Okayama, Yamashiro

Okayama (岡山市) is a city in Yamashiro Province, Yamatai. It is the largest city in Yamashiro and on Ōshima island, forming the heart of the South Ōshima Metropolitan Area with neighbouring Kobayashi. As of 2018, 1,412,499 lived in the city.

Okayama was founded in 1599 by Lord Shinohara Norikata of the Shinohara Clan, centred on Okayama Castle. The town became an important port and trade station along the routes connecting northern Ōshima with the rest of Yamatai. During the industrial revolution, Okayama grew rapidly into an important hub of transportation and industry in southern Ōshima. The first railway in Yamatai was constructed to link Okayama and Kobayashi, and Okayama became known as a hub of rail development. The Yamatai Imperial Army Okayama Arsenal was also founded at Okayama in 1865. In 1980, the government of Yamatai designated the combined metropolitan area of Okayama and Kobayashi as the South Ōshima Metropolitan Area.

Okayama is home to Okayama Technological College and the headquarters of the |Western National Railway Corporation, in addition to the Yamatai National Railways Testing Centre. In winter, the trees in Okayama are decorated with thousands of lights for the Starlight Festival, lasting through most of December.

Major transport links in Okayama include the South-West Shinkyuko, Eastern Ōshima Shinkyuko, and Yamashiro Regional Airport.