Kanazawa or Okayama?

7 comments

1. Okayama is not a beautiful, hidden gem.

   It’s kinda grim, actually.

   Nearby kurashiki, however, is lovely, and worth a visit/stay.

2. My family used Okayama as a “home base” in 2019. We went to Kyoto and Hiroshima from there as well as did some stuff in Okayama including going out with family.

   We didn’t do any rural kinds of things but did go to the gardens and castle. You could also go down to Kurashiki from Okayama and see the canals.

3. Why not go to Naoshima Island, that’s very close to Okayama and it was an absolute highlight on our trip.

4. Okayama is good as a base (kurashiki, naoshima or other islands, even takamatsu/iroshima/Himeji) but does not have much going on in the city other than the garden.

   Also, three days in Onomichi is far too many (unless you spend two of those cycling).

5. What do you plan on doing for ~4 days in Takayama? I’ve been planning to visit there too and from talking to other people, it’s very easy to go through all of it within just 2 days and that’s while leisurely going around. I was suggested to spend more time in Kanazawa instead since there’s overall more to walk around and see

6. I_ve been to both.

   I want to go back to Kanazawa.
   Okayama. well. It was okay. Kurashiki was also okay.

   I think that choice is an easy one. Also, if something worthwhile might pop up in Okayama, its easy to do a daytrip from Kyoto/Osaka. Like, if you havent been, the garden is well worth it.

7. IMO, the best argument for Okayama is proximity to Naoshima and Teshima. Chichu, on Naoshima, is wonderful.