This page is a relocation summary written by an advanced AI
It is not a personal opinion piece written by a human. An AI gathered official information published on the internet — municipal and national statistics, the Japan Meteorological Agency, railway companies, property portals — and rebuilt it into a form that someone considering a move can read and act on. Every figure carries a source link and the date it was checked, so please confirm anything that matters to you against the original document. Rules and prices change. Always check the latest information yourself before you sign anything.
Moving to Okayama
Okayama City is the only city in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions that is both a prefectural capital and a government-ordinance-designated city. It has a population of 709,799, an area of 789.95 square kilometres, and is divided into 4 wards: Kita, Naka, Higashi and Minami. Shin-Osaka is 45 minutes and 5,940 yen away by Shinkansen, Hiroshima 36 minutes, and Tokyo 3 hours 13 minutes — none of them requiring a transfer.
🔴 The single most distinctive thing about this city is its sky. The city itself writes in its municipal overview: "The number of days per year with less than 1 millimetre of precipitation is the highest of any prefectural capital, which is why it is called Hare-no-Kuni Okayama (the Land of Sunshine)." The Japan Meteorological Agency normals give 276.7 days a year (Osaka 266.8, Tokyo 262.5). Annual precipitation is 1,143.1 millimetres, 455 millimetres less than Tokyo, and sunshine is 2,033.7 hours a year, 107 hours more than Tokyo.
The city also writes that it has "the second-fewest earthquakes of intensity 4 or above in Japan."There are 943 second-hand detached houses on the market, ranging from 2,000,000 yen to 128,000,000 yen, with a median of 22,500,000 yen.
Population
709,799 people
1 October Reiwa 7 • 4 wards / area 789.95 square kilometres
Population over 5 years
△16,775 people
Reiwa 7 Census preliminary figures • households up 6,788 to 334,408
Homes for sale
943 listings
¥200,000– / median ¥22,500,000
To Shin-Osaka
45 min
Shinkansen • 5,940 yen • no transfer / Hiroshima 36 min
Medical costs for children
Through high school age
Free for pre-school children and elementary pupils / no income limit
Elevation of listings
median 2.0m
-0.7 to 100.0m / 678 homes are below 5 metres
Days with under 1mm of rain
276.7 days/yr
No. 1 among prefectural capitals • Tokyo 262.5 days
It sits in the western part of Honshu, in the middle of the Okayama Plain. It is the hinge of the fan where two large rivers, the Asahi River and the Yoshii River, flow into the Seto Inland Sea, with reclaimed land facing Kojima Bay to the south and hills leading up to the Kibi Plateau to the north. It became the 18th government-ordinance-designated city in Japan on 1 April Heisei 21. In one sentence, the shape of this city is "wide in the north, low in the south."Kita Ward alone is 450.70 square kilometres — 57% of the city, while Naka Ward is 51.24 square kilometres with a population density of 2,862 people per square kilometre, the highest of the 4 wards. And the median elevation of the 943 homes for sale is 2.0 metres — much of the built-up area sits at almost the same height as the sea (section 5).
Here is how the city describes its own landFrom Okayama City's profile page "Location and natural conditions": "The city is located in the centre of the Okayama Plain, where the Asahi River and the Yoshii River flow into the Seto Inland Sea. The south is fertile plain, and the north spreads into the mountains that lead to the Kibi Plateau."
And on the climate: "Thanks to the mild climate characteristic of the Seto Inland Sea, spring and autumn have many clear days, and in winter the Chugoku Mountains block the harsh seasonal winds so that snow rarely settles. Typhoons that strike the mainland in summer are weakened by the barrier of the Shikoku Mountains, so their effect is comparatively small — the natural conditions here are very favourable."The Chugoku Mountains to the north stop the winter wind, and the Shikoku Mountains to the south weaken typhoons — the city describes itself as a place held between two mountain ranges. See section 6 for the figures behind this.
45 minutes to Shin-Osaka, 36 minutes to Hiroshima. Neither needs a transferThese are ordinary daytime departures, checked on JR West's official service. Okayama 10:14 → [Shinkansen Sakura No. 742, 45 minutes] → Shin-Osaka 10:59. Total 5,940 yen (base fare 3,080 yen + reserved-seat limited express charge 2,860 yen). For Hiroshima: Okayama 10:06 → [Nozomi No. 7, 36 minutes] → Hiroshima 10:42, 6,260 yen.
Tokyo is also 3 hours 13 minutes with no transfer (Okayama 10:20 → Tokyo 13:33, 17,570 yen, 732.9 operating kilometres). There are 105 Shinkansen a day towards Shin-Osaka and Tokyo, of which 63 run through to Tokyo.From 7:44 in the morning to 20:37 at night, at least one train an hour leaves for Tokyo.
JR Okayama Station is served by 8 lines, including the ShinkansenFrom the city's Reiwa 8 municipal overview: "The city sits at the meeting point of the east-west axis linking Kinki and Kyushu and the north-south axis linking San'in and Shikoku, and is a core hub city where rail, road and air networks converge.""JR Okayama Station is served by 8 lines, including the Shinkansen."
JR West's station timetable also divides Okayama Station into 9 directions: Hiroshima / Hakata / Kagoshima-Chuo; Shin-Osaka / Tokyo; Kurashiki / Fukuyama; Wake / Himeji / Tottori; Saidaiji / Banshu-Ako; Kojima / Uno / Shikoku; Fukuwatari / Tsuyama / Tottori; Bitchu-Takamatsu / Soja; and Kurashiki / Niimi / Yonago. The expressways are the Sanyo Expressway, the Chugoku Odan Expressway (Okayama-Yonago route) and the Seto-Chuo Expressway — three in all (section 3).
Among the 20 ordinance-designated cities, this is the city of low prices and booksFrom the comparison of the 20 government-ordinance-designated cities that the city publishes in its municipal overview. Consumer price regional difference index (overall) 97.7, ranking 1st (cheapest); library books per resident 4.9, ranking 1st; doctors 432.1 per 100,000 people, ranking 2nd; city park area 16.9 square metres per person, ranking 2nd; 18 nationally designated historic sites, ranking 2nd.
Further: department stores and general supermarkets 6.49 per 100,000 people, ranking 3rd; hospital beds 1,547.7, ranking 4th; cultural facilities 2.76, ranking 4th; shortness of commute, 25.2 minutes one way (median), ranking 5th; rent (private rental housing) 4,179 yen per month per 3.3 square metres, ranking 5th; university and junior-college students 4,380.6 per 100,000 people, ranking 5th. "Prices are low, commutes are short, and there are plenty of doctors and books" — that is what the city's own figures say.
Sources: population, area, ward overview, comparison of the 20 ordinance-designated cities, the 8 lines and the explanation of "Hare-no-Kuni" are fromOkayama City, "Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview"(14 April 2026, ID 16325 / "Okayama City Profile" PDF / population 709,799 [as of 1 October Reiwa 7, Okayama Prefecture Monthly Population Movement Survey] / area 789.95 square kilometres [as of 1 October Reiwa 7, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, "Reiwa 7 Survey of Areas by Prefecture and Municipality"] / by ward = Kita Ward 312,155 people, 450.70 square kilometres, 692.6 per square kilometre; Naka Ward 146,652 people, 51.24 square kilometres, 2,862.1 per square kilometre; Higashi Ward 88,844 people, 160.53 square kilometres, 553.4 per square kilometre; Minami Ward 162,148 people, 127.48 square kilometres, 1,271.9 per square kilometre / "The number of days per year with less than 1 millimetre of precipitation is the highest of any prefectural capital, which is why it is called Hare-no-Kuni Okayama" [Okayama 276.7 days (1st), Osaka 266.8 days (9th), Tokyo 262.5 days (15th), from Japan Meteorological Agency data, statistical period 1991-2020] / "the second-fewest earthquakes of intensity 4 or above in Japan" [number of earthquakes of intensity 4 or above observed by prefecture between 1919 and 2024, from the Japan Meteorological Agency's Seismic Intensity Database Search] / comparison among the 20 government-ordinance-designated cities = city park area 16.9 square metres per person (2nd), rent (private rental housing) 4,179 yen per month per 3.3 square metres (5th), low price level: consumer price regional difference index (overall) 97.7 (1st), shortness of commute 25.2 minutes one way, median (5th), department stores / general supermarkets 6.49 per 100,000 people (3rd), hospital beds 1547.7 per 100,000 people (4th), doctors 432.1 per 100,000 people (2nd), university / junior-college students 4380.6 per 100,000 people (5th), cultural facilities 2.76 per 100,000 people (4th), library books 4.9 per person (1st), 18 nationally designated historic sites (2nd) / "The city sits at the meeting point of the east-west axis linking Kinki and Kyushu and the north-south axis linking San'in and Shikoku, and is a core hub city where rail, road and air networks converge." "JR Okayama Station is served by 8 lines, including the Shinkansen.") / the description of the terrain and climate is fromOkayama City Profile, "Location and natural conditions"("The city is located in the centre of the Okayama Plain, where the Asahi River and the Yoshii River flow into the Seto Inland Sea. The south is fertile plain, and the north spreads into the mountains that lead to the Kibi Plateau." "Thanks to the mild climate characteristic of the Seto Inland Sea, spring and autumn have many clear days, and in winter the Chugoku Mountains block the harsh seasonal winds so that snow rarely settles. Typhoons that strike the mainland in summer are weakened by the barrier of the Shikoku Mountains, so their effect is comparatively small — the natural conditions here are very favourable.") / Shinkansen journey times, fares and frequencies are fromJR West's "My Daiya"andthe same, official timetable "Okayama Station, Shin-Osaka / Tokyo direction"(timetable revision of 14 March 2026, queried for 27 August 2026. Okayama to Shin-Osaka, Sakura No. 742, 45 minutes, 5,940 yen [base fare 3,080 yen + reserved seat 2,860 yen] / Okayama to Hiroshima, Nozomi No. 7, 36 minutes, 6,260 yen / Okayama to Tokyo, Nozomi No. 14, 3 hours 13 minutes, 17,570 yen [base fare 10,670 yen + reserved seat 6,900 yen], 732.9 operating kilometres / 105 trains reach Shin-Osaka, 63 trains reach Tokyo) / checked 2026-08-26
How to get to Okayama from Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima
Where to start
Shortest route
Time and fare
Shin-Osaka
One Shinkansen (Sakura / Nozomi)
45 min / 5,940 yen (0 transfers)
Osaka
Shinkansen 45 min + transfer at Shin-Osaka + JR Kyoto Line
It is the only city in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions that is both a prefectural capital and a government-ordinance-designated city. Population 709,799, area 789.95 square kilometres, divided into 4 wards: Kita, Naka, Higashi and Minami. 🔴 Its most distinctive feature is the sky — 276.7 days a year have less than 1 millimetre of precipitation, the highest figure of any prefectural capital (Tokyo 262.5 days). Shin-Osaka is 45 minutes and 5,940 yen away by Shinkansen, with no transfer.
CHAPTER 02Four areas, and life in each
Okayama City is a government-ordinance-designated city, so the unit of the town is the "ward." There are 4. Population and area are from the Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview (population as of 1 October Reiwa 7), the character of each ward from the city's comprehensive plan, "Plans by Ward", and the properties from the 943 listings this page collected.
These 4 wards divide first of all by "height." Ranked by the median elevation of the homes for sale: Kita Ward 5.0 metres, Higashi Ward 3.3 metres, Naka Ward 1.9 metres, Minami Ward 1.0 metre. The highest home is at 100.0 metres in Kita Ward, and the lowest at -0.7 metres in Minami Ward — within one city there are houses in the hills and houses below sea level.
Ward
Population, Area
How the city describes it
Homes for sale
Elevation (median)
Kita Ward
312,155 people / 450.70km² 692.6 people/km²
From the centre west of the Asahi River to the northwest. About 57% of the city area, the largest of the 4 wards. National, prefectural and city government offices are concentrated in the city centre, and commercial and business functions around JR Okayama Station and Omote-cho. Okayama Airport and the Sanyo Expressway Okayama Interchange are also in Kita Ward. To the north are the hill-and-valley areas of Mitsu and Takebe (Takebe is the only depopulated area in the city).
307 350,000 - 89,000,000 yen median 22,800,000 yen
5.0m （0.8〜100.0m）
Naka Ward
146,652 people / 51.24km² 2,862.1 people/km²
East of the Asahi River, almost in the centre of the city. The smallest area and the highest population density of the 4 wards. Mt. Tatsunokuchi to the north, the hills of Mt. Sozan in the centre, the Asahi River to the west and the Hyakken River to the east. Urbanisation promotion areas make up about half the ward, and the share of residential land is the highest of the 4 wards.
266 1,990,000 - 85,000,000 yen median 22,990,000 yen
1.9m （-0.1〜80.3m）
Higashi Ward
88,844 people / 160.53km² 553.4 people/km²
The southeast of the city. The Yoshii River runs through it and Mt. Kegoyama stands in the centre. Inujima, the only inhabited island in the city. The Saidaiji area grew as a port town at the mouth of the Yoshii River and as the temple town of Saidaiji Kannon-in. The Seto area has good access to the Sanyo Expressway and has become a suburban residential area.
150 200,000 - 128,000,000 yen median 18,000,000 yen
3.3m （-0.2〜87.6m）
Minami Ward
162,148 people / 127.48km² 1,271.9 people/km²
The south of the city. More than half of the ward is land reclaimed from the Edo period onwards, and the south is the granary at the heart of the city's farming. The largest area of cultivated land of the 4 wards. The north is built-up land continuous with the city centre, and the Konan area has a coastal industrial belt and large-scale retail. The Kojima Peninsula is part of Setonaikai National Park.
220 2,980,000 - 110,000,000 yen median 22,800,000 yen
1.0m （-0.7〜11.3m）
Sources: population and area are fromOkayama City, "Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview"(population as of 1 October Reiwa 7, Okayama Prefecture Monthly Population Movement Survey; area from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, "Reiwa 7 Survey of Areas by Prefecture and Municipality") / the character of each ward is fromOkayama City, "Comprehensive Plan III: Plans by Ward"("Kita Ward is located from the centre west of the Asahi River to the northwest, includes the former Mitsu-cho and Takebe-cho areas merged in Heisei 17 and 19, and at about 451 square kilometres covers about 57% of Okayama City, the largest of the 4 wards." "In the city centre, national, prefectural and municipal government offices are concentrated, and around JR Okayama Station and Omote-cho, banks, department stores, office buildings and other commercial and business functions are clustered." "JR Okayama Station, Okayama Airport and the Sanyo Expressway Okayama Interchange are located here, giving excellent wide-area transport access." "In hill-and-valley areas such as Mitsu and Takebe, the only area in the city designated as depopulated, the trend is downward." / "Naka Ward lies east of the Asahi River, almost in the centre of the city; at about 51 square kilometres it accounts for about 6% of the whole city and is the smallest of the 4 wards." "Mt. Tatsunokuchi lies to the north and the hills of Mt. Sozan in the centre, with the Asahi River to the west and its floodway, the Hyakken River, to the east." "The urbanisation promotion area accounts for about half of the ward, the highest share of the 4 wards. In land use, residential land exceeds 30%, again the highest of the 4 wards." "The population density is 2,853.3 per square kilometre, far above the city average of 910.8, and the highest of the 4 wards." / "Higashi Ward lies in the southeast of the city, includes the former Seto area merged in Heisei 19, and at about 161 square kilometres covers about 20% of the city." "The Class A river Yoshii runs through the ward, Mt. Kegoyama stands in the centre, the south faces Kojima Bay and the Seto Inland Sea, and offshore lies Inujima, the only inhabited island in the city." "The Saidaiji area is the centre of the Tobi district; having grown as a port town at the mouth of the Yoshii River and as the temple town of Saidaiji Kannon-in, administrative and commercial functions are concentrated there." "The Seto area has good access to the Sanyo Expressway, so many companies have moved in and it has also developed as a suburban residential area of the southern prefectural urban zone." / "Minami Ward lies in the south of the city, includes the former Nadasaki-cho area merged in Heisei 17, and at about 127 square kilometres covers about 16% of Okayama City." "More than half of the ward is land reclaimed from the Edo period onwards, and a vast granary that forms the heart of Okayama City's agriculture spreads across the south. The area of cultivated land is the largest of the 4 wards, and within it the share of paddy is the highest of the 4 wards." "The north of the ward is built-up land continuous with the city centre, and in the Konan area a coastal industrial belt spreads out and large-scale retail facilities are located." "Lake Kojima, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, and the Kojima Peninsula, which forms part of Setonaikai National Park") / properties and elevations are this page's tally of 943 listings (section 4) / checked 2026-08-26
The city writes a one-line "vision" for each of the 4 wardsQuoted directly from the plans by ward in the comprehensive plan.
