Five Man Electrical Band - Signs (1971)

Okayama Bizenyaki Kobo(Okayama city)

Okayama Bizenyaki Kobo(Okayama city)

You can enjoy making Bizen pottery representing traditional crafts of Okayama in the Okayama castle. It is located on the first floor of the castle tower. Everyone from children to adults can enjoy it.... Please make a special memory in Okayama.

岡山県のホームページURL：
日本語　http://okayama-japan.jp/
繁体中文　http://okayama-japan.jp/tw/
簡体中文　http://jp-now.com/okayama/cn/index.html
English　http://okayama-japan.jp/en/
한국어　http://okayama-japan.jp/hg/ もっと見る

Okayama Prefectural International Tourism Theme District Inbound Promotion Meeting
c/o Okayama Prefectural Government Tourism Division
2-4-6 Uchisange, Kita-ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan 700-8570
Phone: +81-86-226-7383 / Fax: +81-86-224-2130

テーマソング「もんげー岡山！」Song by 葛城ユキ

岡山県の新PR「もんげー岡山！」
http://monge-okayama.jp/
そのテーマソングを歌うのは、
岡山県出身の歌手、葛城ユキさん。
パワフルな声量とハスキーな歌声にしびれます！
PVは葛城さんの一人二役、必見です。
カラオケデータをサイトで配信中ですよ。
もんげー熱唱、あなたもぜひ！

「もんげー岡山！」スペシャルムービー（主演／宇梶剛士）

岡山県の新PR「もんげー岡山！」
http://monge-okayama.jp/
岡山県のことをもんげー知ってほしくて、
あの宇梶剛士さんにもんげーアプローチ。
岡山県が本当にもんげーかどうか、
ぜひあなたにも確かめていただければと思います。
（ちなみに「もんげー」は岡山弁で「すごい」の意味）

A conservation area, Joto district

Here is a conservation area of historic townscape, Joto.

Joto used to be a castle town of Tsuyama castle, and houses and buildings from the Edo era are well preserved.

It takes about 25min by car from Shurakuen garden.


Some samurai residences are opened to the public.
First, we visited ‘Sakushu Joto yashiki’.
 
This building used to be a school in the Maiji era.
Here is also a place where Japanese film ‘Otoko ha tsuraiyo’ was shot.
　

Behind this building, there’s an exhibition room for carnival floats.
They are called ‘danjiri’.

Tsuyama City has 28 danjiri which are designated as important cultural assets of Okayama, and four of them are exhibited here at the moment.

Those danjiri appear at Tsuyama festival (at Osumi shrine) in November once every 2years.

Let’s go inside
 


What a gorgeous float

It has a driver’s seat and a steering wheel  It’s funny...

　
The oldest danjiri was made in 1856
 


Dragons are curved on the roof of each danjiri.
So elaborate…and beautiful
 
Maybe I'd better come back to see Tsuyama festival


In the exhibition room, some paintings by a local painter, Isao Kono are displayed.

I also liked them


You can see some old furniture and tools at Sakushu Joto yashiki.
 
(left）stairs with drawers
(right) kitchen tools
　

It also has a big rest room.
Those ‘fusuma (movable doors)’　are designed by Isao Kono.
He draw a snow scene in Tsuyama and wild flowers.
    I'd love to have doors like those in my house
 

Next, we visited a residence where Genpo Mitsukuri used to live until he became 14years old.
He was a scholar of Western learning in the Edo era.
 

I found a statue of him in the garden

He was good at English as well, so he was asked to translate some important English documents when Matthew Calbraith Perry visited Japan in 1853.


Apart from that, I noticed small red stuff hung at the entrance.
 
Apparantely, they are called ‘kukuri saru (bound monkeys)’. 
They are traditional lucky charm. It’s displayed to welcome visitors.

At the end of our trip, we tried local specialty ‘hormone udon’
I’ll tell you about it in the upcoming episode.


