We selected Kurashiki as our "stopover" between Hiroshima and the Kansai region, mainly because it is a historic city, and we liked how it's just a small town. Kurashiki only requires a half-day trip, so you don't have to stay the night. We stayed with an Airbnb host in the Kurashiki City itself - it was quite difficult to get to, so the host will pick you up from a nearby station. But we loved it because of the homely feel, ability to make new Japanese friends and also the traditional home-cooked breakfast spread the next day!
Kurashiki Bikan is basically a place where you can just chill and walk around to explore the area. There are many small shops around and a canal flowing through the little town. It is like the "Venice of Japan", as some people call it. The architecture there is from the Edo period, when it used to be warehouses since it was an important rice distribution town. Today, the facade of the warehouses has been preserved but they have transformed into little shops, cafes, restaurants, art galleries etc.
How to get there:
Take the Shinkansen to Okayama Station and then take the local train to Kurashiki. From there, Kurashiki Bikan is a short walk away.
Things to do:
1. Take a gondola ride along the canal
If you really want a taste of Venice in Japan, you can take the gondola ride, which brings you around the area through the canal. We weren't so interested in paying for a boat ride as we preferred to walk on foot!
2. Visit Ohara Art Museum
This is a western fine art museum, which seems pretty out-of-character for a historical town, but it apparently houses an impressive art collection, so if you're into art you might wanna check it out!
3. Chill at Ivy Square
This is a pretty cool European-style square that has a small cafe, fountains etc for people to chill. They also have some souvenir shops. We enjoyed a peach ice cream and muscat wine here! Apparently it used to be a cotton mill.
6. Take pretty pictures along the street
I really wanted to go to this street as it's the birthplace of denim in Japan, but alas, it didn't quite fit into our schedule and wasn't really on the way. But if you have time, please go and check it out! It looked pretty cool from what I saw on the internet.
I think Kurashiki Bikan is basically slightly off-the-path sort of place. There are way less tourists here as it's not a big or famous location, which is why we chose it. It's good to spend the afternoon there just walking around and has a very European yet historically Japan feel to it, so the vibes are very unique!
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