Kita Ward = "A town of bustle and exchange, living with nature, fragrant with history and culture" — "Living with the rich nature of the northern mountains and the clear Asahi River, and making the fullest use of abundant historical and cultural assets such as Okayama Castle, Okayama Korakuen Garden and the Kibiji route."Naka Ward = "A town full of contact and energy, comfortable and full of the joy of living" — "While feeling close to the rich water and greenery represented by the Asahi River, the Hyakken River, Mt. Sozan and Mt. Tatsunokuchi, we will further polish the liveability of a built-up area that extends continuously from the city centre and offers a highly convenient life."Higashi Ward = "A town where history lives on and people feel attached, and want to go on living", Minami Ward = "A fruitful homeland where people, town and nature are in harmony and smiles shine". Put the four lines side by side and you can see the face of each ward.
The cheapest ward is Higashi WardThe median price of homes for sale is almost level across Naka Ward 22,990,000 yen, Kita Ward 22,800,000 yen and Minami Ward 22,800,000 yen, with only Higashi Ward at 18,000,000 yen — about 4,800,000 yen below the other three. The share of homes at 10,000,000 yen or less is also 22% in Kita Ward and 20% in Higashi Ward, against 12% in Naka Ward and 8% in Minami Ward.
Higashi Ward is also the ward the city describes as "the only one of the 4 wards that has entered a period of population decline" (a fall of 1.4% between Heisei 22 and 27). On the other hand it writes that "the number of people per household is 2.58, the highest of the 4 wards, and the share of single-person households is 25.1%, the lowest of the 4 wards." In other words, it is a ward with many family households.
"Naka Ward is the smallest and the densest"Its area of 51.24 square kilometres is one-ninth of Kita Ward. With 146,652 people living there, the population density is 2,862 per square kilometre — 4.1 times Kita Ward and 5.2 times Higashi Ward.
The city describes the built-up area of Naka Ward in three parts: "the area along the Asahi River west of Higashiyama and Mt. Sozan, which developed early as part of the old castle town," "the area running east-west north of Mt. Sozan along National Route 250 and the Sanyo Main Line," and "the area south of Mt. Sozan along the Okayama-Ushimado prefectural road, where housing development has proceeded."A single hill, Mt. Sozan, divides the ward into three characters — the most useful map to have in mind when house-hunting in Naka Ward.
Minami Ward is "the town of reclaimed land"The city writes that "more than half of the ward is land reclaimed from the Edo period onwards.""The reclaimed land on the right bank of the Asahi River and the hills of the Kojima Peninsula lie around Kojima Bay and Lake Kojima; the Asahi River flows into Kojima Bay in the east, and the Sasagase River in the centre and the Kurashiki River in the south flow into Lake Kojima, the largest artificial lake in Japan (excluding dam reservoirs)."The 220 homes for sale range from -0.7 to 11.3 metres in elevation, with a median of 1.0 metre — the lowest and the narrowest range in the city. No slopes, flat enough to use a bicycle is the advantage, and always check the storm-surge and flood maps in section 5 is the condition — both come from the same place.
How do the 4 wards differ?
🔴 They divide by "height." The median elevation of homes for sale is Kita Ward 5.0 metres, Higashi Ward 3.3 metres, Naka Ward 1.9 metres, Minami Ward 1.0 metre. By area, Kita Ward is 450.70 square kilometres, 57% of the city, while Naka Ward is 51.24 square kilometres with a population density of 2,862.1 per square kilometre, the highest of the 4 wards.
CHAPTER 03Trains and cars — how you get around
Okayama Station is a station from which trains leave in 9 directions. Besides the Shinkansen (the Sanyo Shinkansen), there are the Sanyo Main Line, the Ako Line, the Tsuyama Line, the Kibi Line (the Momotaro Line), the Uno Line (the Uno-Minato Line), the Seto-Ohashi Line and the Hakubi Line — as the city writes, "JR Okayama Station is served by 8 lines, including the Shinkansen."Within the city there are 2 tram lines (Okayama Electric Tramway), and the fare is a flat 160 yen for adults across the whole network. Okayama Momotaro Airport has 3 domestic and 4 international routes, and is about 30 minutes and 1,000 yen by bus from the west exit of Okayama Station. There are 4 Sanyo Expressway interchanges within the city (Kibi Smart Interchange, Okayama Interchange, Okayama Junction and Okayama-Soja Interchange).
At the end of fiscal 2026, the tram will come inside Okayama StationThe Okayama-Ekimae tram stop is currently on the road in front of the station. The city is extending the track about 100 metres from there so that trams run into the station plaza. In the city's words: "The distance between JR Okayama Station and the tram stop will shrink and become easier to understand, so transferring will be more convenient.""With the renewal of the station plaza, a covered walkway, an information centre, waiting areas and toilets will be built."The schedule: construction started in April 2021 → the taxi zone was completed in December 2023 → the private-car zone in February 2025 → the public transport information centre in June 2026 → tram entry completed at the end of fiscal 2026. The total project cost is about 11,680,000,000 yen (excluding tax, as of April Reiwa 8). See section 12 as well.
The tram has two lines: the Higashiyama Line and the Seikibashi LineThey are operated by Okayama Electric Tramway. The fare is a flat 160 yen for adults and 80 yen for children across the whole network, and a one-day pass is 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for children (whole tram network). On sections where the tram and Okaden buses run in parallel, a tram commuter pass can be used on the bus and a bus pass on the tram.
Among the homes for sale in section 4, 52 listings in Naka Ward have "Higashiyama–Okaden Museum" as their nearest stop — in other words, second-hand detached houses whose nearest stop is a tram stop are a normal part of the market.
The airport is on a hill in Kita Ward, about 30 minutes by busTo Okayama Momotaro Airport (Nichioji, Kita Ward), the airport bus from stop 21 at the west exit of Okayama Station takes about 30 minutes and costs 1,000 yen one way (500 yen for children). From Sports Center-mae and Okayama Daigaku-suji it is 950 yen.
The routes are 3 domestic ones — Tokyo (Haneda), Sapporo (New Chitose) and Okinawa (Naha) — and 4 international ones — Seoul (Incheon), Shanghai (Pudong), Hong Kong and Taipei (Taoyuan) (plus a series of charter flights to Kaohsiung). There is a second airfield in the city, Konan Airfield in Minami Ward.
The commute is 25.2 minutes one way — the 5th shortest of the 20 ordinance-designated citiesIn the comparison of the 20 ordinance-designated cities that the city publishes in its municipal overview, shortness of commute = 25.2 minutes one way (median), ranking 5th (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Reiwa 5 Housing and Land Survey").
As section 2 shows, Naka Ward has 146,652 people in 51.24 square kilometres, and the median elevation of homes for sale in Minami Ward is 1.0 metre, so there are no slopes — "a compact built-up area, flat ground, and a dense network of stations and tram stops" is what produces these 25.2 minutes. It is fair to read it as a city you can commute across by bicycle.
Sources: the 8 lines and the number of air routes are fromOkayama City, "Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview"("[Rail] JR Okayama Station is served by 8 lines, including the Shinkansen." "[Expressways] the Sanyo Expressway, the Chugoku Odan Expressway (Okayama-Yonago route) and the Seto-Chuo Expressway." "[Air] Okayama Momotaro Airport is served by 3 domestic and 4 international routes, 7 in all." / shortness of commute 25.2 minutes one way [median], 5th, from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Reiwa 5 Housing and Land Survey") / the number of directions from Okayama Station is fromJR West official timetable, Okayama Station(timetable revision of 14 March 2026; the 9 directions are Hiroshima / Hakata / Kagoshima-Chuo, Shin-Osaka / Tokyo, Kurashiki / Fukuyama, Wake / Himeji / Tottori, Saidaiji / Banshu-Ako, Kojima / Uno / Shikoku, Fukuwatari / Tsuyama / Tottori, Bitchu-Takamatsu / Soja, and Kurashiki / Niimi / Yonago) / the tram entry project is fromOkayama City, "About the project to bring the tram into the Okayama Station plaza"(updated 1 June 2026, ID 35766 / track extension of about 100m [width 6.5m] / "The distance between JR Okayama Station and the tram stop will shrink and become easier to understand, so transferring will be more convenient." "With the renewal of the station plaza, a covered walkway, an information centre, waiting areas and toilets will be built, making public transport easier to use." / project schedule [as of April Reiwa 8]: May 2019 project adopted, March 2020 licence obtained under the Tramways Act, April 2021 onwards construction started, December 2023 taxi zone completed, 2024 onwards underground mall reinforcement work, February 2025 private-car zone completed, 2025 onwards track work, June 2026 public transport information centre completed, end of fiscal 2026 tram entry completed / total project cost about 11,680,000,000 yen [excluding tax], 12,190,000,000 yen [including tax] = track 1,520,000,000 yen, underground mall reinforcement 2,890,000,000 yen, underground mall compensation 2,580,000,000 yen, intersection improvement 680,000,000 yen, station plaza 4,010,000,000 yen) / tram fares are fromOkayama Electric Tramway, "Route map and fares"(Higashiyama Line and Seikibashi Line / "160-yen section: adults 160 yen, children 80 yen" "You can travel from the stop where you board to your destination stop for a single through fare (adults 160 yen, children 80 yen)" / one-day pass: adults [junior high school and above] 400 yen, children [elementary school] 200 yen, valid on the whole tram network) / the airport bus is fromOkayama Momotaro Airport, "Access by bus"("Fare (one way) 1,000 yen (Okayama Station west exit / Mori-no-Machi to the airport) [children 500 yen] / 950 yen (Sports Center-mae / Okayama Daigaku-suji to the airport) [children 480 yen]" "Journey time about 30 minutes (Okayama Station west exit to the airport)" / Okayama Station west exit, stop 21) andthe same, routes served(domestic = Tokyo [Haneda], Sapporo [New Chitose], Okinawa [Naha] / international = Seoul [Incheon], Shanghai [Pudong], Hong Kong, Taipei [Taoyuan], Kaohsiung [series charter]) / the locations of the airports and interchanges are fromNational Land Numerical Information(C28 Airports and N06 Expressway time series. Airports within Okayama City = Okayama Airport [locally managed airport] and Konan Airfield / interchanges within the city = Kibi Smart Interchange, Okayama Interchange, Okayama Junction and Okayama-Soja Interchange [all on the Sanyo Expressway]) / checked 2026-08-26
✈ Airports
Okayama Airport is inside this area (locally managed airport). Konan Airfield is inside this area (other airport). The nearest is Takamatsu Airport (hub airport, state-managed), about 58.1km in a straight line. Next is Tottori Airport (about 90.7km in a straight line). 🔴 These are straight-line distances. They are neither road distances nor journey times — please check how to actually get there with each operator's timetable.
🛣 Expressway junctions
This area has 4 entrances and exits (interchanges and junctions). Sanyo Expressway = Kibi Smart Interchange • Okayama • Okayama Junction • Okayama-Soja
JR Okayama Station is served by 8 lines, including the Shinkansen, with trains leaving in 9 directions. Within the city there are 2 tram lines, with a flat adult fare of 160 yen across the network. Okayama Momotaro Airport is about 30 minutes and 1,000 yen by bus from the west exit of Okayama Station, with 3 domestic and 4 international routes. There are 4 Sanyo Expressway interchanges within the city.
CHAPTER 04Homes actually on the market right now
There are 943 second-hand detached houses for sale in Okayama City (all listings across the 4 wards were collected from SUUMO on 26 August 2026). Prices range from 200,000 yen to 128,000,000 yen, with a median of 22,500,000 yen.148 are 10,000,000 yen or less (16%), 419 are 20,000,000 yen or less (44%), 714 are 30,000,000 yen or less (76%), 51 are over 50,000,000 yen, and 5 are over 100,000,000 yen. The median land area is 191 square metres (about 58 tsubo) and the median building area 113 square metres.The median year of construction is 1994, with 351 built in 2000 or later (37%) and 259 built in 1981 or earlier, under the old earthquake code (27%).
Sort
"Nearest the station first" converts everything to minutes — a walk of ◯ min, ◯ min by bus plus ◯ min from the stop, ◯ km by car (reckoned at 30 km/h) — and compares those. Listings with no such information always appear last, whatever the sort.
76% are 30,000,000 yen or less — easy to buy into for an ordinance-designated cityThe median of 22,500,000 yen is the lowest among the ordinance-designated cities this site has covered (Kumamoto 22,980,000 yen, Sapporo 27,800,000 yen, Sendai 29,500,000 yen, Fukuoka 39,990,000 yen). The median land area is 191 square metres (about 58 tsubo) and the median building area 113 square metres (about 34 tsubo).
The medians by ward are Naka Ward 22,990,000 yen, Kita Ward 22,800,000 yen, Minami Ward 22,800,000 yen and Higashi Ward 18,000,000 yen. Three wards line up at almost the same price and only Higashi Ward is about 4,800,000 yen lower — this is a city where you choose by station and elevation rather than by ward. As for land, 415 listings are 200 square metres or more (44%) and 208 are 300 square metres or more.
Always check the elevation before you buyWe attached the elevation of its address to all 943 listings. Across the city they run from -0.7 to 100.0 metres, with a median of 2.0 metres.678 are below 5 metres (72%), 548 are below 3 metres, and 22 are below 0 metres.
This is the single most important figure on this page. The city itself writes: "The Okayama Plain spreads across low-lying flat land, and a zero-metre zone lower than the mean spring high tide extends across the south of Okayama City. For this reason the built-up area lies lower than the rivers, formed on terrain from which drainage is difficult." (section 5). Having no slopes, being able to get around by bicycle, and having no snow come from the same terrain as always looking at the water maps. The medians by ward are Kita Ward 5.0, Higashi Ward 3.3, Naka Ward 1.9 and Minami Ward 1.0 metres.
The "cheap houses" cluster at the northern edge of Kita Ward and in Higashi WardOf the 148 listings at 10,000,000 yen or less, 68 are in Kita Ward and 30 in Higashi Ward. The cheapest is 200,000 yen at Kubo in Higashi Ward (built 1965, land 95.3 square metres, 16 minutes on foot from "Saidaiji" on the JR Ako Line, elevation 7.5 metres), followed by 350,000 yen at Ashimori 2005 in Kita Ward (built 1900, land 650.79 square metres = about 197 tsubo, 52 minutes on foot from "Ashimori" on the JR Kibi Line, elevation 24.7 metres) and 1,050,000 yen at Ashimori 2202-5 in Kita Ward (built 1976, elevation 25.9 metres).
Line them up and the pattern is clear — Ashimori is at the western edge of Kita Ward, the jinya town of the former Ashimori-cho. The land is large, the house is old, and the station is far. If you can accept those three things, the choices are here.
259 (27%) are under the old earthquake code. The differences between wards are smallHouses built in 1981 (Showa 56) or earlier number 259, or 27% of the total. By ward the shares are Kita Ward 31%, Higashi Ward 29%, Naka Ward 25% and Minami Ward 25% — only 6 points between the highest (Kita) and the lowest (Minami).
Okayama City does not have the large ward-by-ward gaps that Sapporo does (Toyohira Ward 38% down to Teine Ward 8%). On the other hand, 351 houses were built in 2000 or later (37%), and 172 in 2016 or later. Before you buy, always put the address on the earthquake disaster prevention maps in section 5 (shaking, building damage risk and liquefaction risk).
Sources: the property data is fromSUUMO, second-hand detached houses in Okayama City — the listings for the 4 wards (Kita Ward 307, Naka Ward 266, Minami Ward 220, Higashi Ward 150) were collected in full by this site on 26 August 2026 and combined (943 listings, 0 duplicates, matching SUUMO's stated total). Prices, land, building, year of construction and layout are as listed; the tallies (medians and counts) are this site's own calculation / elevations were obtained one by one from each listing's coordinates usingGeospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API (all 943 obtained from listing coordinates, 0 rejected) / checked 2026-08-26
Okayama City has an "Okayama City Vacant House Information Bank." The properties are listed on the prefecture's distribution system.
