Message from the Governor

Welcome to the web page of Okayama Prefecture.

"The Land of Sunshine," Okayama
Nestled between the Seto Inland Sea to the south and the Chugoku Mountains to the north, Okayama Prefecture features a diverse natural landscape and a comfortable climate. The number of days with a rainfall less than 1 millimeter in Okayama is the highest in Japan, earning us the nickname, “The Land of Sunshine.”

Okayama is a strategic point of transportation in western Japan. The Shinkansen and two expressways connect the east and west, and an expressway running north to south, together with the Seto Ohashi Bridge, connects the Japan Sea to the Pacific Ocean. We are continuingly striving to advance our role as a center of transportation and shipping for the region. Those efforts can be seen in such projects as Okayama Airport’s 3000 m runway, and the improvements of the Mizushima Port Tamashima Harbor Island International Container Terminal.

There's Plenty to See in Okayama
Okayama is filled with tourist attractions, one of which is Korakuen Garden, famous as one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. Other places worth a visit are the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area and the beautiful archipelago in the Seto Inland Sea. And don't forget the Mimasaka Hot Springs Trio and Hiruzen Heights.

We are known throughout Japan for our local cuisine: we can recommend our delicious white peaches, Muscat and Peone grapes, fresh fish drawn from the Seto Inland Sea, sawara sashimi and Okayama Barazushi. In addition, in recent years Tsuyama’s Horumon Udon, Hinase’s okonomiyaki dish topped with oysters(Kakioko) and Hiruzen’s Yakisoba have gained great reputations as B-1 gourmet cuisine, so be sure to give these a try too. For souvenirs, why not try our Bizen Pottery or our locally brewed sake.

Our motto is "Warm-Hearted Hospitality," and we always look forward to welcoming guests to our prefecture.

Building Dreams in Okayama
In order to facilitate further development and to make this prefecture a comfortable place to live for all its citizens, in 2007 we initiated "The New Okayama Dream-Building Project." Its keywords - self-reliance and cooperation.

It is our strong hope that this project can be fully implemented in Okayama by the year 2020. We want Okayama to grow as an area that is dynamic and safe, so that people feel like they can reach out to each other. Our long-term design upholds Okayama as a shining hub for the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. The basic strategies being implemented to realize this long-term design, as well as a 30-strategy program to promote that realization, stem from a midterm plan of action consisting of specific numerical targets set for the next five years.

Therefore, by promoting this plan as a guidepost (revised as of 2009) and by cooperating with the citizens of Okayama, we are striving at full speed towards realizing a bright and lively prefecture where everyone can enjoy a comfortable life.

The Introduction of a Regional System and Bringing Together
Chugoku and Shikoku
With continuing municipal mergers, and the increase of large-scale issues which expand beyond prefectural borders, the nature of prefectural governments is rapidly changing. Because of this, we are acknowledging that the introduction of a Regional System, as a form of decentralization, is becoming more and more necessary. During this process, things such as jurisdiction and revenue sources would be transferred from the national government to the regional. Through acquiring the ability of being able to autonomously decide on and implement policies and measures, the needs of regional citizens would be more appropriately reflected. Ultimately, we would be able to make a region even richer in individuality and vitality.

By implementing this Regional System and bringing together the "Chugoku-Shikoku Region," the population would be at around 12 million, matching those of the Kyushu and Tohoku regions of Japan. As well as gaining the independence of implementing dynamic and fresh measures, we also foresee a rise in the development of regional and industrial strategies, international exchanges and so much more in the future.

For these reasons, we recognize the merits and necessities of the new Regional System and the Chugoku-Shikoku Region as part of the "New Okayama Dream-Building Plan," and are working towards making them a reality. They say the two most recent events that changed the shape of Japan were the Meiji Restoration followed by the post-war reforms. This is, you could say, our third major reformation. I have been serving as the chairperson of the General Affairs Standing Comimittee and Regionalization Special Committee within the Association of Prefectural Governors, and recently as a Strategy Committee member and Administration Reform Project Team Leader. I will do my best to represent Okayama and Japan and to work towards realizing our goals.

Discover the Charms of Okayama!
This homepage introduces the current undertakings going on in Okayama Prefecture, as well as some of the many charms and attractions found here in "The Land of Sunshine."

We hope that you will be able to use this webpage as a tool for deepening your understanding of Okayama Prefecture, and that you will be able to discover some charms of your very own. We look forward to any questions or opinions you may have.

Masahiro Ishii