Enjoy a stroll around the Setouchi area from Okayama. Introducing areas popular among young people.

Okayama Tourism is Reborn. Guesthouse staff will show you the latest hot spots

In recent years, the Setouchi Triennale has become popular among tourists. You can often see tourists from Japan and abroad visiting Okayama on their way to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, where the festival is held, even in Okayama city.

However, Setouchi's charm is not limited to its islands. A new wind is blowing through Okayama right now, with young people who have moved here opening new shops and starting new projects that utilize the city's long-standing tourist resources. In this article, I'd like to introduce the trendy areas around Okayama Station that I usually recommend to my guests.

The charm of this historic shopping street is the Hokancho area, popular among young people.

Guesthouse & Lounge Torikuguru

Hokancho is a town with a shopping street stretching for over 1 km straight west from the west exit of Okayama Station. The name "Hokan" comes from the fact that samurai who lost their jobs when the government was restored to the Emperor started businesses there with their retirement benefits (hokankin). However, the stores opened by the samurai did not do well, and today only one remains. The twist is that the town was then built around merchants. The highlight of Hokancho, a town with such a history, is the "Hokancho Shopping Street." This area is close to the station and has low rent, and in recent years it has become even more lively as young people open new stores.

Guesthouse & Lounge Torikuguru is located in a townscape that still retains this atmosphere. A butcher shop once operated here, and an Inari shrine was built to prevent foxes from stealing meat. Leaving the torii gate as its symbol, Torikuguru was born from renovating a vacant house that was over 60 years old. Based on the concept of "connecting travelers, young people, and the shopping district," this space is visited by tourists from both Japan and abroad every day. We recommend that guests take a walk around the town around the guesthouse.

Within a one-minute walk, you can enjoy food and music at the traditional public bathhouse "Tsuruyu" and the restaurant and event space "Lounge Kado." Other popular shops with young people include the cafe "Grico Appart" and the antique goods store "Akizu," as well as a historic cutlery shop and a Japanese sweets shop, making it a great place to look for souvenirs. Why not enjoy the time that flows through this town as you leisurely stroll through the shopping district?

The gateway to the Setouchi Triennale. Uno area, a port town visited by travelers from all over the world

BOLLARD COFFEE

Uno, located about an hour by train from Okayama Station, is a port town that flourished as a passenger port connecting Honshu and Shikoku. When you get off at Uno Station, the Seto Inland Sea spreads out before your eyes. It is also the departure and arrival point for ferries to Takamatsu City in Kagawa Prefecture, Naoshima, where the Setouchi Triennale is held, and Teshima, and is bustling with tourists visiting the island during the art festival and on holidays.

In recent years, the younger generation has been moving here, and there are an increasing number of shops that make daily life more enjoyable, such as select shops, cafes, greengrocers, and bakeries. One of the most recommended shops is the coffee stand "BOLLARD COFFEE", which opened in June 2017. You can enjoy delicious coffee that is carefully hand-dripped one cup at a time while watching the ships passing by on the sea. The morning brunch set, which consists of freshly baked campagne dipped in honey and salt from the Seto Inland Sea, is also a popular menu item. Eating this will ensure you have a fulfilling day.

The evolution of this seaside town facing the beautiful Seto Inland Sea seems likely to continue. You can enjoy cafes and markets from the morning, so we recommend visiting it as a stroll on the last day of your trip if you want to leave Okayama in the evening.

Kojima area, the birthplace of Japanese jeans

KAPITAL Setouchi Kojima Ox (SOHO) store

Kojima is a seaside town located about 20 minutes by train from Okayama Station. As the name suggests, it was originally one of the islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea, but during the Edo period, it was reclaimed land and connected to Honshu. As the salty soil is not suitable for growing rice, cotton cultivation began, and the textile industry took root. In 1965, the first jeans were sewn in Japan, making Kojima the birthplace of domestically made jeans. The flagship store of the fashion brand KAPITAL, popular for its high-quality denim, "KAPITAL Setouchi Kojima Oze (SOHO) Store", is also located here in Kojima.

The defining feature of the KAPITAL Setouchi Kojima Oxeye (SOHO) store is its impressive building. "Oxeye" is an archaic Japanese word meaning reddish-brown. The store, which reuses the former Kojima Library, an ochre-colored building, is firmly rooted in the Kojima area, while also creating a unique space that exudes an urban atmosphere. The interior, decorated with logs and recycled materials, is reminiscent of an artist's studio.

Another attraction is the bookstore "SOHO BOOKS" located next to the shop. It was produced by Mr. Yoshiyuki Morioka of "Ginza Morioka Books", which has attracted attention from book lovers all over the country with its concept of "a store that sells one book". From photo books and art books to carefully selected old books and paperbacks, the selection of books will impress even the most discerning readers. It is an art spot in Kojima that is constantly visited by fans from inside and outside the prefecture.

Also, when you visit Kojima, we recommend visiting Shimotsui, a port town at the southern tip of the Kojima Peninsula. Shimotsui is a port town that flourished from the Edo period through to the Meiji period, and its old streets, with their original tiled roofs and earthen storehouses, are a prefecturally designated conservation district. The view of the Seto Inland Sea from Mt. Washu is a spectacular sight that you should see at least once if you come to Okayama. The view of the archipelago, made up of over 1,000 islands of all sizes, is sure to be an unforgettable memory of your trip.

Inujima: A historic smelter site revitalized through art

Inujima Seirensho Art Museum

The last island we will introduce is Inujima, the only inhabited island in Okayama City. It takes about 80 minutes to get there from Okayama Station by train and bus. From there, it takes about 10 minutes by ferry to reach Inujima. Inujima has a long history of prosperity through copper refining and quarrying, and many relics from those times still remain today. Inujima Smelter Museum opened in 2008, and since the Setouchi Triennale in 2010, it has become known as an island of contemporary art alongside Naoshima and Teshima.

The Inujima Smelter Art Museum is a museum that has preserved and restored the remains of the copper smelter on Inujima, based on the concept of "utilizing what exists and creating what does not exist." The museum itself is a work of art, an art project that combines three elements: Hiroshi Sambuichi's architecture, which uses the characteristics of materials and natural energy to maintain an optimal temperature without putting a strain on the environment; Yukinori Yanagi's installation work, which uses fixtures from the house where Yukio Mishima lived as a motif; and an advanced water purification system that uses plants.

You can also enjoy swimming and camping on this small island, which can be explored in about an hour. In 2016, a project called "Inujima Living Botanical Garden" was started. Approximately 4,500 square meters of land was reclaimed together with visitors to the island, and a project was carried out where people could experience a self-sufficient lifestyle, reviving land that had not been used for a long time into an experiential botanical garden. Why not spend some time relaxing and experiencing the history, culture, and nature of the island?