Okayama

Okayama is the city of Momotaro. Momotaro, aka Peach Boy, is a fictional boy who fought an ogre with his friends consisted of a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. There is a statue of Momotaro outside the JR station.

When I arrived at the hostel, I was able to borrow a bicycle. I rode it to the Okayama Castle. This castle is black and earned its nickname the Crow Castle, in contrast to the White Heron Castle of Himeji. I didn't go inside since I was tired of seeing castles. Not to say this one isn't impressive. I just didn't have the energy to climb up another castle keep.

Next to the castle is the Okayama Korakuen Park. I paid the admission to go inside and walked around. It's quite scenic with tourists like myself. Outside of the park there was a festival with dancers and food trucks. I walked around the area, but didn't do much since it was so hot. I ended up riding the bicycle back to the hostel.

For dinner, I had ramen at Bokkee Ramen not too far from the hostel. It was the best ramen I had in Japan and it was only 770 JPY or around $5.50.

I only stayed in Okayama for one day since there wasn't a lot to see. Most travelers don't even stop by it and go straight to Hiroshima.

Statue of Momotaro with his friends

The sewage cap even features Momotaro

Borrowed a bicycle and had to be extra careful riding on the left side of the road

Okayama Castle

Another view of the castle

Okayama Castle from a bridge

Okayama Korakuen Park

Man feeding koi fish

On top of a hill

A couple feeding more koi

Large paper origami cranes

The park and the castle

Big lotus leaves

A stream in the park

Some balls made of paper

At a festival outside the park

The best ramen I had so far in Japan.