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44-637: The city is the site of Kōraku-en , known as one of the top three traditional gardens in Japan, and Okayama Castle , which is ranked among the best 100 Japanese castles . The city is famous as the setting of the Japanese fable Momotarō . Okayama joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016. Before the Muromachi period , Okayama was one corner of a farm region and included

88-606: A mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 46 members. The city contributes 19 members to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between of the Okayama 1st District, Okayama 2nd District and Okayama 3rd District of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . Since Okayama became a designated city in 2009,

132-613: A powder of millet and rice, are well known sweets from the area. Okayama Castle Okayama Castle ( 岡山城 , Okayama-jō ) is a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan . The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966. Two of the watch towers survived the bombing of 1945 and are now listed by the national Agency for Cultural Affairs as Important Cultural Properties . In stark contrast to

176-662: A quarter of all paddy fields in Japan. Chiba Prefecture is famous for its peanuts, also being the largest producer in Japan. Rare species of the lichen genus Menegazzia are found only in Honshu. Most of Japan's tea and silk is from Honshu. Japan's three largest industrial regions are all located on Honshu: the Keihin region , the Hanshin Industrial Region , and the Chūkyō Industrial Area . Honshu

220-569: A small castle built by the Kanemitsu. In the Sengoku period , Ukita Naoie attacked Okayama and attacked the castle for the transportation resources and extensive farmland in the region. Naoie remodeled the castle, built the old Sanyo road to the central part of the castle town, and called in craftsmen both from inside and outside of Bizen Province . Okayama became the political and economical capital of Bizen Province. In 1600, Ukita Hideie , who

264-408: Is Okayama's largest university, with 8 faculties and seven graduate schools. There are seven private universities, three junior colleges , 24 high schools (16 public, eight private), seven combined junior high/high schools (two public, five private), 38 junior high schools (37 municipal, one national) and 93 elementary schools (91 municipal, two private) in the city. JR West's Okayama Station

308-422: Is Omotechō, near Okayama Castle and Kōraku-en , and the area surrounding Okayama Station . Omotechō has many covered shopping arcades. The headquarters of Aeon Corporation , a private English language school with more than 3,000 employees, is located in Okayama. Okayama University , founded as a medical school in 1870 and established in 1949 as a national university, is in the city. Today, Okayama University

352-638: Is a major interchange, with trains from Shikoku , Sanin and San'yo connecting to the San'yō Shinkansen . Local rail lines serving Okayama Station include: [REDACTED] JR West – San'yō Shinkansen [REDACTED] JR West – San'yō Main Line [REDACTED] JR West – Akō Line [REDACTED] JR West – Uno Line [REDACTED] JR West – Seto-Ōhashi Line [REDACTED] JR West – Tsuyama Line [REDACTED] JR West – Kibi Line Okayama has kept an operational tram system since

396-436: Is free. [REDACTED] Media related to Okayama Castle at Wikimedia Commons 34°39′55″N 133°56′10″E  /  34.665181°N 133.936053°E  / 34.665181; 133.936053 Honsh%C5%AB Honshu ( 本州 , Honshū , pronounced [hoꜜɰ̃ɕɯː] ; lit.   ' main island ' ) , historically called Akitsushima ( 秋津島 , lit.   ' Dragonfly island ' ) ,

440-472: Is home to a large portion of Japan's minimal mineral reserves, including small oil and coal deposits. Several coal deposits are located in the northern part of the island, concentrated in Fukushima Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture , though Honshu's coal production is negligible in comparison to Hokkaido and Kyushu . Most of Japan's oil reserves are also located in northern Honshu, along

484-572: Is located in the southern part of Okayama Prefecture, which is located in western part of the island of Honshū . The northern part of the city forms a corner of Kibi Plateau, which is a series of gentle hills, and includes the Asahikawa Dam, Okayama Airport, and a suburban residential area. The central urban area is located on the Okayama Plain in the south, which was formed by the transportation and sedimentation of two first-class rivers,

