A rural city with about 40,000 residents, Setouchi City is a new kid on the block in Okayama Prefecture. It consists of the towns of Ushimado, Oku and Osafune and is bordered by both Okayama and Bizen City. Oku is where the city hall is located although I don’t think you could really call it the city center. Besides being the breadbasket of Setouchi City with its ample farmland, Oku attracts shoppers from all over the city as well as from the neighboring Saidaiji area of Okayama City with its supermarkets and shopping centers. Osafune is a microcosm of the landscapes you find all over Japan. Green rolling hills, patchwork fields, twisting streams and winding roads always make Osafune a pleasure to visit. Ushimado is the coastal section of the city that could be said to be the gem that gives this small city a bit of everything. Facing the Seto Inland Sea, Ushimado has a resort feel and small town charm.
