Okayama Prefecture (Okayama-ken) is located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island, Japan. The capital is the city of Okayama.------------------During the Meiji Restoration; Bitchu Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province were combined to form Okayama Prefecture.--------------------Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture. It faces Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea and includes 90 islands in the sea. Okayama Prefecture is home to the historic town of Kurashiki. Most of the population is concentrated around Kurashiki and Okayama. The small villages in the northern mountain region are aging and declining in population--more than half of the prefectures municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.----------Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture: * Akaiwa * Asakuchi * Bizen * Ibara * Kasaoka * Kurashiki * Maniwa * Mimasaka * Niimi * Okayama (capital) * Setouchi * Sōja * Takahashi * Tamano * Tsuyama