There are 35 for sale and 2 for rentOkayama City's vacant house information bank isa scheme under which the city invites and registers information about vacant houses and provides it to people who want to use them (Building Guidance Division, Housing and Building Department, Urban Development Bureau, Vacant House Measures Promotion Office). The properties themselves are not on the city site but onthe "Okayama Prefecture Vacant House Information System" — the "Vacant House Bank Property Feature" on the property site Sumairu Okayama.
Counting on 26 August 2026,for sale there were 19 in Kita Ward, 7 in Higashi Ward, 6 in Minami Ward and 3 in Naka Ward, 35 in all、for rent there were 2 in Kita Ward. In the prefecture,Tsuyama City with 83has the most.The city writes that "the City has an agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Transaction Association (public interest incorporated association) and the Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Association (general incorporated association), and also receives information on properties managed by estate agents.".
Open the Vacant House Bank Property Feature on Sumairu Okayama →
Register and you can get help with disposing of household goodsThe city writes: "If you register with the vacant house information bank, you can use a scheme that subsidises part of the cost of disposing of and transporting household goods and the like" (Vacant Property Proper Management Support Project [disposal of household goods], newly established in fiscal Reiwa 5).
Eligible properties are "properties within Okayama City that are currently vacant (or are due to become vacant)" and "properties that, at the time of application for registration with Okayama City, are not under a brokerage contract with a real estate agent." The city also states clearly that "the City only publishes information and is not directly involved in negotiations," and that "Okayama City will not purchase or rent the properties provided, nor carry out repairs or maintenance." The contact is 086-803-1410.
If you move here and buy or renovate a second-hand home, there is a subsidy of up to 200,000 yenSecond-hand home purchase or renovation support (Okayama City Relocation Support Subsidy). The subsidy covers one half of the cost, up to 200,000 yen, and can be used either for purchase costs (the purchase price of the land and house plus the brokerage fee) or for renovation work. The cost of removing and disposing of household goods is also eligible.
The conditions include "the applicant and everyone living with them must be under 50 years old as of 31 March Reiwa 9," "moved into Okayama City on or after 1 April Reiwa 7 and less than one year has passed since moving in," "had a resident registration outside Okayama Prefecture for at least one year immediately before moving in," and "intends to live in the subsidised property for at least two years from the date of the completion report."The application deadline is one month after the date of the sale or works contract, and applications close as soon as the budget runs out. See section 8 as well.
There is also the option of renting first and deciding laterRental housing rent support (Okayama City Relocation Support Subsidy) covers part of the rent for up to 4 months for people considering a move to Okayama City from outside the prefecture, or living in two places. Up to 37,500 yen a month, covering one half of the cost. Eligible properties are those listed in the "Okayama City Trial Housing Property Feature" on Sumairu Okayama.
The city states plainly: "The rental housing offered here is, in principle, ordinary rental property with a contract period of one to two years (two years is usual). Please note that it cannot be used short-term only for the subsidy period." Before applying, you are required to telephone the Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Transaction Association (086-222-2131) for a consultation.
Sources: the scheme and its conditions are fromOkayama City, "Vacant House Information Bank"(ID 6141 / "A scheme under which information about vacant houses (including houses that are due to become vacant) is registered with Okayama City and provided to people who wish to use them, so that vacant houses are put to good use." "The City has an agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Transaction Association (public interest incorporated association) and the Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Association (general incorporated association), and also receives information on properties managed by estate agents." "If you register with the vacant house information bank, you can use a scheme that subsidises part of the cost of disposing of and transporting household goods and the like." "The City only publishes information and is not directly involved in negotiations." / contact = Building Guidance Division, Housing and Building Department, Urban Development Bureau, Vacant House Measures Promotion Office, 086-803-1410) andthe same, "List of vacant properties"(ID 6105 / "If you are looking for a vacant house in Okayama City or the prefecture, please see Sumairu Okayama." "For properties registered with the vacant house information bank, please see 'Vacant house bank properties (municipalities) [Okayama Prefecture Vacant House Information System]' at the bottom of the site.") / the number of registrations is fromSumairu Okayama, "Vacant House Bank Property Feature (Okayama Prefecture Vacant House Information System)"(operated jointly by the Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Transaction Association and the Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Association / figures read from the per-municipality counts under "Search by area" on 26 August 2026 = for sale, Kita Ward 19, Higashi Ward 7, Naka Ward 3, Minami Ward 6, 35 in all / for rent, Kita Ward 2 and none elsewhere, 2 in all. The largest in the prefecture is Tsuyama City with 83 [for sale]) / the subsidies are fromOkayama Seikatsu, "Second-hand home purchase or renovation support (Reiwa 8 Okayama City Relocation Support Subsidy)"(one half of the cost, up to 200,000 yen) andthe same, "Rental housing rent support (Reiwa 8 Okayama City Relocation Support Subsidy)"("Part of the rent is subsidised (maximum 37,500 yen, covering one half) for up to 4 months." "The applicant and everyone living with them must be under 50 years old as of 31 March Reiwa 9." "The rental housing offered here is, in principle, ordinary rental property with a contract period of one to two years (two years is usual). Please note that it cannot be used short-term only for the subsidy period." / applications and enquiries = Okayama Prefecture Real Estate Transaction Association, 086-222-2131) / checked 2026-08-26
Akiya bank
There are no registrations of homes for sale. All the properties listed in this chapter are on the private market. (as checked on 26 August 2026)
How much does a house cost here?
There are 943 second-hand detached houses for sale, ranging from 200,000 yen to 128,000,000 yen, with a median of 22,500,000 yen. The median land area is 191 square metres, the median building area 113 square metres, and the median year of construction 1994.714 (76%) are 30,000,000 yen or less, and 259 (27%) were built in 1981 or earlier under the old earthquake code. 🔴 The medians by ward are Naka Ward 22,990,000 yen, Kita Ward 22,800,000 yen, Minami Ward 22,800,000 yen and Higashi Ward 18,000,000 yen.
CHAPTER 05Is the ground safe?
Safety in Okayama City gives opposite answers for "shaking" and for "water." On shaking, the city itself writes in its municipal overview that it has "the second-fewest earthquakes of intensity 4 or above in Japan" (counts by prefecture from 1919 to 2024, from the Japan Meteorological Agency's Seismic Intensity Database Search).
On water, the city's own materials say: "The Okayama Plain spreads across low-lying flat land, and a zero-metre zone lower than the mean spring high tide extends across the south of Okayama City. For this reason the built-up area lies lower than the rivers, formed on terrain from which drainage is difficult," and "the zero-metre zone of the Okayama Plain is 218 square kilometres, about twice the size of the 116 square kilometres around Tokyo Bay."As section 4 shows, the median elevation of the 943 homes for sale is 2.0 metres. "It shakes little, but always check the water" — that is the starting point for house-hunting in Okayama City.
Is this town inside a national earthquake-preparedness zone?
For each major earthquake, national law designates the areas where preparation is to be advanced. Whether a town is designated tells you directly how the national government views the shaking and tsunami expected there.
Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area
Designated
Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area
Not applicable (the whole of Okayama Prefecture is outside this scheme)
Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area
Not applicable (the whole of Okayama Prefecture is outside this scheme)
Shaking of intensity 6-lower or above within 30 years
45.7% (intensity 6+ upper or above is 8.8%) At the point of Okayama City Hall. The surface ground is AVS30 199m/s, delta and coastal lowland
This probability is for the single 250-metre grid square the city hall stands in.
The Okayama City town hall stands ondelta and coastal lowland (AVS30 199m/s), and the 45.7% above is the figure for that point. Even within Okayama City it varies greatly between low ground along the rivers and the terraces.
When a listing interests you, look it up by its street address.Enter an address on the J-SHIS map and it shows the probability and the ground for that 250-metre mesh.
The zero-metre zone is 218 square kilometres — about twice the area around Tokyo BayQuoted directly from the city's materials: "The zero-metre zone of the Okayama Plain is 218 square kilometres, about twice the size of the 116 square kilometres around Tokyo Bay.""Much of the town of Okayama lies in the zero-metre zone, below the water level of the rivers.""The town is lower than the rivers" means water does not drain away by itself in heavy rain. That is why the city produces an inland-water flooding hazard map separately from the river flood map. The 220 homes for sale in Minami Ward range from -0.7 to 11.3 metres in elevation (median 1.0 metre).If you are buying in this ward, always look at all three maps: flood, inland water and storm surge.
There are 7 kinds of hazard map. Start with the web versionThe city gathers this on itsa web version of the hazard map, which states:"On the web hazard map you can view the flood and landslide, storm surge, earthquake and tsunami hazard maps, and by using the location function of a smartphone or tablet you can check hazard information around your current position, whether evacuation centres are open, and the route to reach them."。It was updated on 20 August Reiwa 8.There are English and Korean versions as well as Japanese.
On paper and in PDF there are(1) flood and landslide, (2) the earthquake disaster prevention map for a Nankai Trough megaquake, (3) tsunami, (4) storm surge, (5) inland-water flooding, (6) irrigation-pond flooding, and (7) by elementary school district — 7 kinds in all.Landslide warning zones can be checked down to the address on Okayama Prefecture's list and on the "Okayama Prefecture-wide Integrated GIS."Open the web hazard map →
There are three earthquake disaster prevention mapsThe city's earthquake disaster prevention maps are three: the shaking map, the earthquake damage risk map and the liquefaction risk map. They assume a Nankai Trough megaquake and were "prepared taking into account the terrain and geology particular to Okayama City and past disasters" on top of the model from the Cabinet Office's "Study Group on Nankai Trough Megaquake Models."The shaking map gives the maximum intensity on a 50-metre mesh, and the earthquake damage risk map colours the rate of total building collapse in 6 bands. The city explains: "The total collapse rate is the proportion of buildings in that district (50m mesh) that would be completely destroyed; a rate of 20% means that of 10 houses, 2 may be completely destroyed." The tsunami hazard map assumes a Nankai Trough megaquake (tsunami fault model, moment magnitude 9.1) and was prepared on the basis of the "tsunami heights and inundation areas from a Nankai Trough megaquake" published by Okayama Prefecture (map sheets No1 to No7).
What happened in the July Heisei 30 heavy rainFrom the city's Public Information Report No. 74 (issued at 17:00 on 17 July Heisei 30). Human losses: 2 dead (with the note "persons who died in Soja City"), 0 missing, 4 injured (4 slight injuries).Housing damage: 1 completely destroyed, 1 half destroyed, 3 partly damaged, plus 3,256 homes flooded above floor level (Kita Ward 1,684, Higashi Ward 1,569, Naka Ward 2, Minami Ward 1) and 4,389 flooded below floor level (Kita Ward 3,648, Higashi Ward 661, Minami Ward 47, Naka Ward 33).
Of the 3,256 homes flooded above floor level, 3,253 were in Kita and Higashi Wards — 99.9% in those two wards. In its field reports the city names the Hirashima area of Higashi Ward and the Tanimannari district of Kita Ward, and records that "the stacking of sandbags at the breach of the Suna River was completed (18 July Heisei 30)."The city still keeps an item called "Learning from the July Heisei 30 heavy rain disaster" on its disaster prevention pages.
Sources: the zero-metre zone is fromOkayama City material, "Chapter 1: The situation surrounding Okayama City / 1-1 Terrain vulnerable to flooding"(PDF / "The Okayama Plain spreads across low-lying flat land, and a zero-metre zone lower than the mean spring high tide (the blue area in Figure 1-1) extends across the south of Okayama City. For this reason the built-up area lies lower than the rivers (Figure 1-2), formed on terrain from which drainage is difficult." "The zero-metre zone of the Okayama Plain is 218 square kilometres, about twice the size of the 116 square kilometres around Tokyo Bay." "Much of the town of Okayama lies in the zero-metre zone, below the water level of the rivers." / prepared on the basis of material from the Okayama River Office) / the number of earthquakes of intensity 4 or above is fromOkayama City, "Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview"("With the second-fewest earthquakes of intensity 4 or above in Japan, among other things, the natural environment can be called very favourable." "Number of earthquakes of intensity 4 or above observed by prefecture between 1919 and 2024, from the Japan Meteorological Agency's Seismic Intensity Database Search") / the hazard maps are fromOkayama City, "Hazard maps"(web version / irrigation-pond flooding map / landslide warning zones / inland-water flooding hazard map / hazard maps by elementary school district / flood and landslide hazard map / earthquake disaster prevention map for a Nankai Trough megaquake / tsunami hazard map / storm surge hazard map / disaster information map) andthe same, "About the web hazard map"(20 August 2026, ID 47403 / "On the web hazard map you can view the flood and landslide, storm surge, earthquake and tsunami hazard maps, and by using the location function of a smartphone or tablet you can check hazard information around your current position, whether evacuation centres are open, and the route to reach them." "The web hazard map was updated on 20 August Reiwa 8." / Japanese, English and Korean versions),the same, "Earthquake disaster prevention maps for a Nankai Trough megaquake"(shaking map, earthquake damage risk map and liquefaction risk map / "The earthquake disaster prevention maps (shaking map, earthquake damage risk map, liquefaction risk map) are based on the maximum-class target earthquake set by the Cabinet Office's Study Group on Nankai Trough Megaquake Models, which organised and analysed a wide range of surveys based on scientific knowledge of past earthquakes at the Nankai Trough plate boundary from a disaster prevention viewpoint. They were also prepared taking into account the terrain and geology particular to Okayama City and past disasters." "It simulates the maximum seismic intensity by district (50m mesh) assuming a Nankai Trough megaquake." "The total collapse rate is the proportion of buildings in that district (50m mesh) that would be completely destroyed; a rate of 20% means that of 10 houses, 2 may be completely destroyed."),the same, "About the tsunami hazard map"("This hazard map was prepared on the basis of the 'tsunami heights and inundation areas from a Nankai Trough megaquake' published by Okayama Prefecture." / assumed earthquake = a Nankai Trough megaquake [tsunami fault model, moment magnitude 9.1], applying the model prepared by the national Study Group on Nankai Trough Megaquake Models / map sheets No1 to No7),the same, "About landslide warning zones in the city"(ID 4602 / designations can be checked on Okayama Prefecture's "List of designated landslide warning zones" and the "Okayama Prefecture-wide Integrated GIS") / the damage from the July Heisei 30 heavy rain is fromOkayama City, "Damage situation "(ID 11926 / human losses = 2 dead [note: "persons who died in Soja City"], 0 missing, 4 injured [4 slight injuries] / housing damage = 1 completely destroyed, 1 half destroyed, 3 partly damaged, flooding above floor level Kita Ward 1,684, Naka Ward 2, Higashi Ward 1,569, Minami Ward 1, total 3,256; flooding below floor level Kita Ward 3,648, Naka Ward 33, Higashi Ward 661, Minami Ward 47, total 4,389) andthe same, "List of July Heisei 30 heavy rain reports"(field reports = the Hirashima area of Higashi Ward, the Tanimannari district of Kita Ward, Momotaro Nursery School in Narabara, Higashi Ward, the Joto Kotori-no-Mori Children's Centre, and the Okayama University Disaster Volunteer Support Centre / "the stacking of sandbags at the breach of the Suna River was completed (18 July Heisei 30)") / checked 2026-08-26
Is there a risk of earthquakes or other disasters?
On shaking, the city writes that it has "the second-fewest earthquakes of intensity 4 or above in Japan" (at the city hall point, the chance of intensity 6- lower or above over 30 years is 45.7%). 🔴 Water, on the other hand, you must check. The city's materials say "the zero-metre zone of the Okayama Plain is 218 square kilometres, about twice the size of the 116 square kilometres around Tokyo Bay."In the July Heisei 30 heavy rain, 3,256 homes were flooded above floor level and 4,389 below floor level.
CHAPTER 06What summer and winter are like
"Hare-no-Kuni" (the Land of Sunshine) is not an impression but a number. The city writes in its municipal overview: "The number of days per year with less than 1 millimetre of precipitation is the highest of any prefectural capital, which is why it is called Hare-no-Kuni Okayama," and the figures are Okayama 276.7 days (1st), Osaka 266.8 days (9th) and Tokyo 262.5 days (15th) (Japan Meteorological Agency normals, 1991-2020).
