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1. Once visitors exit immigration and customs at Kansai Airport, visitors will be on the 1st floor. Follow the signs for “Railways”, taking one of the 4 escalators or 3 elevators to arrive at the 2nd floor.

2. Once on the 2nd floor, follow the signs to one of several walkways and walk across the road to Kansai-airport Station. Visitors need to exit the air terminal building to arrive at the JR Station (two separate buildings connected by a walkway). Two train companies use Kansai-airport Station: JR (blue/green) and Nankai (orange). Only JR can take visitor to the platform Haruka departing from. DO NOT use Nankai.

3. Before entering tickets gate, find JR Ticket Office where visitors can purchase ticket or reserved ticket for JR train.(there is a huge sign in English above their head).JR ticket office staff may or may not speak English, but they can read place names and train types written in the Roman alphabet. 

4. With one’s tickets, go through JR ticket gate and take an escalator to get to Platform 4.

The Ohashi family, a wealthy family among the merchants of Kurashiki, built the Ohashi House in 1796.  The house is a typical Kurashiki townhouse or machiya.  The house has the atmosphere of a wealthy merchant’s house with its elegant sliding doors and hanging scrolls in the tatami mat rooms.  In addition, there are separate private rooms, storage rooms and a kitchen.

There is a noticeable difference between the Ohashi House and other machiya. The Ohashi House is not built directly on the road.  There is a front gate and an open space area.  During the Edo Period (1603-1867), this architectural style was exclusive to the samurai residence.  The caste system dictated the samurais at the top of social scale with the merchants at the bottom.  The Ohashi House incorporating the architectural style reserved for samurais reflected the family’s local importance.
 
Location and Access Information:
From the northern end of the canal area, it was a few minutes by foot.  It is opposite side of the Motomachi-dori, main road.
From the station, go south on the main road (Motomachi-dori).  Turn right at the second set of the traffic lights.  Visitors can find the Ohashi House on their left, about 1 minute away.

Korakuen is a beautiful landscape garden and Okayama's main attraction. Along with Kanazawa's Kenrokuen and Mito's Kairakuen, Korakuen is ranked as one of Japan's three best landscape gardens. It is located just beside Okayama Castle, which can be seen from the garden as "borrowed scenery".

The local feudal lord ordered the construction of Korakuen in 1687 as a place of entertainment for the ruling family and a location for receiving important guests. Occasionally, the public was permitted to enter the garden.
In 1884, a few years after the end of the feudal era, Korakuen became the property of Okayama Prefecture and was opened to the public. The garden suffered damage from floods in 1934 and bombing during the war, but it has always been restored to its original state thanks to the accurate records kept by the garden's designers.

Korakuen is a spacious garden that incorporates the typical features of a Japanese landscape garden, including a large pond, streams, walking paths and a hill that serves as a lookout point. Rather unique for a Japanese garden, however, are Korakuen's spacious lawns. Also found in the garden are groves of plum, cherry and maple trees, tea and rice fields, an archery range and a crane aviary.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Korakuen is about 1.5 kilometers or a 25-30 minute walk east of Okayama Station. Trams on the Higashiyama Line can be taken to Shiroshita stop (5 minutes, 100 yen, frequent departures) from where the garden's south gate can be reached in a 10-15 minute walk. Alternatively, a bus runs between Okayama Station and Korakuen-mae bus stop (20 minutes, 140 yen, every 15-25 minutes), which is located just beside the garden's main gate.

Note that there are two entrances to Korakuen: a main gate beside the Prefectural Museum and a south gate near the bridge that crosses to Okayama Castle.

  Hours: 7:30 to 18:00 (March 20 to September)
             8:00 to 17:00 (October to March 19)
Admission ends 15 minutes before closing time.
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 400 yen (Korakuen only)
                 560 yen (Korakuen and Okayama Castle; not available during special exhibitions at the castle)
Various other combination tickets are available

The Kibi Plain located outside central Okayama City was the center of the Kibi Kingdom, an ancient, powerful clan.  Historical attractions such as such as burial mounds and shrines are located on the plain.

