[Summer 2024] Introducing the highlights of the Okayama Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle light-up event! Access and parking information

• Table of Contents
• What are Okayama Korakuen Garden"Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" and Okayama Castle"Summer U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo"?
• Event period, lighting times and admission fees
• Highlights of Okayama Korakuen Garden"Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" ① "Colorful Bamboo Lanterns"
• Bamboo lantern
• Highlights of Okayama Korakuen Garden's "Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" ② "Source of Life"
• Highlights of Okayama Korakuen Garden's "Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" #3: Reflections in the Sawa-no-ike Pond
• Highlights of Okayama Castle's "Summer U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo" ① "Kasamai Karasu Castle"
• Okayama Castle's "Summer U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo" Highlights ② "A Summer Night's Dream"
• Event Information
• access
• Parking information for Okayama Korakuen Garden
• Conclusion

What are Okayama Korakuen Garden"Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" and Okayama Castle"Summer U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo"?

Okayama Korakuen Garden , one of the three most famous gardens in Japan, is a special place of scenic beauty that has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japan. Okayama Castle , located across from Okayama Korakuen Garden , is called "Crow Castle" because of its black exterior.

These two tourist spots in the center of Okayama City hold light-up events called "FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" and "U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo" three times a year in the spring, summer, and autumn, when the places are usually closed.

Event period, lighting times and admission fees

[Summer 2024 event period and lighting times]

Event period: Thursday, August 1st to Saturday, August 31st, 2024

Lighting time: 18:00-21:30

*Entry to Okayama Korakuen Garden is until 9:00 p.m.

[Okayama Korakuen Garden"FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" admission fee]

Adults: 500 yen, 65 and over: 200 yen, high school students and younger: free *High school students must present their student ID when entering the park.

[Okayama Castle Illumination "U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo" Price]

Free *An admission fee is required to enter the castle tower (until 9:00 p.m.).

Castle entrance fee: Adults (15 years and over) 400 yen, elementary and junior high school students 100 yen

Combined ticket for admission to Okayama Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle tower: Adults (15 years and older) 720 yen (Photo: Okayama Korakuen Garden main gate ticket booth)

Learn more

Highlights of Okayama Korakuen Garden"Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" ① "Colorful Bamboo Lanterns"

Let's take a look at the highlights of the "FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）." First up is the "Colorful Bamboo Lanterns" in the lawn area. The garden is adorned with red, blue, and yellow lights, creating a fantastic sight! Okayama Castle stands tall in the background. On the path along the lawn, bamboo lanterns with Japanese designs are placed. They are decorated with Japanese motifs typical of Okayama Korakuen Garden, such as cranes, carp, and pine trees.

Bamboo lantern

The colorful lights in the schoolyard are bamboo lanterns.

Was Princess Kaguya from "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" actually inside a bamboo like this?

Highlights of Okayama Korakuen Garden's "Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" ② "Source of Life"

At Enyo-tei, located on the west side of the lawn area, a projection mapping called "Source of Life" was being projected. As a cool breeze blew, up-tempo music and colorful images were played out in tandem.

Perhaps because the family crest of the Ikeda clan, feudal lords of Okayama, is a swallowtail butterfly, the motifs of butterfly wings and peaches, the symbol of Okayama, are colorful and pleasing to the eye. You can enjoy the projection mapping on the lawn.

Highlights of Okayama Korakuen Garden's "Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" #3: Reflections in the Sawa-no-ike Pond

This is the vast pond called "Sawa-no-ike" located within the park. The island is illuminated in cool, cold colors and reflected on the water's surface, creating a fantastical scene!

There are many other beautiful spots, such as illuminated trees and waterways that look like paths of light. Be sure to find your favorite spot!

Highlights of Okayama Castle's "Summer U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo" ① "Kasamai Karasu Castle"

Introducing the highlights of Okayama Castle's "U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo." In the square in front of the Okayama Castle tower, about 100 Japanese umbrella lights create a gorgeous Japanese atmosphere. There was also a large Japanese umbrella tree. Smoke was also burned, creating a fantastic atmosphere. The beautiful lights made visitors say, "It's so pretty!"