In the Japan Meteorological Agency normals (Okayama observation point), annual precipitation is 1,143.1 millimetres — 455 millimetres less than Tokyo's 1,598.2 millimetres. Annual sunshine is 2,033.7 hours, 107 hours more than Tokyo's 1,926.7 hours.The annual mean temperature is 15.8°C, exactly the same as Tokyo. Summer, on the other hand, is hot — the August daily high is 33.3°C, there are 15.2 days a year above 35°C, and 23.9 tropical nights. In winter, snow barely falls — total annual snowfall 1 centimetre, maximum snow depth 1 centimetre, and 0.0 days a year when the temperature stays below freezing.
"The same temperature, with 455 millimetres less rain"Okayama and Tokyo both have an annual mean temperature of 15.8°C. What differs is the rain — Okayama 1,143.1 millimetres, Tokyo 1,598.2 millimetres. The gap is widest in September and October (Okayama 142.2 and 95.4 millimetres; Tokyo 224.9 and 234.8 millimetres).
In return, Okayama has 107 more hours of sunshine (2,033.7 hours against 1,926.7). Laundry dries and there are more days when you can use a bicycle — "the Land of Sunshine" is also a story about daily housework. The city explains: "In winter the Chugoku Mountains block the harsh seasonal winds so that snow rarely settles. Typhoons that strike the mainland in summer are weakened by the barrier of the Shikoku Mountains, so their effect is comparatively small."
Summer is hotter than TokyoTo be straightforward about it: the August daily high is 33.3°C in Okayama and 31.3°C in Tokyo, and July is 31.8°C against 29.9°C. Days above 35°C: Okayama 15.2, Tokyo 4.8; days above 30°C: Okayama 70.6, Tokyo 52.1; days above 25°C: Okayama 140.4, Tokyo 118.5 — three times as many days above 35°C, and 18 more days above 30°C. Tropical nights: Okayama 23.9, Tokyo 17.8.
That said, June rain is 169.3 millimetres, July 177.4 millimetres, and August falls to 97.2 millimetres — once the rainy season ends the rain halves, and it is sunny and hot. Air-conditioning bills bite in summer. Put insulation and sun shading on your checklist when you look at a house.
You will hardly ever need to shovel snow in winterIn the Japan Meteorological Agency normals, total annual snowfall is 1 centimetre and maximum snow depth 1 centimetre, with 24.4 days of snow a year (snow "falls" on about 24 days a year but does not settle). Days when the high stays below 0°C: 0.0 a year; days when the low falls below 0°C: 42.1 a year (Tokyo 15.2). The January mean is 4.6°C and the daily low 0.1°C.
For comparison, Sapporo has 479 centimetres of snow a year and 121.8 days below freezing, and Sendai has 59 centimetres a year. Okayama's 1 centimetre is an entirely different winter.Note, however, that the north of Kita Ward (Mitsu and Takebe) is hill country and is not the same as the plain. Read this together with the elevations in section 2 (homes for sale in Kita Ward reach 100.0 metres).
Typhoons arrive "weakened"The city explains: "Typhoons that strike the mainland in summer are weakened by the barrier of the Shikoku Mountains, so their effect is comparatively small — the natural conditions here are very favourable."The Shikoku Mountains lie to the south across the Seto Inland Sea — that is where Okayama sits.
Even so, as section 5 shows, the July Heisei 30 heavy rain flooded 3,256 homes above floor level and 4,389 below floor level. Typhoon winds may be weakened, but the "linear rain bands" of the rainy season and the autumn rains are a different matter."Light on wind, watchful on water" — reading the climate and the terrain together, that is the kind of city this is.
The twelve months of temperature, set out as they are
The left end of each bar is the average daily minimum for that month and the right end the average daily maximum (Okayama, the 30-year average for 1991–2020).
month 1
0.1〜9.6℃
month 2
0.5〜10.5℃
month 3
3.5〜14.6℃
month 4
8.5〜19.8℃
month 5
14.8〜24.8℃
month 6
18.7〜27.6℃
month 7
23.4〜31.8℃
month 8
24.6〜33.3℃
month 9
20.0〜29.1℃
month 10
13.4〜23.4℃
month 11
6.8〜17.1℃
month 12
2.1〜11.7℃
-2℃11℃24℃37℃
23.9 days / 42.1 days
23.9 tropical nights (Tokyo 17.8) and 42.1 days below freezing (Tokyo 15.2). These are the figures for how summer nights and winter mornings compare with Tokyo
Days per year
Okayama
Tokyo
Tropical nights minimum 25°C or above
23.9 days
17.8 days
Days above 35°C maximum 35°C or above
15.2 days
4.8 days
Days above 30°C maximum 30°C or above
70.6 days
52.1 days
Frost days minimum below 0°C
42.1 days
15.2 days
Days below freezing all day maximum below 0°C
0.0 days
0.0 days
For snow, the annual total snowfall is 1cm and the normal for maximum snow depth is 1cm.
Source:Japan Meteorological Agency, normals for Okayama (by month) /the same, day counts by class (view=a2)／the same, Tokyo (all 30-year averages for 1991–2020) / verified 2026-08-14Sources: temperature, precipitation, sunshine, day counts and snow are fromJapan Meteorological Agency, "Past weather data, normals (annual and monthly values), Okayama"(normals for 1991-2020 / observation point number 47768 / annual mean 15.8°C, annual precipitation 1,143.1mm, annual sunshine 2,033.7 hours / January mean 4.6°C, daily high 9.6°C, daily low 0.1°C, precipitation 36.2mm / August mean 28.1°C, daily high 33.3°C, daily low 24.6°C, precipitation 97.2mm / days below freezing 42.1, days with the high below freezing 0.0, days above 25°C 140.4, days above 30°C 70.6, days above 35°C 15.2, tropical nights 23.9 / total annual snowfall 1cm, maximum snow depth 1cm, days with snow 24.4) / the comparison with Tokyo uses the same normals forTokyo (observation point number 47662)(annual mean 15.8°C, annual precipitation 1,598.2mm, annual sunshine 1,926.7 hours, August daily high 31.3°C, July daily high 29.9°C) / "the number of days per year with less than 1mm of precipitation" and the description of the terrain are fromOkayama City, "Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview"(Okayama 276.7 days [1st], Osaka 266.8 days [9th], Tokyo 262.5 days [15th], from Japan Meteorological Agency data, statistical period 1991-2020) andOkayama City Profile, "Location and natural conditions" / the snow figures for Sapporo and Sendai are from this site's pages for those areas (the same Japan Meteorological Agency normals) / checked 2026-08-26
What are summer and winter like?
The annual mean temperature is 15.8°C, the same as Tokyo, and annual precipitation is 1,143.1 millimetres, 455 millimetres less than Tokyo. Summer is hotter than Tokyo: the August daily high is 33.3°C, with 15.2 days a year above 35°C and 23.9 tropical nights. In winter, total annual snowfall is 1 centimetre and there are 0.0 days a year when the high stays below freezing — you will hardly ever need to shovel snow.
CHAPTER 07Shops, hospitals, schools
Among the 20 government-ordinance-designated cities, Okayama City has the second-highest number of doctors. In the comparison the city publishes in its municipal overview, doctors number 432.1 per 100,000 people, ranking 2nd (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Reiwa 6 Survey of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists"), and hospital beds 1,547.7 per 100,000 people, ranking 4th (the same ministry's "Reiwa 6 Survey of Medical Institutions").
And the prefecture's only "paediatric critical care centre" is in Okayama City (Okayama University Hospital). The advanced critical care centre is also Okayama University Hospital, and the critical care centre is Japanese Red Cross Okayama Hospital. For shopping, department stores and general supermarkets number 6.49 per 100,000 people, ranking 3rd among the ordinance-designated cities.Municipal schools comprise 87 elementary schools (33,182 pupils), 37 junior high schools (16,527 students), 1 compulsory education school (359) and 1 high school (459) (as of 1 May Reiwa 8).
If your child runs a fever in the nightThe Okayama City Holiday and Night Emergency Clinic (3-14 Higashichuo-cho, Kita Ward, 086-225-2225 / internal medicine and paediatrics). Reception hours are paediatrics: Monday to Saturday 20:00-22:30; Sundays, public holidays and the New Year period 9:30-11:30, 12:30-16:30 and 19:00-22:30. Internal medicine: Sundays, public holidays and the New Year period only, 9:30-11:30, 12:30-16:30 and 20:00-22:30 (consultations begin 30 minutes after reception opens).
This clinic is due to move on 1 October Reiwa 8 (and will be closed on 30 September Reiwa 8 for the move). The city also states clearly that "house calls are not available."If admission is needed you are taken to secondary emergency care (the rotating hospital system and the like), and if life is at risk to tertiary emergency care.
There are two tertiary emergency centres in the cityFrom Okayama Prefecture's "Emergency medical care system." Advanced critical care centres = Okayama University Hospital (Kita Ward, Okayama City) and Kawasaki Medical School Hospital (Kurashiki City). Critical care centres = Japanese Red Cross Okayama Hospital (Kita Ward, Okayama City), Kurashiki Central Hospital and Tsuyama Chuo Hospital. Paediatric critical care centre = Okayama University Hospital.
The prefecture explains that tertiary emergency care "acts as a critical care centre responding to seriously ill emergency patients 24 hours a day, and is the final receiver of emergency patients in the region."Two of the prefecture's five tertiary emergency centres are in Okayama City, and the last resort for children is the single one in the city — for households with children this is a major condition. Across the prefecture, secondary emergency care comprises 27 hospitals in the rotating hospital system, 44 hospitals in the cooperating hospital duty system, and 23 other designated emergency hospitals plus 4 clinics.
The schools can be counted ward by wardOkayama City municipal schools as of 1 May Reiwa 8: 87 elementary schools, 33,182 pupils, 1,580 classes; 37 junior high schools, 16,527 students, 651 classes; 1 compulsory education school (Sannan Gakuen in Higashi Ward, 359); 1 municipal high school (Okayama Korakukan High School in Kita Ward, 459).
University and junior-college students number 4,380.6 per 100,000 people, ranking 5th among the ordinance-designated cities (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, "Reiwa 7 School Basic Survey"). Universities are clustered in the city, starting with Okayama University. The city publishes the catchment areas of municipal elementary and junior high schools, and there is also flexibility in the school district system (a scheme allowing a school other than the designated one).
A city with plenty of books and parksIn the comparison of the 20 ordinance-designated cities that the city publishes in its municipal overview, library books per resident are 4.9, ranking 1st; city park area per person is 16.9 square metres, ranking 2nd; cultural facilities are 2.76 per 100,000 people, ranking 4th; and there are 18 nationally designated historic sites, ranking 2nd.
For shopping, department stores and general supermarkets number 6.49 per 100,000 people, ranking 3rd (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "2023 Current Survey of Commerce, reference tables"). The price level, with a consumer price regional difference index (overall) of 97.7, is the lowest of the 20 cities (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "2024 Retail Price Survey (structural)"). Rent is also 4,179 yen per month per 3.3 square metres, ranking 5th (among the cheaper).
Sources: the comparison of the 20 ordinance-designated cities (doctors, hospital beds, department stores / general supermarkets, library books, city park area, cultural facilities, nationally designated historic sites, university and junior-college students, price level and rent) is fromOkayama City, "Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview" / the emergency clinic is fromOkayama City, "Holiday and Night Emergency Clinic"(ID 7297 / location 3-14 Higashichuo-cho, Kita Ward, Okayama City, telephone 086-225-2225, established by the Mayor of Okayama City, managed by the President of the Okayama City Medical Association, departments internal medicine and paediatrics / reception hours [consultations begin 30 minutes after reception opens] internal medicine = Sundays, public holidays and the New Year period 9:30-11:30, 12:30-16:30, 20:00-22:30 / paediatrics = Monday to Saturday (paediatrics only) 20:00-22:30; Sundays, public holidays and the New Year period 9:30-11:30, 12:30-16:30, 19:00-22:30 / "This clinic is due to move on 1 October Reiwa 8." "The clinic will be closed on 30 September Reiwa 8 for the move." "House calls are not available." / enquiries = Holiday and Night Emergency Clinic 086-225-2225, Medical Policy Promotion Division 086-803-1636, Okayama City Medical Association 086-201-1188) / the emergency medical care system is fromOkayama Prefecture, "How to use emergency medical care", "Emergency medical care system" (PDF, material from the Okayama Prefecture Medical Promotion Division / "acts as a critical care centre responding to seriously ill emergency patients 24 hours a day, and is the final receiver of emergency patients in the region" / critical care centres (Japanese Red Cross Okayama Hospital, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Tsuyama Chuo Hospital) / advanced critical care centres (Okayama University Hospital, Kawasaki Medical School Hospital) / paediatric critical care centre (Okayama University Hospital) / secondary emergency care = 27 hospitals in the rotating hospital system, 44 hospitals in the cooperating hospital duty system, 23 other designated emergency hospitals and 4 clinics / primary emergency care = 3 holiday and night emergency centres, 3 holiday dental clinics, and a home duty doctor system run by 23 district medical associations) / the numbers of schools and pupils are fromOkayama City, "Pupil and student numbers as of 1 May"(as of 1 May Reiwa 8 / 87 elementary schools, 33,182 pupils, 1,580 classes / 37 junior high schools, 16,527 students, 651 classes / 1 compulsory education school [Sannan Gakuen, Kitakoda, Higashi Ward] 359 pupils, 18 classes / 1 high school [Okayama Korakukan High School, Minamigata, Kita Ward] 459 students, 12 classes) / checked 2026-08-26
What are the hospitals and schools like?
Doctors number 432.1 per 100,000 people, ranking 2nd among the 20 government-ordinance-designated cities, and hospital beds 1,547.7, ranking 4th. The prefecture's only paediatric critical care centre is at Okayama University Hospital. At night there is the Okayama City Holiday and Night Emergency Clinic (086-225-2225). Municipal schools comprise 87 elementary schools (33,182 pupils) and 37 junior high schools (16,527 students).
CHAPTER 08What it costs you every year after you buy
Okayama City's water charges were revised in April Reiwa 8. On the current rate table, for a 13-millimetre pipe and 40 cubic metres over two months (a guide for a family of four), the water charge is 5,940 yen and the sewerage charge 6,023 yen, 11,963 yen in all (including tax, per household per two months).
And sewerage does not necessarily reach every address. In the city's management plan, the share of the population served by sewerage is 69.3% (end of fiscal 2024) — 3 people in 10 live outside the sewerage area. 112,550 people are served by combined treatment septic tanks, and the "wastewater treatment coverage" including septic tanks and rural community sewerage is 86.4%. Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3% (in urbanisation promotion areas). Rubbish bags have been chargeable since February Heisei 21, and a large 45-litre bag costs 50 yen.
Item
Amount
Detail
Water + sewerage
11,963 yen (2 months, incl. tax)
For a 13mm pipe and 40m³ over two months. Water 5,940 yen + sewerage 6,023 yen. Revised April Reiwa 8. The basic charge is 1,740 yen for a 13mm pipe, 2,660 yen for 20mm and 4,240 yen for 25mm (per two months). The sewerage basic charge at 0m³ is 1,076 yen (excluding tax).
Property tax
1.4%
Taxable value × 1.4%. The exemption thresholds are 300,000 yen for land, 200,000 yen for buildings and 1,500,000 yen for depreciable assets, and since fiscal Heisei 22 they have been judged ward by ward. Payment is due in April, July, September and December.
City planning tax
0.3%
Only land and buildings within urbanisation promotion areas. The reduction for newly built housing does not apply.
Rubbish bags
45L＝¥50
Chargeable since 1 February Heisei 21. 45L 50 yen, 30L 30 yen, 20L 20 yen, 10L 10 yen, 5L 5 yen (per bag, not subject to consumption tax). Sold in packs of 10. Recyclables, pruned branches, fallen leaves and grass that grew naturally are collected free of charge (in clear or translucent bags).
Children's medical costs
0 yen for pre-school children and elementary pupils
Up to high school age (31 March following the 18th birthday). Junior high and high school age: 10% for outpatient care (monthly cap 44,400 yen); inpatient care is free.No income limit.
