Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku region is a transport hub of western Japan that enjoys a yearlong mild climate thanks to its location on the Seto Inland Sea.
The city of Okayama, the venue of the Health Ministers' Meeting on Oct. 19 and 20, is about a 70-minute flight from Tokyo and about 45 minutes from Osaka via shinkansen.
"Okayama is neither a big city nor a small town. It's not a top tourist destination like Osaka, Tokyo or Kyoto, but there's a lot of rich history and culture here," said Alexandra Sebastiano, an assistant language teacher at Okayama city schools who has lived in the city for a year.