The Travel Advisory

Any visitor to Okayama should spend some time in Korakuen, a seven­‑ teenth-century garden that the Japanese, with their fondness for ranking, have classified as one of the top three gardens in the nation. Just across the Asahi River is the spectacular if empty Okayama Castle.

Korakuen Garden 1-5 Korakuen, Okayama-shi, Okayama 011 8186 272 1148

Foreign visitors can stay in the wonderful International Villas, five budget guesthouses in traditional villages in Okayama Prefecture. Hoops must be jumped through, as is often the case in Japan: one must join the villas’ association (it’s not expensive). Reservations, here as elsewhere in Japan, should be made well in advance.

Okayama International Villa Group 2-2-1 Hokancho, Okayama 011 8186 256 2535 www.harenet.ne.jp/villa/

Probably the most celebrated place in Matsuyama, on Shikoku’s northwest coast, is Dogo Onsen, a collection of ...