okayama and kurashiki

as mentioned here, i was in okayama and kurashiki (20min from okayama) a few weekends ago.

okayama is a smallish city, though it has enough shops to occupy the weekend-tripper after the attractions have closed. the cinemas screen a rather limited number of shows – four – and the last show began slightly after 7pm, so bewarned! it’s a good place to visit to escape from the bustle of osaka city however; okayama has many history and art museums, some of which i didnt have enough time to visit.

korakuen is hailed as the city’s premier attraction and is one of the top 3 gardens in japan, but i wasnt too impressed at all:

the beginnings of spring were apparent from the few blossoming plum trees, and i managed to take this shot entirely by accident:

i was actually trying to focus on the branch closest to me, but my lousy camera couldnt handle it and gave me this instead :)

there was a demonstration going on:

there were a few groups fighting for different causes actually. those in the birthday hats were protesting for the US troops to leave Okinawa and for the disarming of nuclear weapons.

i love the cute manhole/ sewerage covers i see in japan. these are actually for the water department (?) and the fire department.

kurashiki is a smaller city than okayama, and is even quieter and more picturesque. it reminds me of suzhou in china due to its canals, and if i’m not wrong has been dubbed “the venice of japan”.

it wasnt the most interesting of weekends, but it was great to go somewhere quiet and take a break from the busy city. a few more pictures can be found here.