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528-513: Is roughly 1,300 km (810 mi) long and ranges from 50 to 230 km (31 to 143 mi) wide, and its total area is 227,960 km (88,020 sq mi), making it slightly larger than the island of Great Britain . Its land area has been increasing with land reclamation and coastal uplift in the north due to plate tectonics with a convergent boundary . Honshu has 10,084 kilometres (6,266 mi) of coastline. Mountainous and volcanic, Honshu experiences frequent earthquakes (such as

572-412: Is seismically active, and is home to 40 active volcanoes. In 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0–9.1 occurred off the coast of Honshu, generating tsunami waves up to 40.5 meters (133 ft) high and killing 19,747. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan , and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The tsunami subsequently led to

616-701: Is the largest and most populous island of Japan . It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait , north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea , and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits . The island separates the Sea of Japan , which lies to its north and west, from the North Pacific Ocean to the south and east. It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and

660-406: Is the local newspaper serving the greater Okayama area. There are six television stations serving the Okayama area and part of Kagawa Prefecture . Three FM and three AM radio stations also serve the region. Okayama has many sports teams. In recent years, volleyball team Okayama Seagulls and football club Fagiano Okayama have been established. In 2009, Fagiano Okayama FC gained promotion to

704-594: The Asahi River and Yoshii River , which flow into the Seto Inland Sea . To the south of the main urban area is Kojima Bay, which forms the scenic Kojima Peninsula overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. Okayama Prefecture Okayama has a mild climate in comparison to most of Japan. It has the most rain-free days (less than 1mm of precipitation) of any city in Japan. It is ranked as the second driest and

748-648: The Battle of Sekigahara the main keep also featured gilded roof tiles, earning it the nickname Golden Crow Castle ( 金烏城 , Kin U-jō ) . In 1570, Ukita Naoie killed castle lord Kanemitsu Munetaka and started remodeling the castle and completed by his son Hideie in 1597. Three years later, Hideie sided with the ill-fated Toyotomi Clan at the Battle of Sekigahara, was captured by the Tokugawa Clan and exiled to

792-543: The Great Kantō earthquake , which heavily damaged Tokyo in September 1923; and the earthquake of March 2011 , which moved the northeastern part of the island by varying amounts of as much as 5.3 m (17 ft) while causing devastating tsunamis). The highest peak is the active volcano Mount Fuji at 3,776 m (12,388 ft), which makes Honshu the world's 7th highest island . There are many rivers, including

836-557: The J. League , the highest football league in Japan. Every August since 1994 Okayama has seen the Momotarō Matsuri (Festival), which is an amalgam of three different festivals, including the Uraja 'ogre' festival, which is a kind of Yosakoi dance. Okayama has several traditional dishes. Barazushi , a dish made with sushi rice, contains fresh fish from the Seto Inland Sea. Kibi dango (Okayama) ( 吉備団子 ) gel-like balls made from

880-728: The Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge ; Shimotsui-Seto Bridge , Hitsuishijima Bridge , Iwakurojima Bridge , Yoshima Bridge , Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge , and the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge ), the Seikan Tunnel connects Honshu with Hokkaidō, and the Kanmonkyo Bridge and Kanmon Tunnel connect Honshu with Kyūshū . These are notable flora and fauna of Honshu. Being on the Ring of Fire , the island of Honshu

924-603: The Meiji period . It is managed by Okayama Electric Tramway and offers two lines: the Higashiyama Main Line and the Seikibashi Line. Seven bus companies provide service within the city limits: Bihoku Bus ( 備北バス ) , Chūtetsu Bus ( 中鉄バス ) , Okaden Bus ( 岡電バス ) , Ryōbi Bus ( 両備バス ) , Shimoden Bus ( 下電バス ) , Tōbi Bus ( 東備バス ) , and Uno Bus ( 宇野バス ) . Okayama is twinned with: The Sanyo Shimbun

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968-533: The Shinano River , Japan's longest. The Japanese Alps span the width of Honshu, from the 'Sea of Japan' coast to the Pacific shore. The climate is generally humid subtropical in western Japan and humid continental in the north. Honshu has a total population of 104 million people, according to a 2017 estimate, 81.3% of the entire population of Japan. The largest city is Tokyo (population: 13,988,129),