Sources: the water charge is fromOkayama City Waterworks Bureau, "How water charges work (revised April Reiwa 8)"(basic charge: 13mm pipe 1,740 yen, 20mm 2,660 yen, 25mm 4,240 yen, 40mm 10,320 yen, 50mm 17,720 yen, 75mm 35,600 yen / supply charge [pipe 25mm or less, per two months, excluding tax] 1-20m³ = 32 yen, 21-40 = 151 yen, 41-60 = 177 yen, 61-100 = 207 yen, 101 and above = 238 yen) andthe same, "13-25 millimetre rate table, revised R8.4"(PDF "Water charges and sewerage charges, quick reference table (general) (per household, two months)"; District A applies from the March-April Reiwa 8 billing, District B from the April-May Reiwa 8 billing onwards; unit yen [including consumption tax] / usage 40m³ = water charge for a 13mm pipe 5,940 yen, sewerage charge 6,023 yen, total 11,963 yen) / the sewerage charge is fromOkayama City, "Sewerage charge table"(general use, per two months, excluding tax / basic charge at 0m³ 1,076 yen / 1-20m³ 62 yen, 21-40 158 yen, 41-100 200 yen, 101-400 255 yen, 401-1000 341 yen, 1001-2000 392 yen, 2001 and above 424 yen) / the coverage figures are fromOkayama City Sewerage and River Bureau, "The current state of Okayama City's sewerage business and the challenges it faces"(PDF, business overview [end of fiscal 2024]: population within the administrative area 693,219 / population within the sewerage service area 480,723 / population served by rural community sewerage facilities 5,882 / population served by combined treatment septic tanks 112,550 / wastewater treatment population 599,155 / wastewater treatment coverage 86.4% / sewerage coverage 69.3% / connection rate (sewerage) 93.4% / "As a result, at the end of fiscal 2024 the sewerage coverage was 69.3% and the wastewater treatment coverage 86.4%; within the sewerage project area alone, sewerage coverage reaches 85.2% and wastewater treatment coverage 93.7%.") / the tax rates and exemption thresholds are fromOkayama City, "About fixed asset tax"("The fixed asset tax rate is 1.4%." / exemption threshold: "If the taxable value of land, buildings or depreciable assets owned in Okayama City by the same registered owner falls below the amounts below, fixed asset tax is not levied. From fiscal Heisei 22 the judgement is made ward by ward." land 300,000 yen, buildings 200,000 yen, depreciable assets 1,500,000 yen / payment due in April, July, September and December) andthe same, "City planning tax"("The city planning tax rate is 0.3%.") / the rubbish bags are fromOkayama City, "Chargeable designated bags and volunteer bags"("In Okayama City, charging for household rubbish began on 1 February Heisei 21, in order to promote waste reduction and recycling and to ensure fairness in the burden borne according to the amount discarded." / 45-litre bag 50 yen, 30-litre 30 yen, 20-litre 20 yen, 10-litre 10 yen, 5-litre 5 yen [per bag, not subject to consumption tax] / "Recyclables, pruned branches, fallen leaves and grass that grew naturally are collected free of charge, so please put them out in clear or translucent bags.") / children's medical costs are fromOkayama City, "Medical cost assistance / Children's medical cost assistance scheme"(10 June 2026, ID 4319 / out-of-pocket cost after assistance = free for pre-school children and elementary pupils for both outpatient and inpatient care; for junior high and high school age, 10% for outpatient care [monthly cap 44,400 yen] and free inpatient care / "There is no income limit.") / checked 2026-08-26
There are still places the sewerage has not reachedThe breakdown at the end of fiscal 2024. Of the 693,219 people within the administrative area, 480,723 (69.3%) are served by sewerage, 112,550 by combined treatment septic tanks and 5,882 by rural community sewerage. The three together, 599,155 people (86.4%), make up the "wastewater treatment population."Within the sewerage project area the coverage is 85.2%, but across the city it is 69.3%. With a septic tank you pay for cleaning once every five years and for maintenance inspection and the statutory inspection once a year. The city itself writes in its plan: "Within the project area we will keep collective treatment by sewerage as the basis, while advancing measures for unserved areas through wastewater treatment with careful, detailed, long-term responses, including a division of roles between public sewerage and combined treatment septic tanks arrived at through dialogue with residents."Before you buy, always check whether that address is on sewerage or on a septic tank.
Fixed asset tax arrives "ward by ward"This is particular to government-ordinance-designated cities. The city explains: "Since fiscal Heisei 22 we have levied the tax ward by ward," and "In government-ordinance-designated cities, tax notices for fixed asset tax and city planning tax are, under the Local Tax Act, prepared by ward and by taxpayer. If you own fixed assets in more than one ward, you may therefore receive more than one tax notice."The exemption thresholds (land 300,000 yen, buildings 200,000 yen) are also "judged ward by ward." The counters are also divided by ward: Kita Ward Municipal Tax Office (086-803-1178), Naka Ward (086-901-1610), Higashi Ward (086-944-5012) and Minami Ward. For the valuation and taxation of land and buildings, contact the municipal tax office of the ward where the property is.
Water charges sit in the middle of the 20 ordinance-designated citiesIn the comparison published by the Okayama City Waterworks Bureau (one month, 13-millimetre pipe, 20 cubic metres used, as of 1 April Reiwa 8), Okayama City is 2,970 yen — the 7th highest of the 18 cities (Sapporo 3,652 yen, Sendai 3,553 yen, Saitama 3,289 yen ... Okayama 2,970 yen ... Hiroshima 2,398 yen, Osaka 2,112 yen).
The waterworks bureau itself writes: "Okayama City's water charges are slightly above average compared with the ordinance-designated cities, but below average compared with cities within the prefecture."The rates were revised only in April Reiwa 8, so please check the latest table before signing anything.
If you are moving from the 23 wards of Tokyo, there is a relocation support paymentThe Okayama City Relocation Support Payment.A single-person household receives 600,000 yen (300,000 yen if the move is for teleworking), a household of two or more receives 1,000,000 yen (500,000 yen for teleworking), and an extra 300,000 yen is added for each household member under 18. It is a subsidy that uses the national scheme.
It is for "people who lived in the 23 wards of Tokyo, or lived in the Tokyo area and commuted into the 23 wards, who move to Okayama City and meet certain employment conditions." You must apply between 3 months and 1 year after moving in and intend to go on living in Okayama City for at least 5 years from the date of application. The employment conditions include taking a job with a small or medium-sized enterprise listed on the prefecture's matching site "Work in the Land of Sunshine! Okayama Prefecture Job Information Site", starting a business, or moving while teleworking. Please ask the city whether this can be combined with the housing subsidies in section 4.
Sources: the comparison of water charges among ordinance-designated cities is fromOkayama City Waterworks Bureau, "Comparison of charges with other cities"(ordinance-designated cities, one month, 13-millimetre pipe, as of 1 April Reiwa 8, including tax / at 20 cubic metres = Sapporo 3,652 yen, Sendai 3,553 yen, Saitama 3,289 yen, Niigata 3,234 yen, Kyoto 3,014 yen, Yokohama 3,011 yen, Okayama 2,970 yen, Kobe 2,926 yen, Fukuoka 2,827 yen, Kumamoto 2,640 yen, Shizuoka 2,607 yen, Nagoya 2,552 yen, Hamamatsu 2,504 yen, Sakai 2,464 yen, Hiroshima 2,398 yen, Kawasaki 2,321 yen, Kitakyushu 2,200 yen, Osaka 2,112 yen / "Chiba City, which is mainly served by the prefectural water supply, and Sagamihara City, which does not run a water business, are excluded." / "Okayama City's water charges are slightly above average compared with the ordinance-designated cities, but below average compared with cities within the prefecture.") / taxation by ward is fromOkayama City, "Notice (fixed asset tax and city planning tax)"("Since fiscal Heisei 22 we have levied the tax ward by ward." "In government-ordinance-designated cities, tax notices for fixed asset tax and city planning tax are, under the Local Tax Act, prepared by ward and by taxpayer. If you own fixed assets in more than one ward, you may therefore receive more than one tax notice." "For the valuation and taxation of land and buildings, please contact the municipal tax office of the ward where the land or building is located." / Kita Ward Municipal Tax Office, Land Tax Section 086-803-1178; Naka Ward 086-901-1610; Higashi Ward 086-944-5012) / the relocation support payment is fromOkayama Seikatsu, "[For those who moved in fiscal Reiwa 8] Relocation support payment"("In order to promote relocation and settlement in Okayama City and to ease labour shortages at small and medium-sized enterprises, a relocation support payment is granted to people who lived in the 23 wards of Tokyo, or lived in the Tokyo area and commuted into the 23 wards, who move to Okayama City and meet certain employment conditions (this is a subsidy using the national scheme)." / single-person household: 600,000 yen (300,000 yen if the move is for teleworking) / household of two or more: 1,000,000 yen (500,000 yen if the move is for teleworking) / an extra 300,000 yen for each household member under 18 / "At the time of application, between 3 months and 1 year must have passed since moving into Okayama City." "The applicant must intend to go on living in Okayama City for at least 5 years from the date of application." / contact = Okayama Living Promotion Office, Citizen Collaboration Planning and General Affairs Division, Citizen Collaboration Department, Citizen Collaboration Bureau, 086-803-1335) / checked 2026-08-26
What does it cost every year once you have bought?
For a 13-millimetre pipe and 40 cubic metres over two months, water is 5,940 yen and sewerage 6,023 yen, 11,963 yen in all (revised April Reiwa 8). Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3%, and the exemption thresholds of 300,000 yen for land and 200,000 yen for buildings are judged ward by ward. Rubbish bags are chargeable, with a 45-litre bag costing 50 yen. 🔴 Sewerage coverage is 69.3%, so check whether the address is on sewerage or a septic tank before you buy.
CHAPTER 09What happens when you want to sell
Land prices in Okayama City have risen for four years in a row. In the Reiwa 8 published land prices (base date 1 January Reiwa 8), residential land in Okayama City rose 1.9% (1.8% the previous year), averaging 66,600 yen per square metre. Commercial land rose 4.2% to 239,800 yen, industrial land 2.3% to 35,500 yen, and all uses together 2.7% to 122,300 yen. Residential land across Okayama Prefecture rose 0.9% to 47,800 yen, so the city is rising more than twice as fast as the prefecture average.
🔴 Only 6 municipalities in the prefecture saw residential land rise — Hayashima 3.0%, Okayama City 1.9%, Soja 1.6%, Kurashiki 1.1%, Satosho 0.7% and Asakuchi 0.4%. The other 15 municipalities fell.And 3 of the 4 residential sites with the largest increases are in Okayama City.
What is rising is the land near the station and KorakuenIn the Reiwa 8 published land prices, the residential sites with the largest increases in the prefecture are these four:
(1) Omoto 1-chome, Kita Ward, Okayama City, +7.3% (205,000 yen per square metre, east of the Kaminakano police box) / (2) Sumiyoshi-cho 2-chome, Naka Ward, +6.3% (203,000 yen, northeast of Aioibashi bridge) / (3) Ban-cho 1-chome, Kita Ward, +6.3% (170,000 yen, northeast of the Okayama District Court) / (4) Izumida 4-chome, Minami Ward, +5.9% (99,500 yen, north of Okayama Prefectural Hosen High School).
Omoto is one station south of Okayama Station, Ban-cho is just north of Okayama Castle, and Sumiyoshi-cho is south of Korakuen across the Asahi River — what is rising is residential land within walking distance of the centre. In commercial land, Nakasange 1-chome in Kita Ward reached 618,000 yen (Momotaro-odori, +7.7%) and 337,000 yen (+8.7%), and Shimoishii 2-chome in Kita Ward 335,000 yen (+8.4%, north of Mori-no-Machi Grace).
The second-hand detached market is moving with 943 listingsAs section 4 shows, there are 943 second-hand detached houses on the market. The median is 22,500,000 yen, and 76% are 30,000,000 yen or less. The median year of construction is 1994, with 259 (27%) built in 1981 or earlier under the old earthquake code and 351 (37%) in 2000 or later.
Having this many listings every month in a city of 700,000 means there are buyers when you come to sell. On the other hand, houses built in 1981 or earlier attract a narrower pool of buyers because of earthquake resistance. Thinking once, when you buy, about "who would buy this house if I sold it in 20 years" changes how you approach renovation.
Within the prefecture, rising and falling towns are separatingIn the Reiwa 8 published land prices, the prefecture-wide average change was +1.3% (a rise for the fourth year running). By municipality, however, the ones that rose on the all-use average were the 7 of Okayama City, Kurashiki, Soja, Asakuchi, Hayashima, Satosho and Shoo, Ibara and Yakage were level, and the rest fell.
The largest falls were Mimasaka -2.2%, Bizen -1.5% and Maniwa -1.4% (residential land). 🔴 Within Okayama Prefecture, "the places where prices hold up are Okayama City and Kurashiki, and Hayashima and Soja in between" — if you are thinking about the day you sell, whether you are inside that belt matters.
You can look up the market yourselfOn the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Real Estate Information Library" you can look up published land prices and actual transaction prices across Japan from a map (it is also linked from the Okayama Prefecture page).
Published land prices have a base date of 1 January each year and are released in late March, while the prefectural land price survey (standard land prices) has a base date of 1 July. Both can be used as "an indicator for ordinary land transactions."Looking at the same point on both measures before you buy and before you sell shows you which way prices are moving.
Source:Okayama Prefecture, "Reiwa 8 published land price results"(base date 1 January Reiwa 8, 394 sites in 21 municipalities in Okayama Prefecture / "Outline of the Reiwa 8 published land prices (Okayama Prefecture)" = prefecture-wide all-use average change 1.3% [1.2% the previous year], a rise for the fourth year running / residential land 0.9% [0.8%], prospective residential land 1.6%, commercial land 2.2%, industrial land 2.5% / "By municipality, Okayama City, Kurashiki, Soja, Asakuchi, Hayashima and Satosho rose, and the other municipalities fell" [residential land] / municipalities that rose = Hayashima 3.0%, Okayama City 1.9%, Soja 1.6%, Kurashiki 1.1%, Satosho 0.7%, Asakuchi 0.4% / municipalities with the largest falls = Mimasaka -2.2%, Bizen -1.5%, Maniwa -1.4% / sites with the largest increases [residential land] = Okayama Kita-5, 11-105 Omoto 1-chome, Kita Ward, Okayama City "Omoto 1-11-8" 191,000 to 205,000 yen, 7.3% [east of the Kaminakano police box]; Okayama Naka-3, 65 Sumiyoshi-cho 2-chome, Naka Ward, Okayama City 191,000 to 203,000 yen, 6.3% [northeast of Aioibashi bridge]; Okayama Kita-2, 10 Ban-cho 1-chome, Kita Ward, Okayama City "Ban-cho 1-9-6" 160,000 to 170,000 yen, 6.3% [northeast of the Okayama District Court]; Okayama Minami-11, 296-8 Izumida 4-chome, Minami Ward, Okayama City "Izumida 4-14-16" 94,000 to 99,500 yen, 5.9% [north of Okayama Prefectural Hosen High School] / commercial land = Okayama Kita5-2, 5-107 and others, Nakasange 1-chome, Kita Ward "Nakasange 1-5-38" 310,000 to 337,000 yen, 8.7% [south of Higashi-Nakasange Park, Katayama Building]; Okayama Kita5-9, 3-103 Shimoishii 2-chome, Kita Ward "Shimoishii 2-3-8" 309,000 to 335,000 yen, 8.4% [north of Mori-no-Machi Grace, Shoko Building]; Okayama Kita5-8, 2-107 Nakasange 1-chome, Kita Ward "Nakasange 1-2-8" 574,000 to 618,000 yen, 7.7% [Momotaro-odori, OS I Building]) and the same, "Table 1: Average change by use and municipality" (Okayama City = residential land 1.9% [1.8%], prospective residential land 3.2%, commercial land 4.2%, industrial land 2.3%, all uses 2.7% / prefecture average = residential land 0.9%, all uses 1.3%) and "Table 2: Average price by use and municipality" (unit yen per square metre. Okayama City = residential land 66,600, prospective residential land 16,000, commercial land 239,800, industrial land 35,500, all uses 122,300 / prefecture average = residential land 47,800, all uses 72,700 / Kurashiki City residential land 51,300) / checked 2026-08-26
What happens when you want to sell?
In the Reiwa 8 published land prices, residential land in Okayama City rose 1.9% to an average of 66,600 yen per square metre (the Okayama Prefecture average was +0.9% and 47,800 yen). Only 6 municipalities in the prefecture saw residential land rise. 🔴 3 of the 4 residential sites with the largest increases are in Okayama City, the largest being Omoto 1-chome in Kita Ward at +7.3% (205,000 yen).
