08 May 2024

Walking through the beautiful Okayama Korakuen Garden

Our Eternal Japan & South Korea adventure continued as we arrived at the Port of Uno to explore the sprawling cities of Okayama and Kurashiki. We boarded coaches and headed firstly into Okayama with great views of the rice paddies, shopping centres, industrial areas, residential housing and business districts. In Japan, these blend together, so it was a great chance to get a glimpse of the daily lives of the locals living here.

The Okayama Korakuen Garden is rated as one of the three finest feudal period gardens in Japan – along with the Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen Garden. Despite this shared reputation, the two gardens are markedly different. Our walk around the pond at Korakuen was through open lawns with a viewpoint on the hill, and many stream crossings on unique bridges or stepping stones. Each tree was individually shaped to complement the landscape, and the towering castle was visible from a variety of sections. An aviary of endangered, Red-crowned Cranes allowed for captive breeding, and the cranes fly over the garden on special occasions.

We had lunch at a hotel in Kurashiki – delicious bento boxes with a traditional dish in each compartment. Kurashiki is the home of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, which houses the Ohara Museum of Art. The prosperous area along the river is lined with well-preserved storehouses and residences from the Edo Period. Strolling the circuit with the river boats and swans for company gave a real feeling of having travelled back in time.

The Ohara Museum of Art was one of the first repositories of Western art in Japan. It has an excellent collection of classic and modern art - both Western and Japanese. The collection has been displayed to highlight the cross-cultural influences and features a great representation of both cultures.

We arrived back on board Heritage Adventurer and set sail through the inland Seto Sea towards Osaka. Alongside a gorgeous sunset (in the Land of the Rising Sun), the Captain’s Farewell Cocktails allowed us to thank the teams that have made this voyage such a pleasure. On board photographer Catchy Finch provided the exclamation mark on the voyage with her fabulous slideshow.

Images © C. Finch, Heritage Expeditions