Kurashiki: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Kurashiki's name means 'village of storehouses'. Rice once came here by boat, and the merchants who stored it built white warehouses along the canal and, later, a cotton mill and an art museum. This walk takes two to four hours, depending on how long you stay at the Ohara. Go early or late in the day, when the light is soft and the groups are gone.

A short history of Kurashiki

In 1642 Kurashiki became territory under the direct administration of the shogunate, and thanks to a canal linking it to the sea it became a centre for collecting and shipping rice. Along the canal the merchants built white storehouses with black tiled roofs, and the old Bikan quarter has been preserved to this day. In 1888 a spinning mill was founded in the city, which became the textile company Kurabo. In 1930 the mill's owner, Magosaburō Ōhara, founded the Ōhara Museum of Art, the first museum of Western art in Japan, which displays among other works paintings by El Greco, Monet and Gauguin.

The ten best sights in Kurashiki

1
Bikan Historical Quarter
Willow-lined canal and white storehouses; early morning before the groups
2
Ohara Museum of Art
Japan's first museum of Western art: El Greco, Monet, Gauguin, beside the canal
3
Yurinso
The Ohara family's green-tiled villa; opens only for short exhibitions
4
Kurashiki Ivy Square
Ivy-covered brick cotton mill, now a hotel with shops and courtyard
5
Kurabo Memorial Hall
Museum of the spinning company that built modern Kurashiki
6
Ohashi House
Grand merchant house of 1796 with a gate only rich families were allowed
7
Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft
Baskets, pottery and textiles in old rice storehouses
8
Japanese Rural Toy Museum
Thousands of traditional toys from every prefecture
9
Achi Shrine
Hilltop shrine above the quarter; views over the roofs
10
Washuzan Observatory
Hilltop view of the Seto Ohashi bridge and the islands

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Tours in Kurashiki →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Kurashiki:

Free walking tours in Kurashiki

Canal of the rice merchants

Bikan canal · Kurashiki was ruled directly by the shogunate, and rice from the region was loaded onto boats here; the storehouses' black tiles set in white plaster, called namako-kabe, were built to resist fire.
Ohara Museum of Art · Magosaburo Ohara opened it in 1930 as Japan's first museum of Western art. His friend, the painter Kojima Torajiro, bought the works in Europe — he even visited Monet, who sold him a water-lilies painting.
Yurinso · The Ohara family's guest villa is roofed with green-glazed tiles that shine after rain, and locals call it the 'green palace'.
Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft · It opened in 1948 in a group of Edo-period rice storehouses, part of the mingei movement that valued everyday objects made by unnamed craftspeople.
Kurashiki Ivy Square · The Kurashiki Spinning Company built its first mill here in 1889, on the site of the shogunate's magistrate office; the ivy was planted to keep the brick halls cool.
Achi Shrine · The shrine sits on Tsurugata hill, which was an island when the sea came up to Kurashiki, before the land around it was reclaimed.

Castles and the Peach Boy

The old province of Kibi, now Okayama, is the land of the Momotaro legend, and it holds a mountain castle, ancient shrines and one of Japan's great gardens. This is a full car day: start early in the north to see the castle above the clouds, then drive south through the Kibi plain. Finish in Okayama city at the garden and castle. The castle climb is steep; wear good shoes.

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle · At about 430 m it is the highest castle in Japan with an original keep, and on autumn mornings it often rises above a sea of clouds.
Bitchu Kokubunji · The temple was one of the provincial temples ordered by Emperor Shomu in the 8th century; the five-storey pagoda standing today was finished in the 1840s.
Kibitsu Shrine · The shrine honours Prince Kibitsuhiko, who in legend defeated the ogre Ura — the tale that grew into Momotaro, the Peach Boy. Its main hall, in a style found nowhere else, is a National Treasure.
Kibitsuhiko Shrine · This shrine faces due east, and at the summer solstice the rising sun shines straight into its hall, so it is called the 'shrine of the morning sun'.
Okayama Korakuen · Lord Ikeda Tsunamasa completed the garden in 1700, and it is counted among Japan's three great gardens; its lawns, unusual in Japanese gardens, are burned off each spring.
Okayama Castle · Its black walls earned it the name U-jo, the crow castle. The original keep burned in a 1945 air raid; the present one is a 1966 reconstruction.