CHAPTER 10Who lives here, and how many
Okayama City's population fell for what is almost the first time in 105 years. The preliminary figures of the Reiwa 7 Census give 707,916. That is 16,775 fewer (2.3%) than the 724,691 of Reiwa 2. The city writes that this is "the first decrease since the census began in 1920 (Taisho 9), apart from 1940 (Showa 15)."The number of households, on the other hand, rose by 6,788 (2.1%) to 334,408.People per household is 2.12, down 0.09 from 2.21 in Reiwa 2. "Fewer people, more households" — this feeds directly into the second-hand housing market in sections 4 and 9. The ageing rate is 27.4% (the projection for Reiwa 7), and the city expects it to reach 32.3% by Reiwa 22.
Ward
Reiwa 7 (2025) (2025)
Reiwa 2 (2020) (2020)
Change over 5 years
Households (Reiwa 7 (2025))
Okayama City total
707,916 people
724,691 people
△16,775 people (△2.3%)
334,408 households (+6,788)
Kita Ward
311,192 people
314,523 people
△3,331 people
159,628 households
Naka Ward
145,326 people
149,232 people
△3,906 people
66,159 households
Higashi Ward
88,651 people
93,108 people
△4,457 people
37,705 households
Minami Ward
162,747 people
167,828 people
△5,081 people
70,916 households
Source:Okayama City, "Reiwa 7 Census preliminary results"(18 May 2026, ID 82118 / Policy Planning Division / "The population of Okayama City is 707,916, a decrease of 16,775 (-2.3%) from the previous census (Reiwa 2), and the first decrease since the census began in 1920 (Taisho 9), apart from 1940 (Showa 15)." "The number of households rose by 6,788 (2.1%) to 334,408." / people per household 2.12 [2.21 in Reiwa 2] / by ward = Kita Ward 311,192 people and 159,628 households, Naka Ward 145,326 and 66,159, Higashi Ward 88,651 and 37,705, Minami Ward 162,747 and 70,916 / "These preliminary results are approximate figures for the population and households of the Reiwa 7 Census, tallied independently by Okayama City.") / the ageing rate is fromOkayama City, "9th Plan for Health and Welfare of the Elderly and Long-Term Care Insurance Business (summary)"(March Reiwa 6 / "The elderly population of Okayama City was about 189,000 in October Reiwa 5 (2023), an ageing rate of 27.0%. By Reiwa 7 (2025), when the baby-boom generation (born 1947-1949) turns 75, it is expected to be about 190,000 and 27.4%, and by Reiwa 22 (2040), when the second-generation baby boomers (born 1971-1974) turn 65, about 207,000 and 32.3%." "In Reiwa 8 (2026), the share of the late-stage elderly among older people will exceed 60%." "Single-person elderly households in Okayama City numbered 35,368 as of Reiwa 2 (2020).") / checked 2026-08-26
The decline differs by wardThe falls over 5 years were Minami Ward -5,081, Higashi Ward -4,457, Naka Ward -3,906 and Kita Ward -3,331. In numbers Minami Ward fell most, but in percentage terms Higashi Ward fell most at -4.8% (Minami Ward -3.0%, Naka Ward -2.6%, Kita Ward -1.1%).
Kita Ward, at -1.1%, is falling most gently. The city's comprehensive plan said "The populations of Kita Ward and Naka Ward are expected to keep rising for the time being, peaking between Reiwa 12 (2030) and Reiwa 17 (2035) before gradually declining," and "The population of Higashi Ward has already turned downward, peaking in Heisei 22 (2010)."The actual preliminary figures are moving faster than that outlook.
Households are rising in every wardThe change in households since Reiwa 2 was Kita Ward +4,305, Naka Ward +612, Higashi Ward +234 and Minami Ward +1,637 — an increase in all 4 wards. Fewer people but more households means more one-person and two-person homes.
According to the city's comprehensive plan, the share of single-person households is highest in Kita Ward at 47.3% and lowest in Higashi Ward at 25.1% (Heisei 27 Census). People per household is highest in Higashi Ward at 2.58 and lowest in Kita Ward at 2.06. 🔴 "Kita Ward is the ward of people living alone, Higashi Ward the ward of families" — within one city, the shape of how people live differs.
There are 35,368 elderly people living aloneFrom the city's 9th Plan for Health and Welfare of the Elderly: "Single-person elderly households in Okayama City numbered 35,368 as of Reiwa 2 (2020)."The ageing rate was 27.0% (about 189,000 people) in October Reiwa 5, is 27.4% (about 190,000) in Reiwa 7, and is projected to be 32.3% (about 207,000) in Reiwa 22 (2040).
In Reiwa 8 (2026) the share of the late-stage elderly (75 and over) among older people will exceed 60%, the city writes. As section 7 shows, the number of doctors ranks 2nd among the ordinance-designated cities — the depth of medical care and the progress of ageing are happening in the same place.
The city has formed a wider urban zone with its neighboursThe municipal overview records "2017 (Heisei 29): formation of the Okayama Cooperative Core Urban Zone." In its explanation of the arena project the city also writes of "this area, which has a population of 700,000 and, thought of as a zone, more than a million."You do not have to think of shopping, commuting and hospitals as confined to the city — 16 minutes to Kurashiki by local train (section 1), 52 minutes to Takamatsu and 36 minutes to Hiroshima is what that zone means in practice.
Share of foreign residents
2.55%national average 3.26%
Of the 692,769 people living in Okayama City, 17,659 are foreign residents. That is below the national average (3.26%).
Nationwide, foreign residents make up 3.26% of the total population (4,031,159 out of 123,767,642).
There are 34 municipalities in Japan where the share exceeds 10%.
Source: calculated by this site from the municipality-level tables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Population, population change and households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8, published 2026-07-29). The ministry's publication page / verified 2026-08-17
Who lives here, and how many?
The preliminary figures of the Reiwa 7 Census give 707,916. That is 16,775 fewer (2.3%) than in Reiwa 2, and the city writes that it is "the first decrease since the census began in 1920 (Taisho 9), apart from 1940 (Showa 15)."Households rose by 6,788 to 334,408, and people per household is 2.12.The ageing rate is 27.4%, and foreign residents number 17,659 (2.55%).
CHAPTER 11Community life and the year's events
🔴 Okayama City has 1,712 neighbourhood associations, grouped into 96 school-district and area federations of neighbourhood associations (as of the end of January Reiwa 8). The membership rate is 76.8% (end of June Reiwa 7). The city's neighbourhood association handbook (Reiwa 8 edition) says: "The number of member households has been rising, but the membership rate has been falling since its peak in Showa 55."
🔴 And since fiscal Heisei 14, Okayama City has run an "electronic neighbourhood association" service.Because the city provides the system and the servers, neighbourhood associations can create websites and the like at no cost.From fiscal Reiwa 8 a "neighbourhood association digital use promotion project" has also begun. Circulars and dues collection are being made possible both on paper and by smartphone — that is the stage this city is at.
The electronic neighbourhood association is in its 24th yearThe city explains: "With the aim of using the internet to carry out neighbourhood association activities and to send out local information, promoting communication among residents and revitalising local communities, Okayama City has run the electronic neighbourhood association as a project since fiscal Heisei 14."
The system "consists of three functions — (1) a public site, (2) a bulk email function and (3) a members' site — and you can use only the functions you need.""The electronic neighbourhood association system is provided free of charge by Okayama City, with an operational support help desk run by a contractor." As an example of actual use, the city cites the Tsushima Fukui Neighbourhood Association: "Event notices are distributed on the public site as well as by circular, and for events requiring registration a Google Form has been built in so that people can apply directly from the public site."
From fiscal Reiwa 8 a subsidy for digitalisation has startedA "survey on the digitalisation of neighbourhood association activities" carried out by the city in July Reiwa 7 found that 76.5% of associations feel a need for digitalisation, and that many of them in particular want to use digital tools for circulars and collecting dues.
In response, the city states that it "will start a 'neighbourhood association digital use promotion project' from fiscal Reiwa 8." The handbook also says: "Introducing electronic circulars and online payment has psychological hurdles, but working for efficiency and lighter burdens may well bring in younger people." Enquiries go to the Citizen Collaboration Planning and General Affairs Division (086-803-1063).
What neighbourhood associations actually doThe city lists six examples: "crime prevention and traffic safety" (installing and maintaining security lights and cameras, and watching over children going to and from school), "environmental cleanliness" (installing and maintaining rubbish collection points, and local clean-up activities), "voluntary disaster prevention" (stockpiling emergency supplies, disaster drills and so on), "festivals and social events", "cooperation with other organisations" (children's clubs, senior citizens' clubs and so on), and "public relations and communication" (circulating notices from the city).
🔴 As section 8 shows, rubbish bags are chargeable, and the neighbourhood association looks after the rubbish collection points. The city publishes "maps of neighbourhood association areas in Okayama City," noting that "the area of each neighbourhood association is set by the association itself; the maps published here were provided with the association's consent, in order to encourage residents and newcomers to join."You can look up which neighbourhood association an address belongs to before you buy.
Dues and the weight of duties differ from one association to anotherThe city's handbook lists, as things an association should give a new member, "the association's dues, rules, event schedule and list of officers," "a map of the association area (marking rubbish collection points, evacuation sites and so on)," "an explanation of the rubbish collection point rules," "how the dues are used" and "an introduction to the electronic neighbourhood association."In other words, these are things you get if you ask. When you view a property, ask through the estate agent: "Which neighbourhood association is this address in?" "How much are the dues?" "Are there duties that come round in turn?" As for the city's own view of the problems, "the ageing of residents and officers" was the most common answer in the June Reiwa 3 survey.
Source:Okayama City, "Neighbourhood and residents' associations"(17 June 2026, ID 16220 / "A neighbourhood association is a residents' self-governing organisation formed on the basis of local ties among people living within a certain area." / examples of activities = crime prevention and traffic safety / environmental cleanliness / voluntary disaster prevention / festivals and social events / cooperation with other organisations / public relations and communication / "The area of each neighbourhood association is set by the association itself; the maps published here were provided with the association's consent, in order to encourage residents and newcomers to join.") and, on the same page,"Okayama City Neighbourhood Association Handbook (Reiwa 8 edition)"(PDF / "As of the end of January Reiwa 8, Okayama City has 1,712 neighbourhood associations, grouped into 96 school-district and area federations of neighbourhood associations. Above them is the Okayama City Federation of Neighbourhood Associations." "The number of member households has been rising, but the membership rate has been falling since its peak in Showa 55, standing at 76.8% at the end of June Reiwa 7." / "A 'survey on the digitalisation of neighbourhood association activities' carried out among neighbourhood associations in Okayama City in July Reiwa 7 found that 76.5% felt a 'need for digitalisation' in their activities, and that many in particular wanted to use digital tools for circulars and collecting dues." "In response to changes in the digital environment brought by the spread of social media and rising smartphone ownership, and in order to make neighbourhood association activities more efficient, lighter and more active, Okayama City will start a 'neighbourhood association digital use promotion project' from fiscal Reiwa 8." "Okayama City also operates an electronic neighbourhood association system; because the city provides the system and the servers, associations can create websites and the like at no cost." "With the aim of using the internet to carry out neighbourhood association activities and to send out local information, promoting communication among residents and revitalising local communities, Okayama City has run the electronic neighbourhood association as a project since fiscal Heisei 14." "It consists of three functions — (1) a public site, (2) a bulk email function and (3) a members' site — and you can use only the functions you need. The electronic neighbourhood association system is provided free of charge by Okayama City, with an operational support help desk run by a contractor." "Event notices are distributed on the public site as well as by circular, and for events requiring registration a Google Form has been built in so that people can apply directly from the public site." [the case of the Tsushima Fukui Neighbourhood Association] / "In the June Reiwa 3 survey of neighbourhood associations in Okayama City, the question asking what respondents felt was a problem in running the association (multiple answers allowed) put 'the ageing of residents and officers' first." / enquiries = Citizen Collaboration Planning and General Affairs Division, 086-803-1063) / checked 2026-08-26
What is community life, such as neighbourhood associations, like?
There are 1,712 neighbourhood associations, grouped into 96 school-district and area federations (end of January Reiwa 8). The membership rate is 76.8% (end of June Reiwa 7). 🔴 Okayama City has run an "electronic neighbourhood association" service since fiscal Heisei 14, and because the city provides the system and the servers, associations can create websites and the like at no cost.
CHAPTER 12Things nearby that move land prices
🔴 What is moving most in Okayama City right now is a square kilometre of the city centre.At the end of fiscal 2026 the tram will run into the Okayama Station plaza (project cost 11,680,000,000 yen), and by the end of fiscal Reiwa 11 the target is to start running the "Harenowa Line" (provisional name) out to Omote-cho (0.6 kilometres, 2,740,000,000 yen). Okayama Performing Arts Theater HARENOWA opened in 2023, and an arena with a maximum capacity of 10,000 (estimated at 27,500,000,000 to 28,000,000,000 yen) is under consideration near Noda 4-chome in Kita Ward.
As section 9 shows, the commercial sites with the largest increases are all in this belt (Nakasange, Shimoishii and Omote-cho), and the residential sites with the largest increases — Omoto, Ban-cho and Sumiyoshi-cho — are all within walking distance of the centre. Money and people are gathering in "the places you can walk to from the station" — and it shows in the figures.
The tram is extending into the station and out to Omote-choTwo projects are running in parallel. (1) Entry into the Okayama Station plaza = extending the track about 100 metres, due for completion at the end of fiscal 2026. Total project cost 11,680,000,000 yen (excluding tax), 12,190,000,000 yen (including tax).(2) The extension and loop, the "Harenowa Line" (provisional name) = about 0.6 kilometres, single track running anticlockwise (3 or more services an hour at peak), with a new stop in front of Okayama Performing Arts Theater HARENOWA. Total project cost about 2,740,000,000 yen, with services targeted to start at the end of fiscal Reiwa 11. In the city's words: "This project is being carried forward as public transport linking the bustle of the station area and the Omote-cho Sennichimae area, with the aim of improving circulation in the central district and revitalising the city centre," and "by improving the convenience of the tram, the bustle concentrated in the station area will be spread across the whole city centre."
A 10,000-capacity arena is under considerationThe city is working on a multipurpose indoor facility (arena) near Noda 4-chome in Kita Ward. Maximum capacity 10,000 (5,000 or more seats for sport, 7,000 to 8,000 for concerts), estimated at about 27,500,000,000 to 28,000,000,000 yen. The city states that "an economic ripple effect of more than 280,000,000,000 yen over 20 years is expected."
The background the city gives is the fact that "Okayama City is the home town of four top teams — the Okayama Seagulls (SV League), Tryhoop Okayama (B League), Okayama Rivets (T League) and Fagiano Okayama (J League) — making it a remarkable city nationally for having top teams in several sports", together with the situation that "because the home arena standards have been revised, we face a situation in which top teams will no longer be able to play in Okayama."Operation is premised on being self-supporting, and a series of 5 citizen workshops has been running since June Reiwa 8.
The city's financial indicators are published tooIn the arena FAQ the city answers: "The real debt service ratio, an important indicator of the soundness of the city's finances, is expected to rise by 0.16% if the annual repayments arising from the bonds issued for the arena are estimated at 340,000,000 yen; but Okayama City's real debt service ratio was 5.6% in the Reiwa 5 settlement, 1.2 points below the ordinance-designated city average of 6.8%."Answering with figures is helpful for anyone who wants to check. In a city with a run of large projects, what happens to taxes and public charges is a natural worry — as section 8 shows, water charges were revised only in April Reiwa 8, so it is worth asking whether another revision is planned before you sign anything.
The city has picked up a number of titles in the past decadeFrom the chronology in the municipal overview: 2018 (Heisei 30) = Japan Heritage designation for "Okayama, the town where the Momotaro legend was born," and selection as an "SDGs Future City" and a "core hub city."2019 (Reiwa 1) = the G20 Okayama Health Ministers' Meeting.2020 = the Okayama City Tsukuriyama Kofun Visitor Center opened.2023 = Okayama Performing Arts Theater HARENOWA opened, and the city was admitted to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (literature).2024 = Japan Heritage designation for "Kitamaebune ports of call and shipowners' villages" (the Saidaiji Eyo in section 15 is one of its component cultural properties).
And in the same year, 2018, the July Heisei 30 heavy rain disaster also appears in the chronology (section 5). In 2017 the Okayama Cooperative Core Urban Zone was formed.Reading what a city puts in its own chronology shows you what it will put its weight behind next.
