Okayama Prefecture

Prefecture of Japan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Okayama Prefecturemap

Okayama Prefecture (岡山県, Okayama-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu.[2] Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) 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.

Quick Facts 岡山県, Japanese transcription(s) ...
Okayama Prefecture
岡山県
Japanese transcription(s)
  Japanese岡山県
  RōmajiOkayama-ken
Thumb
A street in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture at night
Thumb
Thumb
Anthem: Okayama-ken no uta
Thumb
Coordinates: 34°39′42″N 133°56′5″E
Country Japan
RegionChūgoku (Sanyō)
IslandHonshu
CapitalOkayama
SubdivisionsDistricts: 10, Municipalities: 27
Government
  GovernorRyūta Ibaragi
Area
  Total
7,114.50 km2 (2,746.92 sq mi)
  Rank17th
Population
 (1 February 2025)
  Total
1,826,059
  Rank20st
  Density260/km2 (660/sq mi)
GDP
  TotalJP¥ 7,842 billion
US$ 71.9 billion (2019)
ISO 3166 codeJP-33
Websitewww.pref.okayama.jp
Symbols of Japan
BirdLesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
FlowerPeach blossom (Prunus persica var. vulgaris)
TreeRed pine (Pinus densiflora)
Close

Okayama is the capital and largest city of Okayama Prefecture, with other major cities including Kurashiki, Tsuyama, and Sōja.[3][4][5] 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.[4][6]

Geography

Summarize
Perspective
Thumb
Map of Okayama Prefecture
     Government Ordinance Designated City      City      Town      Village

Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Hiroshima Prefecture.[4] 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.[7]

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.[8]

Cities

Thumb
Okayama City
Thumb
Tsuyama
Thumb
Takahashi
Thumb
Niimi

Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:

More information Name, Area (km2) ...
Name Area (km2) Population Map
Rōmaji Kanji
Akaiwa 赤磐市 209.43 44,498
Asakuchi 浅口市 66.46 35,022
Bizen 備前市 258.23 35,610
Ibara 井原市 243.36 41,460
Kasaoka 笠岡市 136.03 50,160
Kurashiki 倉敷市 355.63 483,576
Maniwa 真庭市 828.43 44,265
Mimasaka 美作市 429.19 28,502
Niimi 新見市 793.27 30,583
Okayama (capital) 岡山市 789.92 720,841
Setouchi 瀬戸内市 125.51 37,934
Sōja 総社市 212 67,059
Takahashi 高梁市 547.01 31,556
Tamano 玉野市 103.61 60,101
Tsuyama 津山市 506.36 102,294
Close

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

More information Name, Area (km2) ...
Name Area (km2) Population District Type Map
Rōmaji Kanji
Hayashima 早島町 7.62 12,671 Tsukubo District Town
Kagamino 鏡野町 419.69 14,651 Tomata District Town
Kibichūō 吉備中央町 268.73 11,989 Kaga District Town
Kumenan 久米南町 78.65 4,962 Kume District Town
Misaki 美咲町 232.15 17,776 Kume District Town
Nagi 奈義町 69.54 5,861 Katsuta District Town
Nishiawakura 西粟倉村 57.93 1,437 Aida District Village
Satoshō 里庄町 12.23 11,204 Asakuchi District Town
Shinjō 新庄村 67.1 951 Maniwa District Village
Shōō 勝央町 54.09 11,237 Katsuta District Town
Wake 和気町 144.21 14,191 Wake District Town
Yakage 矢掛町 90.62 14,041 Oda District Town
Close

Mergers

Demographics

Thumb
Okayama prefecture population pyramid in 2020

Per Japanese census data,[9] and,[10] Okayama prefecture has had continual negative population growth since 2005

More information Year, Pop. ...
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 1,218,000    
1930 1,284,000+5.4%
1940 1,329,000+3.5%
1950 1,661,000+25.0%
1960 1,670,000+0.5%
1970 1,707,000+2.2%
1980 1,871,000+9.6%
1990 1,926,000+2.9%
2000 1,950,828+1.3%
2010 1,945,276−0.3%
2020 1,920,739−1.3%
Close

Education

Universities

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[11]
    • Okayama Sozan Senior High School

Transportation

Thumb
JR Okayama Station
Thumb
Okayama Momotarō Airport

Rail

Tramways

Roads

Expressways

National highways

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.[5][12]

Arts

Sports

Thumb
City Light Stadium.

The sports teams listed below are based in Okayama.

Football

Volleyball

Basketball

Tourism

Thumb
Okayama Korakuen Park and Okayama Castle
Thumb
Hiruzen Plateau and Hiruzen Joyful Park in Maniwa
Thumb
Hinase Island and Seto Inlandsea in Bizen
Thumb
Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Takahashi

Some tourist attractions are:

Notable people

Notes

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.