Okayama, Okayama

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**Okayama City**
**岡山市**
Image:Map Okayama en.png Okayama City's location in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku
Prefecture	Okayama Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area	658.57 km²
Population (as of 2006 August)
Total	676,283
Location	°′″N, °′″E
Symbols
Okayama City Hall
Official website: Okayama City

Coordinates: °′″N, °′″E

Okayama (岡山市; -shi) is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.

As of August 2006, the city has an estimated population of 676,283 and the density of 1,026.89 persons per km². The total area is 658.57 km².

The city was founded on June 1, 1889.

The city is known as the site of the Korakuen Garden and the striking black Okayama Castle; which is a modern reconstruction. The popular Japanese folktale of Momotaro may have originated there.

Sogenji is a very large zen monastery belonging to the Rinzai sect in the centre of the city. It has produced several of the abbots of the major monasteries in Kyoto and is now a training centre for foreign paractitioners.

Okayama is one of few Japanese cities to have kept an operational tram system. It is a major rail interchange as trains from Shikoku connect with the Sanyō main line here.

After the merger of March 22, 2005, Okayama is scheduled to become a designated city somewhere around in the 2000s.