Okayama Prefecture (岡山県, Okayama-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [o.kaꜜ.ja.ma, o.ka.ja.maꜜ.keɴ]) 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 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. 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.
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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
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.
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:
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district:
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
Chugoku Expressway
Okayama Expressway
Sanyo Expressway
Seto Central Expressway
Tottori Expressway
Yonago Expressway
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:
Bikan Historical Area (倉敷美観地区, Kurashiki Bikan Chiku), Kurashiki
Bisei Astronomical Observatory (美星天文台, Bisei Tenmondai), 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