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São Paulo to western Japan: Okayama, Kurashiki and Naoshima

São Paulo → Okayama → Kurashiki → Naoshima

Korakuen
"Okayama Korakuen Garden01.jpg" by Fjkelfeimvvn, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Okayama Montage2 (Okayama)
Photo: 水だらけのプール, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A landscape garden, canal town & art island Best season (general guide): Mar–May, Oct–Nov

Okayama, between Osaka and Hiroshima, is a quiet base for one of Japan's great gardens, a canal town and an island of art. This route spends six nights between Okayama, Kurashiki and Naoshima. From São Paulo you'll connect via a hub to Osaka or Tokyo, then take the Shinkansen.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Okayama: day one, Okayama Castle; day two, Kōraku-en garden; day three, day trip by train. Then spend days four and five in Kurashiki: day four, train to Kurashiki, then the Bikan quarter; day five, Ohara Museum of Art. Then spend day six in Naoshima: ferry to Naoshima, then art museums.

Kōraku-en, in Okayama, is counted among the Three Great Gardens of Japan, with lawns, ponds, tea houses and views of the castle. Okayama Castle has a black exterior, earning it the nickname 'crow castle'.

Okayama is linked to the folk tale of Momotarō, the peach boy, and you'll see his statue at the station.

Kurashiki's Bikan historical quarter is a district of white-walled storehouses along a willow-lined canal. The Ohara Museum of Art, founded in the 1930s, was Japan's first museum of Western art.

Naoshima, in the Seto Inland Sea, has been turned into an island of contemporary art, with museums, outdoor sculptures and installations. The Chichu Art Museum is built mostly underground.

In Okayama and Kurashiki, spring and autumn bring the mildest weather. Summers are hot and humid.

Good to know: Trains and ferries reach Naoshima from Okayama in about an hour. Many museums on the island close one day a week, so check before you go.

Okayama is a convenient rail hub, and the garden and castle are a short walk from the centre. Kurashiki is lovely in the early evening, when day visitors leave and the canal is lit. Boats glide along the canal in good weather. On Naoshima, rent a bicycle or use the island bus between museums. Staying a night on the island lets you see the outdoor art in quiet morning light. Coin lockers at stations make day trips without luggage easy.

Book Chichu Art Museum tickets ahead, as entry is timed.

Suggested outline

  1. São Paulo

    Start

  2. Okayama

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    Kōraku-en garden beside a black castle.

  3. Kurashiki

    By train · 2 nights suggested

    Willow-lined canals and old storehouses.

    Kurashiki Bikan
    "Kurashiki Bikan historical quarter 2.jpg" by Motokoka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  4. Naoshima

    By train and ferry · 1 night suggested

    An island of contemporary art museums.

    Naoshima pumpkin
    "With Pumpkin (7046726329).jpg" by KimonBerlin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Okayama — Arrive; Okayama Castle· São Paulo → Okayama (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Okayama — Kōraku-en garden
  3. Day 3 · Okayama — Day trip by train
  4. Day 4 · Kurashiki — Train to Kurashiki; the Bikan quarter· Okayama → Kurashiki (by train)
  5. Day 5 · Kurashiki — Ohara Museum of Art
  6. Day 6 · Naoshima — Ferry to Naoshima; art museums· Kurashiki → Naoshima (by train and ferry)
  7. Day 7 · Naoshima — Travel home from Naoshima· Naoshima → Okayama (by train and ferry), then Okayama → São Paulo (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Okayama

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Kurashiki

Nearest airport: Okayama Search fares · Okayama ↗

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