Sakushu Joto yashiki
Address: 19 Nakanochotsuyama City
Tel: 0868-24-6095
Opening time: 9:00-17:00（last admission 16:30）
Close: Wednesdays (open if it’s a holiday)
Admission: free

Mistukuri Genpo house
Address: 6 Nishishinmachi, Tsuyama City
Tel: 0868-31-1346
Opening time: 9:30-16:00
Close: Mondays (open if it’s a holiday)
Admission: free

A conservation area : Joto district
Address: the area between Hashimoto town and Higashi sin machi in Tsuyama City
Tel: 0868-22-3310（Tsuyama tourist association）

A wide variety of OKAYAMA FRUIT

OKAYAMA has more than peaches and grapes. They are producers of many other high quality fruits as well. We owe it to the gifted environment and the honest personality of the people of Okayama.
Here, we would like to introduce just a few of the wide variety of fruits produced in Okayama. Find out more about the magnificent fruits of Okayama!

Japanese, Western and Chinese pears

【Atago Pear】

It is the size of a baby’s head. The fruit is bursting with juice.
The Japanese pear is a popular classy gift because the receiver is ought to be a bit surprised with the size.
Since it is really large, one fruit is enough for one family to enjoy.

Atago pears are in season from mid-November till late December.

【Niitakanashi】

A large Japanese pear that is very sweet.

It is stored for one month after harvest for extra crispy texture, elegant fragrance and rich flavor.
One fruit weighs about 500 to 1,000g, so they are very popular to send as gifts.

They are in season from early September till late November.

【Sliver bell】

Silver bells made in Okayama are very sweet and sour and have a rich taste.They need extra ripening, so it is best to eat them after they have been left in room temperature for a few days and they become slightly soft.The texture is soft as if it melts in your mouth and has plenty of juice. It’s becoming more and more popular.This is a rather large type of pear.
Silver bell are in season from early December till early January.

【Passe Crassane】

It looks rugged and rusty, but the fruit inside has a very creamy texture, plenty of juice and an elegant fragrance.
Passe Crassane is said to be a ‘hidden delicacy among the people who really know’.
Okayama produces 90% of the market share in Japan.

Passe Crassane are in season from early December till late January.

【Yarie (Chinese pear)】

This Chinese pear with elegant flavor has a unique flavor so it is sometimes referred to as the “fragrant pear”.
It is not a round shape like Japanese pears.
This pear is filled with refreshing juice and is also a popular gift.
Okayama has the largest market share of Yarie.

Yarie are in season from mid-November till late December.

Other fruits

【Lemon】

Lisbon lemons that are produced in Ushimado (Setouchi City) which is called the ‘Aegean Sea of Japan’ are becoming popular these days because you can use the whole lemon, including the skin.Thanks to the warm climate facing the Seto Inland Sea, “Okayama” is fit for cultivating high quality citrus fruits (which are unsuitable for eating fresh) such as citron, sudachi, kabossu, etc.

Lemons are in season from mid-October till mid-January.

【Strawberry】

Strawberries are produced all over Japan, and Okayama is one of the high quality producers.
Okayama produces “Beni-hoppe”, “Akihime”, “Sagahonoka”, and “Sachinoka”. They are known to be varieties that are large and sweet.Major production areas are Saidaiji and Kumenan.

Strawberries are in season from early December till late May.

【Atago-gaki (persimmon) / Saijyo-gaki】

Sour persimmons are called Saijyo-gaki and after the sourness is removed, it is sold in markets by the name of Atago-gaki.It is a popular winter fruit with a melty texture and rich flavor.The beautiful appearance and vivid dark orange color of the fruit attracts people’s attention.

Persimmons are in season from early October till late November.(Atago-gaki are sold until the end of December.)

“The Fruit Kingdom”, Okayama produces other tasty fruits as well; figs, melons, plums, Unshu mikans, etc. Okayama is filled with fruits!Please, come and taste for yourself, the “delicious fruits” of Okayama! You’ll definitely get to experience the taste that you will never forget!

Okayama prefecture

Respect for the Aged Day (Keiro no hi)

It is one of the National Holiday and held on the third Monday in September. It is held on September 15 this year.
The Article 2 of the law concerning national holidays prescribes that the aim of "...Respect for the Aged Day" is to "honor elderly citizens and their service to society." 

岡山県のホームページURL：
日本語　http://okayama-japan.jp/
繁体中文　http://okayama-japan.jp/tw/
簡体中文　http://jp-now.com/okayama/cn/index.html
English　http://okayama-japan.jp/en/
한국어　http://okayama-japan.jp/hg/