Okayama Ichibangai Sun Station Terrace Okayama

Barazushi is a kind of sushi with lots of seasoned ingredients, such as seafood and vegetables, mixed with vinegared rice. A traditional dish in Okayama, barazushi is eaten on special occasions, such as festivals and celebrations.
Photo: “Okayama Barazushi” by Azumazushi

Okayama ramen noodles come in many local varieties. They are served with soy sauce soup, which is made with either pork bones or chicken bones. Why not try the various ramen noodles while traveling around Okayama?

This is Okayama’s local dish with rice mixed with slightly sweet and addictively-rich special brown sauce, topped with shrimps and a thin omelet.
Photo: “Okayama’s specialty - Shrimp rice and cutlet rice with demi-glace sauce” by Okayama Ekiben

This is a kind of yaki-udon, or stir-fried udon noodles. The noodles are grilled on an iron plate with beef or pork innards and mixed with each restaurant’s special seasoning, such as miso and sauce.

While the usual katsudon or cutlet rice is cooked with beaten eggs or seasoned with sauce, Okayama’s cutlet rice is uniquely seasoned with demi-glace sauce.
Photo: “Domi-katsudon set” by Hashiya

Yellow chive is very rare and seldom seen in supermarkets.
Its crunchy texture, exquisite flavor and pleasant sweetness make this vegetable truly special.
Photo: “Bukkake soba with yellow chive and green chive” by Sobakichi

Mamakari is the local term for Japanese shad. The name literally means “borrowing rice from the neighbor,” which implies that the fish is so delicious that people keep eating it until the rice runs out, then they go to a neighbor to borrow (kari) more rice (mama). Mamakari is pickled in vinegar, grilled with salt, or cooked in various other ways.
Photo: “Mamakari Hamayaki” by Amochinmi

Okayama is a major producer of fruits.
Thanks to its mild weather and long hours of sunshine, Okayama Prefecture is called Sunny Country. It is also called “Fruit Kingdom” for its temperate climate, which is ideal for growing fruits.

With their pleasant sweetness and soft texture, kibidango dumplings are one of the most popular confections of Okayama. Many varieties are available.

Ohte-manju is one of the three major buns in Japan. It is a kind of steamed bun known as sake manju, with smooth sweet red bean paste wrapped in a thin dough with the delicate flavor of amazake fermented rice drink.

Murasuzume is a Japanese-style crepe filled with mashed sweet red bean paste. The many holes that form on the surface during baking give it a fluffy texture.

Soft and sticky rice cake called gyuhi is wrapped in mildly-flavored and lightly-textured sponge cake made with egg. With its refined sweetness, chofu is a popular confection of Okayama.

Omachi rice is one of the oldest sake rice varieties, from which many of the best existing sake rice varieties in Okayama Prefecture are derived. Sake made from Omachi rice has a rich and thick flavor and mellow taste.
Photo: “Shirohato” specially-brewed healthy shochu liquor made from adlay millet by Muromachi Shuzo Brewery

Bizen ware is a type of Japanese pottery produced in the Bizen area, which is known as one of the six ancient kiln areas of Japan.
Fired without glaze, Bizen ware has a hand-made feel and is considered a work of art created by clay and fire.

Masking tape, or wrapping tape, is a fancy item that originated in Japan and is now popular around the world. Available in a variety of colors and lovely patterns, the tape is ideal for decorating household items and gift wrapping.

Kojima is the major production center of jeans. The jeans made here by skilled denim craftsmen are the best quality in the world, which is known as “Kojima quality.”
Photo: Jeans by Denim Laboratory