degrees lately, and today’s temperature drop may be a little too late. Basically, we’re looking at a fall of mostly dull yellow and brown. Perhaps, Japan will have more luck.

While I was hunting for links to leaf viewing via vintage trains, I came across details about Japan’s autumn splendor on a Frommer’s Web site. In the Honshu region of the country, colors pop out in the fall. I went to Nara on a day trip from Kyoto in the middle of summer when the maple trees around the temples were thick with green leaves. In October and November, they become brilliant orange and red around Todaiji Temple.

Kyoto, where I became obsessed with going to as many temples as I could for some reason, has ginko trees galore. They were green when I saw them, but, according to Frommers, become an awesome yellow in November. Frommers also recommends Kamakura and Nikko for their leaves. Not just their leaves. The temples–yep, I hit them–are wonderful. Nikko is has the famous one of the see no, hear no, speak no evil monkeys. I went to both towns as day trips out of Tokyo. (I had a free place to stay in Tokyo, so in the seven days I spent in Japan I only stayed overnight elsewhere once. Kyoto was it.)

The Kyoto Tourism Federation also has a section dedicated to leaf viewing. November is also the month with the best colors according to this source. In addition to places to see in Kyoto, several towns are listed, along with what to see when you go there. One suggestion is Nagaokakyo, which is quite close to Kyoto and the site of this lovely photo.