Okayama Castle's "Summer U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo" Highlights ② "A Summer Night's Dream"

In front of the main staircase leading to the Fumeimon Gate, there was an objet d'art made of bamboo and lanterns. This piece, called "Summer Night Dreams," is inspired by the dreamscape of a summer night, and is a collaboration with students from the Chugoku Design College (Okayama City).

Event Information

In addition to the illuminations, various other events are held in conjunction with the FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN） and U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo, so we will introduce some of them here.

Please see the link for more details.

[FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）]

・Lantern Floating Workshop

・Japanese culture experience

・Nishigaien Food Court

・FM Okayama FANTASTIC SUMMER LIVE, and many others

[U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo in summer]

*Admission to Okayama Castle is required to participate in this event.

・Okayama Castle Samurai Museum

・Okayama Castle Magic Night and many more

For more information on this event, please click here.

access

Okayama Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle are adjacent to each other across the Asahikawa River. The last admission to Okayama Korakuen Garden is at 9:00 p.m. If you don't have much time, it's a good idea to first see the " FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN） " at Okayama Korakuen Garden and then go to the " U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo " at Okayama Castle .

Okayama Korakuen Garden has a main gate and a south gate. To get to Okayama Castle, exit through the south gate and cross Tsukimi Bridge.

[Okayama Korakuen Garden]

Address: 1-5 Korakuen, Kita-ku , Okayama City, Kita Ward

[Okayama Castle]

Address: 2-3-1 Marunouchi, Kita-ku, Okayama City Kita Ward

[Access (public)]

From JR Okayama Station, take the Fujiwara Danchi bound bus for about 12 minutes and get off at Korakuen-mae

[Access (car)]

Approximately 20 minutes from Okayama IC on the Sanyo Expressway (Photo: Korakuen bus stop * Okayama Station bound bus stop)

Okayama Korakuen Garden

703-8257 1-5 Korakuen, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture

A large garden built by Tsunamasa Ikeda, the second lord of the Okayama domain, as a place for relaxation. The spacious garden, decorated with seasonal flowers, is a different world just like the Edo period. In 1952, it was designated as a “Special Place of Scenic Beauty” as a historical and cultural heritage site, and received a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide Japan. Various events are held throughout the four seasons, such as tea gathering and moon viewing, and for a limited time, you can enjoy the ``Fantasy Garden,'' which is specially opened at night and lights up the garden in a different way than during the day. Volunteer guides (free of charge) are also popular with tourists.

Okayama Castle (Ujo）

2-3-1 Marunouchi, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture 700-0823

A castle built by Hideie Ukita, a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and one of the Five Elders of Toyotomi. The three-story, six-story castle tower, which has a rare scalene pentagonal shape, has a dignified appearance, and is also called ``Ujo'' because of its black clapboard exterior. From the top floor, you can see Asahikawa below, and enjoy a 360-degree view of Okayama Korauen Garden and the city. The original castle tower was burnt down in an air raid in 1945 (Showa 20), but it has now been rebuilt, with parts such as the castle lord's room restored. There is a Bizen ware workshop on the first floor, where you can try your hand at making clay. In addition, the ``Ujo Togenkyo'' event, in which Okayama Castle's castle tower and its surroundings are lit up in spring, summer, and autumn, is gaining popularity.

Parking information for Okayama Korakuen Garden

Okayama Korakuen Garden has a large parking lot (paid) that can accommodate nearly 600 cars. There is a pre-payment machine near the entrance to the parking lot, so please use it to avoid congestion when you leave. The pre-payment machine is convenient because it accepts not only cash but also IC credit cards, electronic money, and code payments.

[Parking spaces] 570 regular cars, 12 spaces for the disabled, 12 buses

[Fee] Standard car: 100 yen/40 minutes, Bus: 1,000 yen/1 time per day

Conclusion

This was an introduction to Okayama Korakuen Garden"Summer FANTASY GARDEN（GENSO-TEIEN）" and Okayama Castle's "Summer U-jo (Crow Castle)Togenkyo" in 2024. Why not take a stroll around the tourist attractions of Okayama while enjoying the pleasant night breeze?