Okayama

(2002 est. pop. 2 million). Okayama Prefecture is situated in the western region of Japan's island of Honshu, where it occupies an area of 7,092 square kilometers. Okayama's primary geographical features are a mountainous north, the central highland Kibi Kogen, and the coastal plains, along with reclaimed land in Kojima Bay. The main rivers are the Yoshigawa, Asahigawa, and Takahashigawa. Okayama is bordered by the Inland Sea and by Tottori, Hyogo, and Hiroshima prefectures. Once divided into Bizen, Bitchu, and Mimasaka provinces, Okayama Prefecture assumed its present name in 1871 and its present borders in 1876.

The prefecture's capital is Okayama city, which evolved from a settlement around Okayama Castle, completed in 1573. It is home to Okayama University, noted for an active foreign exchange program that enrolls students from twenty-five countries. Among the city's historic sites are the 1686 garden Korakuen and the Orient Bijutsukan, one of the nation's first museums to focus on Asian and Middle Eastern art. The city's industrial base includes chemicals, rubber, textiles, and agricultural machinery fabrication. The prefecture's other important cities are Kurashiki, Tsuyama, and Tamano.

Okayama's history dates back to the Yayoi culture (300 BCE–300 CE), as indicated by archaeological excavations. The region was ruled by a series of Ikeda family warlords until the end of the Edo period (1600/1603–1868).

In the early 2000s, the prefecture continues to produce rice, tobacco, igusa fiber for tatami mats, and fruit, including hothouse grapes and peaches. Recent decades have seen the rise of the steel and petrochemical industries. A leading attraction is Kurashiki with its distinctive architecture, traditional merchant quarter, and folk art museums.

"Okayama Prefecture." (1993) Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha.

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