The Kibi Kingdom is famous for the Legend of Prince Kititsuhiko.  Prince Kibitsuhiko is a prince from a rivaling clan (Yamato Clan).  He came to the kingdom to defeat an ogre.  From this legend, the famous folktale of Momotaro emerged.  Momotaro is a story of boy, born from a peach, who defeated a group of terrorizing ogres.  

Cyclists will be happy to learn a popular 17 kilometer long cycling route through the Kibi Plain between Bizen-Ichinomiya and Soja Stations. This route loosely follows the legend of Prince Kibitsuhiko and passes several important shrines, temples and burial mounds along the way. 

Though visitors can start the route from either side, the route is slightly easier to locate if begun from Bizen-Ichinomiya Station.  
A “mama chari” single speed bicycle can be rented rented at either station.  Users can return the bicycle at the other end or at Bitchu-Kokubunji Temple .                                   
                                                                    

Koikui Shrine (literally "carp eating shrine") is famous for the location where Prince Kibitsuhiko first subdued the ogre. After the ogre transformed and fled as a bird, the prince changed into a hawk to hunt him down. As a result, the ogre made the deadly mistake of changing into a carp, whereas the prince turned into a cormorant.                 
Koikui Shrine
Hours: Always open 
Closed: Opened all year round 
Admission: Free 

Tsukuriyama Kofun
The Kibi Plain is home to several burial mounds (kofun) which were constructed during the Kofun Period (300 to 538). Tsukuriyama Kofun is the largest in the region, and was the largest kofun in Japan at the time of its construction. On the top of the mound is a shrine visitors can visit. There is also a trail along the top of the kofun that offers beautiful views over the surrounding plains.                      

Bitchu-Kokubunji Temple founded in 741 is a 34 meter tall, five story pagoda. Near the temple is a bicycle shop rental shop where bicycles can be rented or returned.
Alternatively, there is a bus to Soja Station for visitors who do not wish to cycle the route’s last section (approximately 5 kilometers).

Bitchu-Kokubunji Temple
Hours: 7:30 to 17:00 
Closed: Opened all year round
Admission: Free

Kibitsuhiko Shrine, located in the Kibi Plain, is well-known due to the Legend of Prince Kibitsuhiko.  Kibi Plain was the center of Kibi Kingdom, a powerful clan.  However, in the 4th century, Prince Kibitsuhiko from the rivaling Yamato Clan came to the Kibi Plains to defeat a terrorizing ogre. 

Kibitsuhiko Shrine was built in 1697 on the spot Prince Kibitsuhiko is said to have stopped to pray before launching his assault on the ogre. This shrine is said to be the most important shrine in this region.  Prince Kibitsuhiko is said to have battled the ogre here, piercing one of the ogre's eyes with an arrow and prompting the ogre to transform into a bird and fly away.

Kibitsuhiko Shrine
Hours: 8:30 to 17:00 
Closed: Opened all year round 
Admission: Free

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Koikui Shrine (literally "carp eating shrine") is a small shrine located in the Kibi Plain in Okayama Prefecture. This area was the center of the Kibi Kingdom, an ancient, powerful clan.  There is a legend of Prince Kibitsuhiko from the rivaling Yamato Clan who came to the kingdom to defeat a troubling ogre.

The best way to explore this area is via bicyle. There is a 17 kilometer long cycling route through the Kibi Plain between Bizen-Ichinomiya and Soja Stations. This route passes several important shrines, temples and burial mounds along the way. Though visitors can start the route from either side, the route is slightly easier to locate if begun from Bizen-Ichinomiya Station.  

Koikui Shrine is famous for the location where Prince Kibitsuhiko first subdued the ogre. After the ogre transformed and fled as a bird, the prince changed into a hawk to hunt him down. As a result, the ogre made the deadly mistake of changing into a carp, whereas the prince turned into a cormorant.        
         
Koikui Shrine
Hours: Always open 
Closed: Opened all year round 
Admission: Free