Outline of Okayama Prefecture

With Hyogo Prefecture to the east and Hiroshima Prefecture adjoining to the West, Okayama Prefecture is located at the centre of the ancient Sanyō Highway area. Facing the Seto Inland Sea and Shikoku to the south, and adjoining the San-in region to the north, since ancient times it has had an important location as a strategic transportation hub of the Chugoku and Shikoku regions.

With ancient Kibi rivaling the Yamato region as an origin of culture, the area has since olden times, through to the current day, made various large contributions to the promotion of industry, economy and culture.

Currently boasting an extremely well established transport infrastructure of a level rarely seen nation-wide and which includes such aspects as a highway network which extends across the length and breadth of the prefecture, the Okayama Airport

which operates flights both domestically and internationally, and a rail system which includes bullet trains and extends in all directions, the area is continuing to steadily develop as a transportation hub of the Chugoku and Shikoku regions.

Travelling 2 hours via the highway from Okayama interchange covers an area populated by some 16.4 million people, a population exceeding that of Tokyo.

Furthermore, in April of 2009, the capital of the prefecture, Okayama City, became the country’s 18th designated city.

The Prefecture at a Glance － Mountains, Rivers, and Sea －

・Total area (as of 2011) - 7,113.23km2; 1.9% of the total area of Japan and 17th largest prefecture in the country.

・Terrain - can be generally categorised into the Chugoku mountains and basin area of the prefecture’s northern region, such hilly areas as the Kibi Highlands in the centre of the prefecture, and the open plains of the prefecture’s south. The prefecture’s north boasts mountains and hot springs, while the south is blessed with a gentle sea and many beautiful islands, with the beautiful colours of the Setouchi coast lands stretching into the distance.

・Water - The three rivers which originate in the Chugoku mountains (the Yoshii, Asahi, and Takahashi rivers) are often praised for their rich and high quality waters, and are used for domestic, industrial, and agricultural applications.