From cotton to denim

Kurashiki's wealth came from salt and cotton, and its coast still makes some of the world's best denim. This route goes from a merchant house and the mill museum in town to the jeans street of Kojima, then to the old port and the hill above the great bridge. It is a half day by car, about 30 minutes south. End at Washuzan for sunset over the islands.

Ohashi House · The Ohashi family grew rich from salt fields and land, and built this house in 1796; its gate in the 'nagaya-mon' style was normally allowed only to samurai.
Kurabo Memorial Hall · The reclaimed land around Kurashiki was too salty for rice, so farmers grew cotton instead, and that cotton is why a spinning mill was founded here in 1888.
Kojima Jeans Street · Kojima sewed school uniforms and tabi socks before 1965, when a local maker produced the first jeans made in Japan; today its mills supply denim to brands worldwide.
Shimotsui · Shimotsui was a stop for the kitamae-bune, the merchant ships that sailed between Hokkaido and Osaka, and its old warehouses still line the narrow street.
Washuzan Observatory · From the hill you look along the Seto Ohashi, opened in 1988, which carries a road above a railway across a chain of islands to Shikoku.
Seto Ohashi Bridge · The bridges link 13 km of sea, and the trains run on the lower deck, so you can cross to Shikoku from Okayama in under an hour.

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Getting to Kurashiki and getting around

Kurashiki Station · JR station 15 minutes from Okayama; the canal quarter is a 10-minute walk south
Okayama Station · The Shinkansen stop for Kurashiki, and trains over the bridge to Shikoku
Okayama Momotaro Airport · Small airport about 40 minutes away, mostly domestic flights

Cheap eats in Kurashiki

Okayama calls itself the land of fruit: white peaches in summer and Muscat grapes in early autumn, sold at prices that surprise. The local sushi is bara-zushi, rice scattered with fish and vegetables, and the small fish mamakari is pickled in vinegar. Sweets are tied to the Momotaro legend. A snack lunch in the quarter costs less than in Tel Aviv, but fruit parfaits do not.

Koeido · Kibi dango, soft millet dumplings, a box about ¥600-1,000
Kikkodo · Murasuzume pancakes, about ¥150-200 each
Kurashiki Coffee-kan · Dark wooden café by the canal, coffee about ¥600-900
Kurashiki Momoko · Peach and fruit parfaits, about ¥1,200-2,000
Teuchi Udon Ohnishi · Handmade udon, about ¥700-1,000
Ote Manju Café · Okayama's sake-dough bean buns, about ¥100-150 each

Museums in Kurashiki

Ohara Museum of Art · Western masters, plus Japanese and Asian wings
Kurabo Memorial Hall · Mill history in an old brick storehouse
Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft · Everyday crafts in rice storehouses
Japanese Rural Toy Museum · Folk toys and kites from all over Japan
Kurashiki Archaeological Museum · Finds of ancient Kibi in a canal-side storehouse
Kurashiki City Art Museum · Local painters in a Kenzo Tange building

Nature and day trips near Kurashiki

Okayama Korakuen · Lawns, ponds and tea fields with the castle behind
Washuzan · Islands and the great bridge at sunset
Tsurugatayama Park · Small hill park above the canal quarter
Shimotsui · Quiet old harbour under the bridge
Bitchu Matsuyama Castle · Forest climb to the castle; sea of clouds Oct-Dec mornings

Things to do in Kurashiki with kids

Ikeda Zoo · Small hillside zoo in Okayama
Momotaro Karakuri Museum · Small trick museum of the Peach Boy legend
Kurashiki Science Center · Hands-on science and planetarium
Kurashiki Museum of Natural History · Insects and fossils near the station
Washuzan Highland · Hilltop amusement park over the sea

Where to eat in Kurashiki

Hamayoshi Mamakari-tei · Okayama fish dishes, mamakari and bara-zushi
El Greco café · Ivy-covered café beside the Ohara Museum
Kamoi · Japanese dishes in a canal-side storehouse
Miyake Shoten · Curry and parfaits in an old town house
Azumi Soba · Buckwheat noodles near the canal

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Frequently asked questions about Kurashiki

What is there to see in Kurashiki?

The top sights in Kurashiki are Bikan Historical Quarter, Ohara Museum of Art and Yurinso. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Kurashiki?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Kurashiki without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Kurashiki?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Kurashiki, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Canal of the rice merchants.

How do you get to Kurashiki and get around?

The main ways are Kurashiki Station, Okayama Station and Okayama Momotaro Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Kurashiki, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Kurashiki that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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