Climbing the stairs that are aligned with colorful season flowers, visitors can come and experience the enormity of Kibitsu Jinja Shrine. The architectural style at the shrine called “hiyoku-irimoya-zukuri” is an important style that that can only be seen here within Japan. One of the highlights of coming to the shrine is being able to see this style.

The Okayama Orient Museum was modeled on temples of the ancient Middle East. The multilayered spaces inside the museum, including a large atrium, are bathed in natural light. Upstairs, the pleasant sound of water from a basin contributes to a mysterious atmosphere. Inside the building, bleakly ordained walls resembling the desert as well as marble are used effectively. Visitors might feel as though they have stumbled into a country in the Middle East. This is the work of Shin’ichi Okada, an architect who also worked on Japan’s Supreme Court building. One of the pleasures of visiting this space is experiencing the atmosphere of the Middle East through the building’s architecture.

People linger at Kitchen Horiguchi, which—located at the corner of a busy street near the Prefectural Government—is like a retreat. When you enter the cozy interior of the restaurant, you feel the warmth of wood and can relax as though you are in your own home. “We are striving to be a restaurant that is rooted in the area and loved,” says Mr. Horiguchi, the shop owner, who is wearing his trademark chef’s jacket. The restaurant is full of local customers chatting comfortably with one another.

When you are walking along the old-fashioned streets of the Izushi district, you see the distinctive sign of Fuji Shop, housed in a building that was constructed roughly 100 years ago. When you take a step inside, it feels as though you just slipped back in time to Japan in the days of old. As you gaze at the rich variety of goods, you begin to feel as though you are participating in a treasure hunt. “We won’t necessarily be getting in the same goods again,” says the shop owner. Indeed, there is something special about interacting with the goods here.

The Hokancho shopping street, just a short walk from the west exit of Okayama Station, is an area full of restaurants, greengrocers, and general stores, where one can feel the energy of the local people. Instinctively, you will find yourself pausing at Satellite, an art shop with a white-painted modern exterior at the center of this lively shopping street. “I want modern art to be widely known and enjoyed,” states the shop owner. When you walk in, the front of the building holds the shop while a gallery lies to the back, where solo exhibitions by contemporary artists active internationally are held.

Okayama is warm year-round and is famous for its fruit. Would you like to try walking along the river or around one of the neighborhood parks with a fruit sandwich in one hand for a snack? “Nid sand” is a shop that specializes in sweet sandwiches made with fruit from Okayama. The beautiful fruit sandwiches in the shop are lined up, with their cut edges looking like works of art. The owner of the shop explains that the sandwiches’ beautiful appearance is as important as their flavor. This dish with its lovely taste and appearance is beloved by locals.

Art Space Aburakame is located in Izushi, a district with many buildings that escaped war damage and that has a unique atmosphere. The row house architecture of Art Space Aburakame is memorable. The owner, Mr. Kashiwado, explains, “This space brought back to life a vacant traditional house built over 140 years ago.” There are works from Hokkaido to Okinawa: works by potters from every region of the country and art goods by artists, including many one-of-a-kind pieces and pieces, created just for this shop.

Renaiss Hall is a historic building constructed in 1922 as the Bank of Japan’s Okayama branch. The facade of the building recalls the past, and when you visit at dusk in good weather, the shadows that fall on the neoclassical architecture are strikingly beautiful. Streetcars go back and forth right in front of the building, and the spot gives people the lively sense of having embarked on a journey somewhere. Renaiss Hall is currently a space for culture and arts in Okayama that it is used for music concerts and the like.