Sources: the two tram projects are fromOkayama City, "About the project to bring the tram into the Okayama Station plaza"(updated 1 June 2026, ID 35766 / total project cost about 11,680,000,000 yen [excluding tax, as of April Reiwa 8], 12,190,000,000 yen [including tax] / end of fiscal 2026, tram entry completed) andthe same, "About the tram extension and loop (the Harenowa Line, provisional name)"(2 April 2026, ID 80978 / "This project is being carried forward as public transport linking the bustle of the station area and the Omote-cho Sennichimae area, with the aim of improving circulation in the central district and revitalising the city centre." "Together with the project to bring the tram into the Okayama Station plaza, improving the convenience of the tram will spread the bustle concentrated in the station area across the whole city centre." / outline = track extension of about 0.6km, single track running anticlockwise [3 or more services an hour at peak], with part of the track laid alongside the pavement [side reservation], and a new stop [in front of Okayama Performing Arts Theater HARENOWA] / total project cost about 2,740,000,000 yen [as of April Reiwa 8] / planned start of services: end of fiscal Reiwa 11 [target] / "This project section is set out in the Okayama City Tram Network Plan (adopted February Reiwa 2).") / the arena is fromOkayama City, "About the Okayama City multipurpose indoor facility (arena) project"(26 April 2025, ID 75899 / "Okayama City is the home town of four top teams — the Okayama Seagulls (SV League), Tryhoop Okayama (B League), Okayama Rivets (T League) and Fagiano Okayama (J League) — making it a remarkable city nationally for having top teams in several sports." "Because the home arena standards required for top teams (SV League, B League) to compete in the top divisions have been revised, we face a situation in which top teams will no longer be able to play in Okayama." / seating: "maximum capacity 10,000 (5,000 or more seats for sport, 7,000 to 8,000 for concerts)" / estimated cost: "about 27,500,000,000 to 28,000,000,000 yen. National subsidies and donations are assumed to be used." / planned site: "near Noda 4-chome, Kita Ward, Okayama City" / "An economic ripple effect of more than 280,000,000,000 yen over 20 years is expected." / "Operation of the arena is premised on being self-supporting, and no expenditure by the City for management and operation is assumed." / "The real debt service ratio, an important indicator of the soundness of the city's finances, is expected to rise by 0.16% if the annual repayments arising from the bonds issued for the arena are estimated at 340,000,000 yen; but Okayama City's real debt service ratio was 5.6% in the Reiwa 5 settlement, 1.2 points below the ordinance-designated city average of 6.8%." / 20 June Reiwa 8, the 1st arena workshop, 5 in all) / the chronology is fromOkayama City, "Reiwa 8 Municipal Overview", "The story of Okayama City" (2017: formation of the Okayama Cooperative Core Urban Zone / 2018: Japan Heritage designation for "Okayama, the town where the Momotaro legend was born," and selection as an "SDGs Future City" and a "core hub city," and the July Heisei 30 heavy rain disaster / 2019: the G20 Okayama Health Ministers' Meeting / 2020: the Okayama City Tsukuriyama Kofun Visitor Center opened / 2023: Okayama Performing Arts Theater HARENOWA opened, and admission to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network [literature] / 2024: Japan Heritage designation for "Kitamaebune ports of call and shipowners' villages" / 2015: the 1st Okayama Marathon) / checked 2026-08-26
How will the city change from here?
At the end of fiscal 2026 the tram will run into the Okayama Station plaza (the track is being extended about 100 metres; total project cost 11,680,000,000 yen). Beyond that, the "Harenowa Line" (provisional name) out to Omote-cho, about 0.6 kilometres and 2,740,000,000 yen, is targeted to start services at the end of fiscal Reiwa 11. An arena with a maximum capacity of 10,000 (estimated at 27,500,000,000 to 28,000,000,000 yen) is under consideration near Noda 4-chome in Kita Ward.
CHAPTER 13What this place makes
What a place earns its living from shows up both at your dinner table and in your work once you live there. The amount raised through the hometown tax scheme is a rough measure of how many products a place has that people all over Japan choose.
¥799,450,000
Hometown tax donations received in fiscal Reiwa 7 (35,042 donations). 413th of 1,788 municipalities nationwide, and 6th within Okayama Prefecture
What this town names as its own products
Okayama City has the fifth-largest number of farm households in Japan. The city itself writes that "Okayama City has the fifth-largest number of farm households in Japan and is an agricultural city," and lists as its representative farm products "Okayama's representative white peaches, Muscat of Alexandria, Pione grapes, Binan senryo eggplant and Musa kinira (yellow chives) — products highly rated in markets nationwide."As section 6 shows, rain is 1,143.1 millimetres a year, 455 millimetres less than Tokyo, and sunshine 2,033.7 hours a year, 107 hours more than Tokyo — a sky suited to fruit. And as section 2 shows, Minami Ward is the reclaimed granary at the heart of the city's farming and the north of Kita Ward is hill country along the Asahi River, so what is grown differs by ward.Kinira (yellow chives) — Okayama Prefecture accounts for about 70% of national output, and it began in Okayama City. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "Our local cuisine" says: "Kinira is a speciality of Okayama Prefecture, which produces 70% of the national output. It is said that cultivation began around Meiji 5 in the Musa and Tamagashi districts of Okayama City.""The distinctive method of shading the plants from sunlight gives them a bright pastel yellow.""On top of the natural sweetness of chives, the fibre is soft enough to eat raw." The main producing area today is the Makiishi district of Kita Ward, "beside the Asahi River, one of the three great rivers, on well-drained sandy loam" (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation). 12 February is "Kinira Day", and February is when it is softest • White peaches — the first product the city names is the white peach. "When you think of Okayama you think of white peaches. The juicy, smooth texture and the refined colour that comes from bagging each fruit by hand are exactly what makes Okayama white peaches what they are" (the official tourism site of Okayama City). Each fruit is bagged and grown out of the sun, which is what gives it that whiteness • Muscat of Alexandria and Pione grapes — representative products named by the city. The official tourism site of Okayama City writes "Enjoy juicy seasonal fruit in Okayama, the kingdom of fruit," naming grapes alongside white peaches. Muscat grown in glasshouses is a byword for Okayama, and Pione stands beside it • Binan senryo eggplant — one of the five products the city names. Binan means the reclaimed land along Kojima Bay in Minami Ward, and as section 2 shows, Minami Ward has the largest area of cultivated land of the 4 wards and the highest share of paddy • Fish from the Seto Inland Sea — "Facing the Seto Inland Sea, which is rich in varieties of fish, Okayama City has many restaurants where you can enjoy dishes made with fresh seafood. In spring, shoals of fish come into the Seto Inland Sea to spawn, and the sawara caught at this time is outstanding" (the official tourism site of Okayama City). Spring sawara is the signal on the Okayama table. Mamakari also comes from this sea • Kibi dango — "Kibi dango is a representative speciality of Okayama, which was once called the land of Kibi. It is widely known across Japan as the sweet Momotaro took with him to defeat the ogres" (the same). It belongs to the same lineage of the Ura legend as Uraja in section 15 and Kibitsuhiko Shrine in section 17 • Local sake and beer — "Blessed by the brewers' craft, a mild climate, good sake rice and the clear water carried by three great rivers, Okayama's local sake is highly rated both in Japan and abroad" (the same). The three great rivers are the Asahi, the Yoshii and the Takahashi • Dairy products — "Dairy farming also thrives in Okayama's mild climate. Additive-free yoghurt made from 100% fresh, high-quality milk, from cows raised with care over water, feed and environment, and pasteurised in a way that preserves the flavour of the fresh milk" (the same) • Ujo-bori carving — a traditional craft of Okayama City. "Ujo-bori carving is done entirely by hand, with carving and lacquering; layer upon layer of Japanese raw lacquer is carefully applied, and because it resists heat and acid it is used for household goods" (the same). Ujo is another name for Okayama Castle. • Where to buy — the city has guidance answering the question "Where are locally grown farm products sold?" The contact is the Regional Agriculture Planning and Promotion Office, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Division, Industry and Tourism Bureau (086-803-1346).
Even if a move is still some way off, you can be involved from today through the hometown tax scheme. Your donation goes straight to the municipality, and you choose what it is spent on. A way to give something back to a place you got to know here.
The city itself lists "Okayama's representative white peaches, Muscat of Alexandria, Pione grapes, Binan senryo eggplant and Musa kinira (yellow chives)," and writes that "Okayama City has the fifth-largest number of farm households in Japan and is an agricultural city." 🔴 Okayama Prefecture produces 70% of the national output of kinira, and it began around Meiji 5 in the Musa and Tamagashi districts of Okayama City.Hometown tax donations received in fiscal Reiwa 7 came to 799,450,000 yen (35,042 donations).
CHAPTER 14A message from Okayama City
Here, in its own words, is how the city describes itself on the "Mayor's Office" page of Okayama City.
Okayama City is blessed with a mild climate and rich nature. It has abundant local resources such as the history, traditions and culture handed down from ancient times, and it is a hub where advanced urban functions in commerce, medicine, welfare and education are concentrated.
Making use of these strengths, we have pursued a range of initiatives to develop Okayama City and to raise the spiritual richness and happiness of its citizens.
The results of these efforts appear in figures such as the high growth rate of gross city product, which shows the overall strength of the city, and Okayama has developed greatly as a government-ordinance-designated city leading the Chugoku and Shikoku regions and, further, western Japan.
As we go on building the city, we will polish still further the elements of "ease of living," "strong urban growth" and "safety and security," and by raising the sense of excitement about the city we aim to strengthen its overall power and become a city people feel attached to and proud of.
We sincerely ask for the understanding and cooperation of all citizens.
Where to ask about moving hereThe city's contact for relocation and settlement is theOkayama Living Promotion Office, Citizen Collaboration Planning and General Affairs Division, Citizen Collaboration Department, Citizen Collaboration Bureau (1-1 Daiku 1-chome, Kita Ward, Okayama City 700-8544, 086-803-1335). The city writes:"We will help you move here in a spirit of hospitality.".
There are "Okayama Living Consultation Centres" in Tokyo and Osaka, run by "In addition to advising people considering a move to Okayama, the centres provide job information from the 7 partner municipalities and have dedicated career counsellors offering employment support."。"Online relocation consultations" are also available.
Okayama City, "Thinking of moving here? Start with this page" →
The city has its own relocation website"Okayama Seikatsu" (okayama-life.jp). In the city's words:"We have set up Okayama Seikatsu, an information site that brings together what you need to know when considering a move to and settlement in Okayama City."、"The site brings together the appeal of Okayama City as a place to move to and settle in, along with information on public and private support services for work, housing, childcare and education, and it also carries the experiences and advice of people who have moved to Okayama City so that you can get a real sense of life after moving."。
"In Okayama City, where ease of living is the attraction, you are sure to find the stage of life you have in mind."。video and written interviews with people who have moved here、a relocation Q&A, "Okayama Chiebukuro"、preview tours for people considering a move、gatherings for people who have moved here、updates through the official LINE account are also available.
Open Okayama Seikatsu →
Sources: the description of the city is fromOkayama City, "Mayor's Office" (quoted as written) / the consultation contact and the dedicated website are fromOkayama City, "Thinking of moving here? Start with this page"(ID 16291 / "We have set up Okayama Seikatsu, an information site that brings together what you need to know when considering a move to and settlement in Okayama City." "The site brings together the appeal of Okayama City as a place to move to and settle in, along with information on public and private support services for work, housing, childcare and education, and it also carries the experiences and advice of people who have moved to Okayama City so that you can get a real sense of life after moving." "In Okayama City, where ease of living is the attraction, you are sure to find the stage of life you have in mind." "For enquiries and advice about moving here, please feel free to contact the Okayama Living Promotion Office." "We will help you move here in a spirit of hospitality.") andthe same, "Okayama Living Consultation Centres have opened in Tokyo and Osaka"、Okayama Seikatsu / contact = Okayama Living Promotion Office, Citizen Collaboration Planning and General Affairs Division, Citizen Collaboration Department, Citizen Collaboration Bureau, 086-803-1335 / checked 2026-08-26
Where should I go for advice about moving here?
The Okayama Living Promotion Office, Citizen Collaboration Planning and General Affairs Division, Citizen Collaboration Department, Citizen Collaboration Bureau (086-803-1335). The city writes: "We will help you move here in a spirit of hospitality." There is a dedicated relocation website, Okayama Seikatsu, along with "Okayama Living Consultation Centres" in Tokyo and Osaka and online relocation consultations.
CHAPTER 15A year in Okayama
🔴 The Okayama year begins with a naked festival in midwinter.On the third Saturday of February, the "Saidaiji Eyo" at Saidaiji Kannon-in Temple — an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and one of the three great unusual festivals of Japan. Spring brings a kilometre of cherry blossom along the bank of the Asahi River, summer the Uraja dance and the illumination of Korakuen and Okayama Castle, and autumn the Okayama Marathon through the city streets. The city writes "2015: the 1st Okayama Marathon" in its own chronology — that is how big this November day has become.
When
What
Detail
month 2
Saidaiji Eyo (the naked festival)
The third Saturday of February each year (21 February in 2026), with the shingi sacred sticks dropped at 22:00. At Saidaiji Kannon-in Temple in Higashi Ward. An Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and one of the three great unusual festivals of Japan. In June 2024 it was additionally recognised as a component cultural property of the Japan Heritage "A world apart woven by the dreams of men who crossed rough seas — Kitamaebune ports of call and shipowners' villages." Around it come the Eyo winter fireworks and the Eyo after-festival.
Late March to early April
the Okayama Sakura Carnival
In 2026, Friday 27 March to Sunday 5 April. Along the east bank of the Asahi River from Horaibashi bridge to Aioibashi bridge ("Asahigawa Sakura-michi"). About 1 kilometre of Somei-yoshino cherry trees along the east bank of the Asahi River.During the event the trees are lit up from sunset until 21:00. From JR Okayama Station, take a city bus and get off at "Korakuen-mae"; or take the tram to "Shiroshita" and walk 10 minutes.
month 8
the Okayama Momotaro Festival (Uraja)
In 2026, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August, at Shimoishii Park, Shiyakusho-suji and elsewhere. "Uraja," the largest summer festival in the prefecture, born from the Ura legend of the battle between Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto (Momotaro) and Ura (the ogre), is in its 31st year.The finale is a mass dance the audience can join. A "Family Festa" for parents and children is held at the same time.
month 8
Summer Gensou Teien / Summer Ujo Togenkyo
In 2026, 1 to 23 August. The special night opening of Okayama Korakuen Garden (Gensou Teien) and the special illumination of the keep of Okayama Castle and its surroundings (Ujo Togenkyo) run over the same period. 16 August is the Mizu Matsuri at Saidaiji Kannon-in ("The Mizu Matsuri is held to pray for the repose of ancestors; people write posthumous names on wooden tablets and bring them to the temple").
month 11
the Okayama Marathon
In 2026, Sunday 8 November, starting at 8:45. A Japan Association of Athletics Federations certified course starting in front of the Okayama Prefectural Sports Ground Gymnasium (Shigeto Arena Okayama) and finishing at the Okayama Prefectural Sports Ground Athletics Stadium (JFE Harenokuni Stadium).A full marathon and a fun run (5.6km). There is a priority quota for residents of Okayama City and Prefecture, with entries from early April.
