Kurashiki 倉敷

A preserved old merchant town, pretty Kurashiki's historic warehouses, have been converted into museums, boutiques and restaurants. This beautiful historic district with its canals and museums make it an attractive town, easy to visit from Okayama.

The Bikan District

Bikan is set apart mainly by its architecture: tiled roofs, white-washed and black-tiled walls, which used to characterize the whole of Kurashiki. Most of the buildings were originally rice granaries dating from the late 18th century, now converted into facilities for today's sightseer.

Bikan lends itself to relaxed strolling. There are no cars to avoid, and none of the overhead wires that oppress most Japanese cityscapes. It is also easy to navigate as you essentially walk along the right side of a small canal for 300 meters and then return along the other side.

Bridge over to white building in Kurashiki

Kurashiki

Image by Masahiro_Yoshizawa from Pixabay

The Ohara Art Museum was founded in 1930 by the textile tycoon Magosaburo Ohara (1880-1943) and was the first museum of Western art in Japan. It houses a large collection of European art including works by Cezanne, Degas, El Greco, Gauguin, Monet, Munch, Picasso and other artists. The museum also has collections of local folk art and Chinese paintings.

The next landmark, a few paces further on, is the long, low classically Japanese building housing the headquarters of Kitada Securities. Outside is posted the famous blackboard with the firm's current economic prognostications written in impeccably even characters.

Exterior of Ohara Museum Kurashiki

Ohara Museum Kurashiki

Image by Kengo Itou from Pixabay