Okayama

Okayama Prefecture faces the Seto Inland Sea and enjoys mild weather with little rain. The prefectural capital, Okayama City, boasts one of the highest numbers of clear days nationwide. Once flourished as Kibi Province, numerous ancient historical sites including Kibitsu Shrine and massive burial mounds remain. Representative scenery includes Korakuen Garden (one of Japan's Three Great Gardens), Okayama Castle with its alias 'Crow Castle,' and the white-walled townscape of Kurashiki Bikan District. The Seto Ohashi Bridge, opened in 1988, directly connects to Shikoku, making it a transportation hub for land, sea, and air. As a fruit kingdom, production volumes of white peaches, muscat grapes, and pione grapes rank among the top nationwide. In northern prefecture's Hiruzen Plateau, Jersey cattle are pastured, and dairy products are also specialty items. Industry centers on the Mizushima Industrial Complex in Kurashiki City with developed steel and petrochemical sectors, boasting the largest port handling volume in Chugoku-Shikoku region. The prefecture promotes itself domestically and internationally with the catchphrase 'Hare no Kuni Okayama' (Land of Sunshine) based on its high sunshine rate.