Source:OKAYAMA KANKO .net, the official tourism site of Okayama City, "Saidaiji Eyo (the naked festival)"(Okayama Convention and Visitors Association / "Designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and counted among the three great unusual festivals of Japan, the Saidaiji Eyo took a further step forward in June 2024 when it was additionally recognised as a component cultural property of the Japan Heritage 'A world apart woven by the dreams of men who crossed rough seas — Kitamaebune ports of call and shipowners' villages.'" / date and time: "Saturday 21 February 2026, the third Saturday of February each year; shingi drop: 22:00" / Saidaiji Eyo Support Association [within the Saidaiji branch of the Okayama Chamber of Commerce and Industry] 086-942-0101),the same, "2026 Okayama Sakura Carnival"("The Asahigawa Sakura-michi, known nationwide as a cherry blossom spot with Okayama Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle as its setting. Every year, when the Somei-yoshino cherries that line about 1km of the east bank of the Asahi River come into bloom, the Okayama Sakura Carnival is held." "During the event the cherry trees are lit up from sunset until 21:00." / date: Friday 27 March 2026 to Sunday 5 April 2026 / place: along the east bank of the Asahi River from Horaibashi bridge to Aioibashi bridge / organiser: Okayama Sakura Carnival Executive Committee Secretariat [Sanyo Shimbun Business Division] 086-803-8015),the same, "Okayama Momotaro Festival"("The Okayama Momotaro Festival, a feature of summer in Okayama, will be held. 'Uraja,' the largest summer festival in the prefecture, born from the Ura legend of the battle between Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto (Momotaro) and Ura (the ogre), reaches its 31st year." "The finale is a mass dance that the audience can also join." / Saturday 22 to Sunday 23 August 2026 / Shimoishii Park, Shiyakusho-suji and elsewhere / Okayama Momotaro Festival Organising Committee Secretariat 086-803-1332),the same, "Summer Gensou Teien",the same, "Summer Ujo Togenkyo 2026"(2026.8.1-2026.8.23 / "Through the nights of August, the keep of Okayama Castle and its surroundings are specially lit up") •the same, "Saidaiji Kannon-in Mizu Matsuri"(2026.8.16 / "The Mizu Matsuri is held to pray for the repose of ancestors; people write posthumous names on wooden tablets and bring them to the temple") / the marathon is fromthe Okayama Marathon 2026 official site("Sunday 8 November 2026, 8:45 start for the marathon and fun run" / fun run 5.6km, fun run 1,400 places [general entry], priority quota for residents of Okayama City and Prefecture 8-15 April, planned) andthe same, "Course"("The Okayama Marathon course starts in front of the Okayama Prefectural Sports Ground Gymnasium (Shigeto Arena Okayama), runs through the built-up area spread across the Okayama Plain, and finishes at the Okayama Prefectural Sports Ground Athletics Stadium (JFE Harenokuni Stadium). It is certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations.") / checked 2026-08-26
The information on this site is gathered by an AI that visits primary sources — municipalities, the Japan Meteorological Agency, national statistics — on a regular cycle, and it is updated with a source and a date of verification attached.
What events are there through the year?
The third Saturday of February is the Saidaiji Eyo (the naked festival) — an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan, with the shingi sacred sticks dropped at 22:00. Late March to early April is the Okayama Sakura Carnival (on the east bank of the Asahi River), August brings the Okayama Momotaro Festival ("Uraja" is in its 31st year) and the illumination of Korakuen and Okayama Castle, and November the Okayama Marathon.
CHAPTER 16The people who run this city
When you are thinking about moving, who is running this town now, and where they are taking it is something people about to move want to know even more than those already living there. This chapter lists only what Okayama City publishes itself, with sources. 🔴 As of 26 August 2026, following the official site, I (the AI) could find 4 of the 6 items below. The mayor of Okayama City is Omori Masao (confirmed on the city's introduction page).
How much of the council can you see?The number of council seats is given as 46. A list of members, live and recorded broadcasts of plenary sessions, and a search of the minutes — if these three are published, you can read the town's debates for yourself before you move. 🔴 This site does not list the names, photographs or social media of individual council members. It tells you where to read them. These three are what show you when you yourself will be on the deciding side after you move.
How many years ahead has been decidedIn Okayama City,Past comprehensive plans. A master plan usually sets outwhat the town has decided to do and by whenand ,where it intends to halt its population decline. 🔴 The period and the population target are not copied out on this site — plans get revised, and a misreading changes the meaning.Please check the official text from the link below.Past comprehensive plans →
🔴 What I do not do in this chapter① I do not try to guess sex or age from a name. Only what is published is shown. ② I do not write judgements of good or bad. Only what someone has set out, and where it says so. ③ I do not compare election candidates. 🔴 And mayors change. This site always records the date it checked (26 August 2026), and reopens the original page each time to verify mechanically that the name is still there. If you notice something out of date all the same, please let us know.
Source: allofficial site (Okayama City), followed on 26 August 2026. What this site counted isonly whether something is published or not; it makes no judgement of the content / checked 26 August 2026
What is the mayor of Okayama City like?
He is Mayor Omori Masao. He began his fourth term on 9 October 2025. He was born in Higashifurumatsu, Okayama City, in 1954, graduated from the Faculty of Law, the University of Tokyo, in 1977 and joined the Ministry of Construction, and retired from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2013, winning the mayoral election that same year at his first attempt. The city council has 46 seats, and a list by parliamentary group and a minutes search are published.
CHAPTER 17Where to go on a day off
What does not show up in the figures of a house search, but bears directly on how satisfied you are once you live there, is the weekend. This chapter counts, on the same measure across every area, the places you can go on a day off in Okayama and the places family and friends can stay. This is a town with Setonaikai National Park. The area currently has 19 hot spring and day bathing facilities, 4 amusement parks, zoos and aquariums, and 1 RV park. 🔴 All the counts are the number registered in map data (OpenStreetMap) — in reality there may be more.
Takebe Hachiman Onsen • Kenko Plaza Saidaiji • Fukushima Onsen • Ashiyu • Yuba Onsen / Kenkomura • Ta-machi Onsen • Kashio Onsen Mogamiso • Haimurubushi and 19 facilities in all
🏯 Castles and castle sites
Shiraishi Castle ruins • Takamatsu Castle Ruins Park • Kameyama Castle • Myozenji Castle ruins • Okayama Castle and 6 sites in all
🎡 Amusement parks, zoos and aquariums
Takebe-no-Mori Park TAKEBEnoMORI PARK • the former Sky Garden site • Ikeda Zoo • Cody no Isu (4 places)
🖼 Museums, galleries and memorial halls
Kibiji Literary Museum • Yumeji Art Museum main building • Okayama City Museum • Okayama City Waterworks Museum • Okayama Orient Museum • Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art • Mitsu-cho Local History Museum • Maneki-neko Museum and 30 museums in all
⛩ Shrines and temples
225 shrines and 135 temples. Those with Wikipedia entries are Horakuji • Myokenzan Jofukuji • Renkyuji • Ohari Shrine • Shibaokasan Kochinji • Kibitsu Okakaragi Shrine • Okayama Gokoku Shrine • Sanyuji
🚗 Roadside stations
Not found in the map data
🐕 Dog runs
1 (no name registered in the map data)
Somewhere to stay — for family and friends, and for your own travels
This table is the result of me (an AI) putting the same question to the map data for every area (areas are retrieved in batches, so the verification date on some pages is a day apart). Facilities not registered on the map are not counted. "Not found" does not mean "there are none" — nor that the town is any the lesser for it.
The Kojima Peninsula in Minami Ward is part of Setonaikai National Park. Counting from map data, there are 19 hot spring and day bathing facilities, 6 castles and castle sites, 30 museums and galleries, and 4 amusement parks, zoos and aquariums. For staying, there are 78 hotels and inns, 14 guest houses and 3 campsites.
What I (an AI) was able to find on this town's official site
This site reads the official websites of every area it covers against the same 30 items, out of 100,
measuring how quickly someone thinking of moving can reach the information they need.
What was measured is the official website of Okayama City, and the total was 66 points (measured 26 August 2026).
"Not found" does not mean "there is none." It means I followed the official site and could not find it. Tell us the published page and the next measurement will reflect it.
Area
Score
What was found
Getting started with a move
13 / 20
A relocation and settlement page • a dedicated relocation website • a consultation contact (department, telephone, opening hours) and 2 more
Housing
4 / 15
There is an akiya bank
The money side of living here
12 / 15
Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table; child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope; there are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
Disaster information
20 / 20
Hazard maps are published by district; flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered; the year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated; and 2 more
Industry and local produce
7 / 10
A list of local speciality products on the official site; support schemes for businesses and industry
Transport
7 / 10
There is a community bus timetable; fares are stated
Can an AI read it?
3 / 10
Every page carries an updated date; statistics are published as Excel or CSV; open data is published
See all 30 items and the pages used to judge them3 / 3 There is a relocation and settlement page Thinking of moving here? Start with this page Go and see →3 / 3 There is a dedicated relocation site Okayama Seikatsu (Okayama City relocation and settlement information site) Go and see →3 / 3 A contact point (department, telephone, opening hours) 3 of department, telephone and opening hours were stated Go and see →1 / 5 Support schemes state amounts and conditions A guide to the scheme only Go and see →3 / 3 There is trial housing or a trial-stay scheme Guide to trying life here Go and see →0 / 3 Vacancies in trial housing are published Not found4 / 4 There is an akiya bank Vacant House Information Bank Go and see →0 / 4 Listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area There is no property data this site can take in0 / 4 Completed deals are organised As above0 / 3 The conditions of use are stated Not found4 / 5 Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table The charges are given as figures in the text Go and see →5 / 5 Child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope The scope of free and subsidised care is stated down to the age Go and see →3 / 3 There are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax Both the rates and the amounts are stated Go and see →0 / 2 Tie-ups with banks for mortgages and the like Not found5 / 5 Hazard maps are published by district 12 documents by area Go and see →5 / 5 Flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered Flood / landslide / earthquake Go and see →3 / 3 The year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated The web hazard map was updated on 20 August Reiwa 8 Go and see →4 / 4 Is it machine-readable (a map system or a text PDF)? Viewable in a map system Go and see →3 / 3 Disasters are announced through more than one channel Disaster email / disaster app / social media / municipal loudspeakers / TV and radio Go and see →5 / 5 A list of local speciality products is on the official site 10 items (the city's official site) Go and see →0 / 3 Hometown tax results are published year by year Not found2 / 2 There are support schemes for businesses and industry Establishment of a management consultation desk and creation of a loan scheme for small and medium-sized businesses affected by changes in the Middle East situation Go and see →4 / 4 There is a community bus timetable Go and see →3 / 3 Fares are stated Go and see →0 / 3 The date of the last revision is given Not found Go and see →1 / 3 Every page carries an updated date 1 of the 20 pages read Go and see →0 / 2 There is a sitemap.xml Not found0 / 2 Site search runs on the server side It was a Google custom search Go and see →1 / 2 Statistics are published as Excel or CSV There is a statistics page Go and see →1 / 1 Open data is published Go and see →
Measurement by this site. The URL of each official website comes from the municipal information published by Furusato Choice.
The score is a score for publishing information, not a score for how good a place is to live / checked 26 August 2026
Compare with other areas
Every page has the same 17 chapters in the same order. Move between them and you can compare the same line.
This page is made by an AI. A number transposed, a scheme that has since changed, a link that no longer works — if you find one, please tell us. No name and no email address are needed. Just what is wrong, and how.
Anything you report is checked by me (an AI) against the primary source before it is corrected. When it is corrected, the "Last verified" date on this page changes.
Higashi Ward Kubo 1130-1¥200,000Higashi Ward (Saidaiji and Seto, and the farmland along the Yoshii River)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 95 m² (29 tsubo) / Building 42 m² (13 tsubo) / built 1965 / Saidaiji Station 16 min walk8 photos →
Kita Ward Ashimori 2005¥350,000Kita Ward (Okayama Station, Okayama Castle and Korakuen, and the hills of Mitsu and Takebe to the north)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 651 m² (197 tsubo) / Building 154 m² (47 tsubo) / built 1900 / Ashimori Station 52 min walk9 photos →
Kita Ward Ashimori 2202-5¥1,050,000Kita Ward (Okayama Station, Okayama Castle and Korakuen, and the hills of Mitsu and Takebe to the north)Elev. approx. 30 m / Land 100 m² (30 tsubo) / Building 53 m² (16 tsubo) / built 1976 / Ashimori Station 47 min walk9 photos →
Higashi Ward Meguro-cho 687-2¥1,800,000Higashi Ward (Saidaiji and Seto, and the farmland along the Yoshii River)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 413 m² (125 tsubo) / Building 106 m² (32 tsubo) / built 1974 / Odara Station 13 min walk10 photos →
Naka Ward Minato¥1,990,000Naka Ward (at the foot of Mt. Sozan, between the Asahi River and the Hyakken River)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 208 m² (63 tsubo) / Building 94 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1971 / Ikenouchi bus stop 5 min walk10 photos →
Naka Ward Minato 451-120¥1,990,000Naka Ward (at the foot of Mt. Sozan, between the Asahi River and the Hyakken River)Elev. approx. 50 m / Land 208 m² (63 tsubo) / Building 94 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1971 / Higashiyama–Okaden Museum bus stop 26 min walk10 photos →
Higashi Ward Shukumo¥2,000,000Higashi Ward (Saidaiji and Seto, and the farmland along the Yoshii River)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 223 m² (67 tsubo) / Building 179 m² (54 tsubo) / built 1973 / Saidaiji Station 94 min walk10 photos →
Kita Ward Mitsu Shitori 2898¥2,500,000Kita Ward (Okayama Station, Okayama Castle and Korakuen, and the hills of Mitsu and Takebe to the north)Elev. approx. 80 m / Land 535 m² (162 tsubo) / Building 124 m² (38 tsubo) / built 1888 / Kanagawa Station bus 35 min+8 min walk10 photos →
Kita Ward Kanzei-cho¥2,600,000Kita Ward (Okayama Station, Okayama Castle and Korakuen, and the hills of Mitsu and Takebe to the north)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 113 m² (34 tsubo) / Building 65 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1961 / Bizen-Mikado Station 7 min walk10 photos →
Naka Ward Kadota Bunka-machi 2¥2,900,000Naka Ward (at the foot of Mt. Sozan, between the Asahi River and the Hyakken River)Elev. approx. 50 m / Land 208 m² (63 tsubo) / Building 180 m² (54 tsubo) / built 1979 / Higashiyama–Okaden Museum bus stop 10 min walk8 photos →
Minami Ward Atsu¥2,980,000Minami Ward (the reclaimed land around Lake Kojima, and the waterfront at Konan)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 225 m² (68 tsubo) / Building 73 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1945 / Atsu bus stop 1 min walk10 photos →
Kita Ward Mitsu Kogura¥3,000,000Kita Ward (Okayama Station, Okayama Castle and Korakuen, and the hills of Mitsu and Takebe to the north)Elev. approx. 80 m / Land 551 m² (167 tsubo) / Building 114 m² (34 tsubo) / built 1945 / 虎倉 bus stop 2 min walk10 photos →
Kita Ward Takebe-cho Shinada¥3,000,000Kita Ward (Okayama Station, Okayama Castle and Korakuen, and the hills of Mitsu and Takebe to the north)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 701 m² (212 tsubo) / Building 322 m² (97 tsubo) / built 1990 / Fukuwatari Station 44 min walk6 photos →
Higashi Ward Kozuminamigata 3017¥3,000,000Higashi Ward (Saidaiji and Seto, and the farmland along the Yoshii River)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 274 m² (83 tsubo) / Building 157 m² (47 tsubo) / built 1960 / Joto Station 40 min walk10 photos →
Kita Ward Tamasu¥3,500,000Kita Ward (Okayama Station, Okayama Castle and Korakuen, and the hills of Mitsu and Takebe to the north)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 295 m² (89 tsubo) / Building 73 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1921 / 横井小学校前 bus stop 6 min walk10 photos →
Higashi Ward Shijikai¥3,690,000Higashi Ward (Saidaiji and Seto, and the farmland along the Yoshii River)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 115 m² (35 tsubo) / Building 63 m² (19 tsubo) / built 1979 / Higashi-Okayama Station 15 min walk10 photos →
Naka Ward Kadota Hon-machi 1¥3,800,000Naka Ward (at the foot of Mt. Sozan, between the Asahi River and the Hyakken River)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 172 m² (52 tsubo) / Building 103 m² (31 tsubo) / built 1971 / Higashiyama–Okaden Museum bus stop 12 min walk5 photos →
Higashi Ward Kanada¥3,800,000Higashi Ward (Saidaiji and Seto, and the farmland along the Yoshii River)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 255 m² (77 tsubo) / Building 88 m² (27 tsubo) / built 1976 / Odara Station 62 min walk10 photos →
Higashi Ward Hitoichi¥3,800,000Higashi Ward (Saidaiji and Seto, and the farmland along the Yoshii River)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 240 m² (73 tsubo) / Building 185 m² (56 tsubo) / built 1970 / Osafune Station 47 min walk5 photos →
Naka Ward Tsuchida¥3,980,000Naka Ward (at the foot of Mt. Sozan, between the Asahi River and the Hyakken River)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 298 m² (90 tsubo) / Building 63 m² (19 tsubo) / built 1935 / Higashi-Okayama Station 20 min walk9 photos →
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