1012-582: The second-most populous after the Indonesian island of Java . Honshu had a population of 104 million as of 2017 , constituting 81.3% of the entire population of Japan, and mostly concentrated in the coastal areas and plains. Approximately 30% of the total population resides in the Greater Tokyo Area on the Kantō Plain . As the historical center of Japanese cultural and political power,

1056-425: The 'samurai' era castles as archaic and unnecessary. Like many other castles throughout Japan, the outer moats were filled in, most castle buildings were dismantled and the old castle walls gradually disappeared underneath the city. On June 29, 1945, allied bombers burnt the main keep, and an adjacent gate, to the ground, leaving only two turrets remaining and some of the stone walls remaining. Reconstruction work on

1100-503: The 19th century. Continuing its economic development, Okayama became one of the ten best large castle towns in Japan in the 18th century. The Korakuen Garden was developed by the fourth feudal lord, Ikeda Tsunamasa . On August 29, 1871, the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan replaced the traditional feudal domain system with centralized government authority. Okayama became the capital of Okayama Prefecture. In 1889, Okayama City

1144-538: The Chūgoku and Shikoku regions. In 1972, the San'yō Shinkansen began service between Shin-Ōsaka and Okayama stations. Two years later, Shinkansen service was extended to Hakata . In 1988, the Seto-Ōhashi Bridge was opened, and connected Okayama with Shikoku directly by rail and road. The city became a core city in 1996 and a designated city on April 1, 2009 with increased local autonomy. On March 22, 2005

1188-484: The GDP of Okayama Prefecture . Greater Okayama, Okayama Metropolitan Employment Area , has a GDP of US$ 63.1 billion as of 2010. The main industries are machine tools, chemicals, foodstuffs and printing. Kōnan, a district in the southern part of the city, is the most developed industrial zone. Okayama is the core of the Okayama metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Kurashiki and Sōja . The main commercial district

1232-540: The capital of Japan and part of the Greater Tokyo Area , the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Honshu is connected to the islands of Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku by tunnels and bridges. Three bridge systems have been built across the islands of the Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku ( Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and the Ōnaruto Bridge ; Shin-Onomichi Bridge , Innoshima Bridge , Ikuchi Bridge , Tatara Bridge , Ōmishima Bridge , Hakata–Ōshima Bridge , and

1276-401: The city has been divided into four wards ( ku ). (northern ward) (central ward) (eastern ward) (southern ward) The city is located in the Okayama Plain, where rice, eggplant, and white Chinese chives are notable products. White peaches and grapes are cultivated in the mountainous, northern part of the city. In 2005, the city's gross domestic product was 800 billion yen, nearly 10% of

1320-719: The economy along the northwestern Sea of Japan coast is largely based on fishing and agriculture. The island is linked to the other three major Japanese islands by a number of bridges and tunnels. The island primarily shares two climates, with Northern Honshu having a mainly humid continental climate while the south has a humid subtropical climate . The name of the island, Honshū ( 本州 ) , directly translates to "main province" or "original land" in English. Humans first arrived in Honshu approximately 37,000 years ago, and likely earlier. The first humans to arrive in Honshu were Stone Age hunter-gatherers from Northeast Asia, likely following

1364-456: The fourth sunniest city in the Chūgoku region. The climate is classified under the Köppen climate classification as humid subtropical ( Cfa ). The local climate is warm enough throughout the year to support olive trees. Okayama is often called "Land of Sunshine" because of its low number of rainy days per year. Per Japanese census data, the population of Okayama is as follows: Okayama has

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1408-541: The island includes several past Japanese capitals, including Kyōto , Nara , and Kamakura . Much of the island's southern shore forms part of the Taiheiyō Belt , a megalopolis that spans several of the Japanese islands. Honshu contains Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji, and its largest lake, Lake Biwa . Most of Japan's industry is located in a belt running along Honshu's southern coast, from Tokyo to Nagoya , Kyōto , Osaka , Kobe , and Hiroshima ; by contrast,

1452-510: The island prison of Hachijo . The castle and surrounding fiefdoms were given to Kobayakawa Hideaki as spoils of war. Kobayakawa died just two years later without leaving an heir, and the castle (and fiefdom) was given to the Ikeda Clan , who later added Kōraku-en as a private garden. In 1869 the castle became the property of the Meiji government's Hyōbu-shō (Ministry of War), who saw

