Kurashiki City borders the Seto Inland Sea in the Chugoku region and is located in the southern part of Okayama Prefecture, west of Okayama City. It is designated as a core city and boasts the third largest total population in the Chugoku region.
Kurashiki City is formed by diverse areas with different characteristics, including the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area with its beautiful white-painted walls along the Kurashiki River, Kojima, a mecca for clothing production, school uniforms, and jeans, Mizushima, where you can visit one of Japan's leading factory complexes and enjoy night views of factories, and Tamashima, where foreign trade and a bullet train station are located. Tamashima is home to overseas trade and a Shinkansen station.
The Kurashiki area is the center of tourism. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the town flourished as a territory directly under the control of the shogunate. The Bikan Historical Quarter, with its beautiful white-walled streets, includes the Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki Folk Art Museum, Kurashiki Ivy Square, and the Kurashiki Archaeology Museum. Hommachi Street and Higashimachi Street offer a serene atmosphere where visitors can enjoy the scenery as it was in the past.
There are also other hot spots such as the Yumiko Igarashi Museum of Art and Mushibunko, making Kurashiki a sightseeing spot where you will discover something new every time you come.
Kojima is known as the birthplace of domestic jeans. Kojima developed as a textile town during the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Kojima Jeans Street has many stores selling jeans, and you can experience making your own original jeans.
The former Nozaki Family Residence, located at the entrance of Jeans Street, is a nationally designated important cultural asset where visitors can learn about Takezaemon Nozaki, who once prospered as a salt producer. Visitors can also try their hand at salt making, and it is recommended to visit the area in conjunction with the salt making experience.
A little further away, at the foot of the Seto-ohashi Bridge, is the Shimotsui area where Washuzan Observatory is located, and the Shimotsui octopus is a must-try local delicacy. It is also a good idea to go see the dried octopus that has become a winter tradition in this area.
The Mizushima area, which has developed as an industrial town, is one of the leading waterfront industrial areas in Japan, known as the Mizushima Industrial Complex. The recommended way to enjoy the area is, of course, to experience industrial tourism. You can tour the factories of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Asahi Kasei Corporation, JFE Steel Corporation, and others.
The night view of factories from Washuzan Skyline, which has been selected as one of the 100 best night views, is also worth seeing.
The Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is renowned for its picturesque streets, traditional Japanese architecture, and rich cultural heritage. Graceful willow trees line the banks of the Kurashiki River, their branches swaying gently in the breeze and casting reflections across the water. The contra...»
Kurashiki Burger is a distinctive local hamburger that brings together carefully selected ingredients from Okayama Prefecture. Loved by people of all ages, it has grown from a regional specialty into a popular food recognized well beyond the area....»
A Taste of the Seto Inland Sea Okayama Prefecture is one of Japan’s leading octopus-producing regions. The octopus caught off Shimotsui, in Kurashiki City, is particularly prized for its firm texture and rich flavor. The Seto Inland Sea currents around Shimotsui are especially strong, helping give ...»
Experience the Delicate Flavor of Fresh Mantis Shrimp Mantis shrimp sashimi is a distinctive seafood delicacy made with fresh mantis shrimp caught in the Seto Inland Sea. The key to enjoying this dish is freshness. After the shrimp dies, enzymes in its body begin breaking down its own flesh, causin...»
A Food Project to Put Soja on the Map Soja Dog was created in Soja City, Okayama Prefecture, with the aim of revitalizing the local community and promoting the area's agricultural produce. To qualify as an official Soja Dog, a hot dog must contain at least two ingredients produced in Soja City. Onl...»
Kasaoka Ramen is a local specialty from Kasaoka City in Okayama Prefecture, known for its soy sauce broth made from chicken bones and its distinctive topping of niwatori-niku, or simmered chicken, in place of the more common pork chashu. This simple yet deeply satisfying bowl offers a rich chicken f...»
Shino udon is a distinctive local noodle dish from the Tamashima area of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. Its most striking feature is its unusually wide, long noodles, measuring approximately 2 cm across and around 1 meter in length. The noodles have a satisfyingly chewy texture, making this a hearty...»
Bukkake udon is a popular noodle dish made with freshly boiled udon topped with a generous selection of ingredients and seasonings, then finished with a small amount of flavorful broth. In Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, this local specialty is known for its wide variety of toppings and its distincti...»
A delicious local burger featuring a purple sweet potato bun and a flavorful flounder patty. Tamageta Burger is a regional specialty from Tamano City in Okayama Prefecture. Its playful name combines “Tama,” a reference to Tamano, with “geta,” the local name for tongue sole, a type of flatfish prize...»
A local favorite combining savory sea eel with a rich, silky soft-cooked egg for an irresistible harmony of flavors. Tamano Ontama Meshi is a specialty from Tamano City in Okayama Prefecture. It is made by stir-frying plump, locally prized sea eel (anago), adding rice blended with assorted grains, ...»
Among Okayama's white peaches, renowned throughout Japan for their exceptional flavor, fragrance, and beauty, Shimizu Hakuto stands at the very top. Often regarded as the finest of all white peach varieties, it is treasured for its sweet, captivating aroma and exquisitely pale skin that appears almo...»
Okayama is Japan’s leading producer of Muscat of Alexandria, accounting for approximately 90% of the nation’s total production. This prestigious grape has become one of the prefecture’s signature specialties. Okayama is celebrated as a fruit-growing paradise, and Muscat of Alexandria is one of its ...»
Located in southwestern Okayama Prefecture along the Seto Inland Sea, the former town of Yorishima, now part of Asakuchi City, is well known for its abundant seafood. Among its local specialties is gazami, a type of swimming crab prized for its rich flavor and succulent meat....»
Yoikigen is one of Okayama Prefecture’s long-established sake breweries. Its history dates back to 1907, when its founder, Watanabe Sutekichi, began brewing sake in Shimotsumichi Hoida Village, now part of Kurashiki City. Among the brewery’s offerings, its most popular product is Junmai Omachi Hekit...»
Since its founding in 1877, Kikkodo Confectionery has been preserving the tradition of murasuzume, one of Kurashiki’s best-known local sweets. This distinctive confection is made by filling a thin, round, crepe-like wrapper with a generous portion of chunky sweet red bean paste prepared from careful...»
Momotaro tomatoes are among Japan’s best-known tomato varieties. They are prized for their refreshing balance of sweetness and acidity, substantial weight, and firm skin and flesh that hold their shape even when fully ripe. These qualities also help them keep well. Dessert Tomato takes this popular...»
Fujito Manju is a traditional Japanese confection sold by Fujito Manju Honpo, a long-established sweet shop with its main store in Fujito Town, Kurashiki City. Alongside Murasuzume, it is one of Kurashiki’s best-known historic sweets and remains a popular favorite among local residents. The manju i...»
Ryokan Temari is a refined Japanese sweet made by Kashidokoro Hirai, a long-established confectionery founded in 1912. This traditional steamed bun, known as jōyo manjū, is inspired by the gentle spirit of Ryokan, a beloved Buddhist monk known for his kindness toward children. Ryokan believed that ...»
Gokei Gorge is a beautiful ravine along the upper reaches of the Makidani River, a tributary of the Takahashi River. It stretches across the northern edge of Soja City and into Kibi-Chuo Town in Kaga District, Okayama Prefecture. Renowned for its dramatic rock formations and striking natural scenery...»