Setonaikai

Kurashiki

A beautifully preserved historical town and Japan’s premier destination for denim

One of Japan's great old merchant towns is the canal town of Kuashiki.
Situated along a scenic canal at the foot of Mt. Tsurugata, Kurashiki ("the Venice of Japan") has white-walled storehouses that are beautifully preserved and open for exploration.
Kurashiki escaped World War II largely unscathed, and as a result, many of the original storehouses, mills, and shops remain in beautiful condition, open to visitors, and sharing space with weeping willows along the banks of the old canal, which is illuminated at night.
Kurashiki is still a rare piece of old Japan; one that gives a sense of where people lived and worked, not merely the temples at which they worshipped. After exploring for the morning, a traditional Japanese lunch will be served in the beautiful ryokan, Japanese style inn.
It’s nice to go a little way further to Okayama Korakuen Garden. It is considered one of the three great gardens of Japan.

Kurashiki Bikan Histrical Quarter Canal-lined, white-washed and stone-tiled, the streets of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter are quintessentially Japanese.

As night falls and the streets light up, a calmer presence sets in for a somewhat different experience than the daytime.

Kojima jeans Street the area is a center for Japanese indigo dye production and the birthplace of Japanese denim.

Okayama Korakuen Garden the quintessential Japanese garden was created roughly 300 years ago by domain lord as a symbol of the power of the samurai.