The article "Introducing the route from Okayama Station to Okayama Castle" is still viewed a lot, so I'll write about Okayama's charm again

The article "Introducing the route from Okayama Station to Okayama Castle" is popular (relative to this blog)

It seems to be from search traffic, but this article is still being read by nearly 10 people per day.

Introducing the route from Okayama Station to Okayama Castle

I wrote this about 10 years ago when I was renting a house in Okayama and living a back-and-forth life between Tokyo and Okayama, wanting to introduce the city since I was living there. It's nostalgic.

I still like Okayama and have various connections to it, so I visit every few years. I also visit for filming walking videos.

This video is from when I stopped by Okayama to film while filming various cities heading from Shikoku toward Kansai.

Okayama became popular after the Great East Japan Earthquake as a city with few disasters, and that popularity hasn't waned since. I understand.
So I'd like to write about the charm I felt when I lived there for about 3 years 10 years ago and the charm I've felt on subsequent visits.

The charm of Okayama (Okayama City) felt while living there

The charm felt when visiting on a trip and the charm felt when living there might be a bit different. I'd like to write about that.

When you say "Okayama," it's a bit ambiguous whether you mean Okayama Prefecture or Okayama City. Of course, there's overlap, but Okayama City and areas like northern Okayama Prefecture are a bit different.
This video is from when I walked through Tsuyama, a city in northern Okayama Prefecture. Tsuyama has a completely different charm from Okayama City and is a city I'd recommend in its own way, but in this article, I'd like to start by introducing the charm of Okayama City. Incidentally, this video was filmed in the middle of COVID-19 when there weren't many people in the city, so it doesn't convey Tsuyama's charm well, so please keep that in mind when watching.

• Many sunny days - called "Sunny Country Okayama"
• Few disasters (no active faults in the city, typhoons rarely make landfall at full strength)
• City size is neither too large nor too small (personal opinion)
• Has a streetcar
• Has a castle (castle town)

Sunny Country Okayama

Actually living there, I found there were many sunny days and the climate was mild and comfortable.
I remember summers were indeed hot with strong sunlight, but I think it was a dry heat rather than humid.

Few disasters

As often said, there apparently are no active faults (none discovered). Also, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency earthquake database, earthquakes of intensity 6 or higher have never been observed in the past. I don't think we can say earthquakes will absolutely never occur in the future, but according to data from the past 100 years published by the Japan Meteorological Agency, only intensity 4 or higher has been observed from effects of neighboring prefectures. That's a bit reassuring.

In the 3 years I lived there, only once did a nearby river almost flood due to a typhoon. Geographically, typhoons usually come from Shikoku or Hiroshima direction, so they seem to hit after weakening to some extent.

City size is neither too large nor too small

This is completely subjective, but I never had trouble with shopping. Department stores, the underground shopping area at Okayama Station, and now Aeon near the station probably have most things.
Well, these days you can just buy online, so I don't think you'd have trouble shopping. So while the city is smaller compared to the Tokyo metropolitan area, Osaka area, Nagoya, or Fukuoka, I never had trouble. Also, the population is about 720,000, which is 22nd among cities, towns, and wards, but as an independent economic zone, I think it's just the right size (same scale as Kumamoto City, Shizuoka City, etc.).

Has a streetcar

Exiting the east exit of Okayama Station, there's a Kobe Electric Railway platform right in front. It's nice to have a city with a streetcar. I don't think this is just personal preference.
I think it adds atmosphere to the city.
I vaguely think that Kyoto and Kobe should have stuck with streetcars instead of building subways that just run at a loss.
Utsunomiya City's newly opened LRT was also nice.

This video films Utsunomiya City's LRT at the beginning.

Has a castle

Cities with castles, or castle towns, seem to have many cities with good atmospheres—maybe because having a castle gives the city structure or weight, or something like that. Having a castle and a castle town developing around it probably gives the city a form as urban planning.

I like many castles, but Okayama Castle is a flatland castle by a river that you can walk to from the city, and while the keep isn't from the Edo period, I like it because the keep's shape is good.
I think cities need landmarks, and having a castle as a landmark—I'm sure it's been that way since the Edo period. Having grown up in Kobe, a city with little history, maybe I'm drawn to that.

Please try living in Okayama

Remote work has become widespread, and we've entered an era where you can live anywhere in Japan, so I think Okayama City is a city worth considering as a candidate.
Cities that are easy to access both the Tokyo metropolitan area and Kansai, have decent airport access, and have Shinkansen are surprisingly few. Also, the food is delicious. Peaches and grapes are famous, but agricultural products are fresh, and since it's a city near the Seto Inland Sea, seafood is also delicious.