Kurashiki ~The town of historic warehouses is always a popular tourist destination

Location; Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
Access; From Tokyo by Shinkansen: 3 hours and 15 minutes (Okayama Station)
From Osaka by Shinkansen: 45 minutes (Okayama Station)
From Okayama Station by train: 17 minutes (Kurashiki Station)
From Okayama Momotaro Airport by car: Approx. 35 minutes (Kurashiki Station)
From Kurashiki Station on foot: Approx. 15 minutes (Kurashiki Bikan District)

Kurashiki web https://www.kurashiki-tabi.jp/
Okayama web https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_10226.html

Kurashiki is one of the most popular tourist destinations outside of Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. Takayama is a similar destination, but since Kurashiki is easier to reach, it attracts far more visitors. Given its location less than 20 minutes from Okayama, a major transportation hub, the area around the station is bustling. But just a 15-minute walk from there will take you to the scenic district, where rows of white-walled storehouses stand alongside beautiful willow trees lining the river.

Honcho street

It has been designated as a Preservation District for Important Groups of Traditional Buildings.

Small specialty shops and simple eateries are sure to make you stop in your tracks. However, unless you go early in the morning or at a similar time, you probably won’t be able to avoid the crowds.

But every few moments, as if you’ve encountered an air pocket, a quiet, deserted stillness appears—it comes and goes.

River side

Once you pass through the area with the sea cucumber-patterned walls, you’ll feel the breeze blowing along the river. Perhaps because you’ve just come through those narrow streets, you might suddenly feel as if you’ve been freed from the constraints of everyday life.

If it’s the “magic hour,” the town lighting up just as the name suggests might draw you even further into a fantasy world.