1496-465: The keep and gate began in 1964 and was completed in 1966. In 1996 the rooftop gargoyles were gilded as part of the 400th anniversary celebrations. The reconstructed main keep is a concrete building complete with air-conditioning, elevators and numerous displays documenting the castle's history (with a heavy focus on the Ikeda era.) Little information is available in English. Access to the inner sanctuary

1540-617: The meltdown of 3 nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant , leading to the Fukushima nuclear disaster . Honshu island generates around US$ 3.5 trillion or more than 80% of Japan's GDP . Fruit, vegetables, grains, rice and cotton make up the main produce grown in Honshu. The Tohoku region, spanning the north-eastern part of the island, is notable for its rice production, with 65% of cultivated land being rice paddy fields – almost

1584-786: The migration of ice age megafauna . Surviving artifacts from this period include finely-crafted stone blades, similar to those found in Siberia . Honshu was the target of devastating air raids during the Pacific War of World War II . The first air raid to strike Honshu and the other home islands was the Doolittle Raid . With the introduction of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress , the firebombing of Tokyo culminated in Operation Meetinghouse ,

1628-640: The most destructive air raid in human history, which destroyed 16 square miles (41 km ; 10,000 acres) of central Tokyo , leaving an estimated 100,000 civilians dead, and over one million homeless. The war ended with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly before Japan's surrender and signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on September 2, 1945, on board the USS ; Missouri  (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay . The island

1672-741: The most heavily used. The San'yō Shinkansen , connects the two largest cities in western Japan, Shin-Osaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka . Both the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Sanyo Shinkansen help form a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt megalopolis. The island is divided into five nominal regions and contains 34 prefectures, including metropolitan Tokyo. Administratively, some smaller islands are included within these prefectures, notably including

1716-406: The town of Mitsu (from Mitsu District ), and the town of Nadasaki (from Kojima District ) were merged into Okayama. This was followed on January 22, 2007 when the town of Takebe (from Mitsu District), and the town of Seto (from Akaiwa District ) were merged into Okayama. Kojima, Mitsu, and Akaiwa Districts have all since been dissolved as a result of these mergers. The city of Okayama

1760-404: The west coast, spanning Niigata, Yamagata , and Akita Prefectures. Most of Japan's copper, lead, zinc and chromite is located on Honshu, along with smaller, scattered deposits of gold, silver, arsenic, sulfur and pyrite . The Tokaido Shinkansen , opened in 1964 between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka , is Japan's first high-speed rail line. It is the world's oldest high-speed rail line and one of

1804-458: The white "Egret Castle" of neighboring Himeji , Okayama Castle has a black exterior, earning it the nickname Crow Castle ( 烏城 , U-jō ) or "castle of the black bird". (The black castle of Matsumoto in Nagano is also known as "Crow Castle", but it is karasu-jō in Japanese.) Today, only a few parts of Okayama Castle's roof (including the fish-shaped-gargoyles ) are gilded, but prior to

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1848-551: Was a garrison city for the Imperial Japanese Army . On June 29, 1945, the city was attacked by the US Army Air Forces with incendiary bombs . Almost all the city was burned, and more than 1700 people were killed. Okayama suffered terrible damage in the war, losing more than 12,000 households. During Japan's economic boom of the 1960s, Okayama developed rapidly as one of the most important cities in

1892-537: Was founded with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. In the Meiji period , a San'yo Main Line railroad and other local lines greatly enhanced the development of the city. The Sixth Higher Middle School ( 第六高等学校 , Dairoku Kōtōgakkō ) and Okayama Medical College ( 岡山医科大学 , Okayama Ika-daigaku ) were established in Okayama City. Okayama became a center in western Japan for transportation and education. When World War II began, Okayama city

1936-519: Was the son of Naoie and the lord of Okayama, lost at the Battle of Sekigahara . The next year, Kobayakawa Hideaki came to Okayama and became the feudal lord of Okayama Domain . Hideaki died in 1602, however, ending the Kobayakawa line. Ikeda Tadatugu, who was the feudal lord of Himeji Domain , became the next lord of Okayama. After this time, Okayama was ruled by the Ikedas until the latter part of

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