is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okayama-ken" in ; "Chūgoku" at . Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,815,165 (1 October 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km2 (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.Nussbaum, "Okayama" at . 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.Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at .
Geography
Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Hiroshima Prefecture. It faces Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea and includes 90 islands in the sea.
Okayama Prefecture is home to the historic town of Kurashiki. Most of the population is concentrated around Kurashiki and Okayama. The small villages in the northern mountain region are aging and declining in population - more than half of the prefecture's municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.Okayama official website accessed November 2007
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
Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture: NameArea (km2)PopulationMapRōmajiKanji Akaiwa209.4344,498 Asakuchi66.4635,022 Bizen258.2335,610 Ibara243.3641,460 Kasaoka136.0350,160 Kurashiki355.63483,576 Maniwa828.4344,265 Mimasaka429.1928,502 Niimi793.2730,583 Okayama (capital)789.92720,841 Setouchi125.5137,934 Sōja21267,059 Takahashi547.0131,556 Tamano103.6160,101 Tsuyama506.36102,294
Towns and villages These are the towns and villages in each district: NameArea (km2)PopulationDistrictTypeMapRōmajiKanji Hayashima7.6212,671Tsukubo DistrictTown Kagamino419.6914,651Tomata DistrictTown Kibichūō268.7311,989Kaga DistrictTown Kumenan78.654,962Kume DistrictTown Misaki232.1517,776Kume DistrictTown Nagi69.545,861Katsuta DistrictTown Nishiawakura57.931,437Aida DistrictVillage Satoshō12.2311,204Asakuchi DistrictTown Shinjō67.1951Maniwa DistrictVillage Shōō54.0911,237Katsuta DistrictTown Wake144.2114,191Wake DistrictTown Yakage90.6214,041Oda DistrictTown
Mergers
Demographics
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
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
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
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 Masashi Kishimoto (born 1974), creator of Naruto 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. ; .
External links
Official tourism site