I decided to make a quick day trip to Okayama around 88 kms away from Himeji by the shinkansen – a trip of 25 minutes.
I jumped on a tram towards Okayama Castle and made the short walk in the rain for a quick explore around the area.
I didn’t go into the castle, rather scouted around hoping for a break in the weather. As I was jumping from cover to cover I pulled out my phone and had a look for somewhere to eat.
There wasn’t much closeby but there was one cafe over a bridge just outside the gate of Okayama Korakuen.
Hekisuien, Okayama, Japan
Hekisuien was a small cafe / restaurant with both Japanese and European seating. I was lucky enough to grab a seat by the window overlooking the river and castle.
I ordered the Oyakodon – chicken and egg on rice. In the cold, wet weather it was warming and hearty meal.
To drink I ordered a Doppe Pilsner from Miyashita Sake Brewery which was a light, hoppy wheat beer.
Reasonably nice taste to it and I enjoyed just sitting there with this view.
While I was sitting there I was watching a fisherman repeatedly cast his hook into the river just under where I was sitting. What astounded me was that he was pulling out a fish every minute or so. He had a knack!
On a clearer day I could imagine sitting here and watching the world go by on the river for an afternoon.