Streets of Kurashiki Bikan Historical District in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture

Discover the Hidden Charms of this Merchant Town with a Beautiful Canal

Essential Kurashiki Itinerary

A popular destination for domestic tourists, Kurashiki (倉敷) is still relatively off-the-beaten path for foreign tourists. Kurashiki has everything you want for a quintessential visit to Japan, a beautifully preserved feudal district, great food options, and plenty of culture crafts shops. It’s a breath of fresh air from the urban sprawl of Osaka (大阪, Ōsaka), or the tourist-packed Kyoto (京都, Kyōto). It’s a great place to just stroll through the streets, take in the architecture, or pop in to many of the small shops that are littered throughout the area.

Ultimate One Day Kurashiki Itinerary

Discover the Best Hidden Gem of the Chugoku Region

Nature

Culture

Gourmet

Volume

This itinerary highlights some of the best eats in Kurashiki, as well as the areas to explore when you’re in town. Rather than a single tourist spot to discover, Kurashiki is really about exploring and taking in the neighborhood as a whole. It’s a great place to get some down time, and relax, especially if you’ve been on a rather packed trip itinerary.

Itinerary Details

Starting Time

Start off at Kurashiki Station

Recommended Time:

12:00

倉敷駅

Kurashiki Station

W05

山陽本線

Sanyo Main Line

Walk over to the Kurashiki Bikan Historical District

Est.

12:00

12 mins

900m

Kurashiki Station

Kurashiki Bikan Historic District

Pudding and Peace Juice at Yuurin-an in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture

Est.

12:10

1 hour

Yuurin-an (有鄰庵)

Crack some eggs for lunch

Yuurin-an is a cafe located in a ko-minka (古民家) that is more than a 100 years old. The cafe focuses on serving up local ingredients, food and drinks, to give visitors a taste of Kurashiki and Okayama.

Credit: Alejandro Sevilla (Unsplash)

Est.

13:10

1.5 hours

Daruma Painting & Chopstick Carving Workshop (だるまの絵付け・お箸作り体験)

Paint a daruma or carve your own chopsticks

At Yuurin-an, you can engage in two craft workshops to test your artistic or craft skills. You can either paint a daruma doll, or carve your very own chopsticks.

Walk over to Yamau Coffee Stand

Est.

14:40

3 mins

210m

Yuurin-an

YAMAU coffee stand

Est.

14:55

15 mins

YAMAU coffee stand (YAMAU coffee stand)

Take a coffee break at Yamau Coffee Stand

A beautiful takeout coffee stand in Kurashiki, the shop boasts a minimalist interior and is located in a former 100-year old kamaboko shop in the area. The owner is passionate about espressos, and so drip or siphon coffees are not on the menu here. The coffee beans are sourced from a popular Okayama shop, Kinoshita Shōten (キノシタショウテン), and the owner uses them to make his own original blend that he changes every few months to suit the season.

Head over to Kurashikan Information Center

Est.

15:10

2 mins

130m

YAMAU coffee stand

Kurashikan Information Center

People sitting on a canal boat in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture

Est.

15:20

30 mins

Kurashiki Traditional Canal Boat Ride (くらしき川舟流し)

Ride down Kurashiki's Canal

The centerpiece of the Kurashiki Historic Bikan District is the canal that runs through the center of the district, with willow trees on each side. In the feudal era, the Kurashiki River used to be the main method in which goods were transported in and out of Kurashiki. Today, you can still experience the view of the town from the river on the Kurashiki Kawabune-nagashi.

Walk over to Kurashiki Denim Street

Est.

15:50

2 mins

150m

Kurashikikan Information Center

Kurashiki Denim Street

Credit: 流麗まちゅみ

Est.

16:05

30 mins

Kurashiki Denim Street (倉敷デニムストリート)

Discover all sorts of denim

Kurashiki Denim Street is a shop that specializes in denim products, from jeans, to bags and clothes that use denim. They carry all sorts of products that casual visitors and lovers of denim would find interesting, and be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. For denim heads (people who are passionate about denim), they also do offer a variety of high-end Japanese denim brands in the shop like Momotaro Jeans and The Strike Gold.

Traditional streets of the Kurashiki Bikan Warehouse District in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture

Est.

16:35

1.5 hours

Kurashiki Bikan Historic District (倉敷美観地区)

Meander through the streets of the Bikan District

The Kurashiki Bikan Historic District is a large historical district that has been preserved to resemble its time as a prosperous merchant town during the Edo-era. In 1642, the town was established around the Kurashiki River and the river was used as a canal to transport goods to and fro the area. Today, you can find a beautiful canal area lined with willow trees, as well as a variety of shopfronts in traditional merchant buildings along the canal.

Kibi soba at Toraiya in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture

Est.

18:05

1 hour

Closed on Mon

Toraiya (きびそばと郷土料理冨来屋)

Try out some local Okayama cuisine

One of the joys of traveling is trying out foods unique to each region. Toraiya gives you the opportunity to try out traditional local Okayama cuisine, and certain dishes that you won’t find anywhere else.

Head back to Kurashiki Station

Est.

19:05

15 mins

1.1km

Toraiya

Kurashiki Station

Interior of Mitsui Outlet Park in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture

Credit: DVMG (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Est.

19:20

1 hour

Mitsui Outlet Park Kurashiki (三井アウトレットパーク倉敷)

Bonus: Go Outlet Shopping

Located just beside Kurashiki Station is the Mitsui Outlet Park Kurashiki, an outlet shopping complex with over 120 foreign and Japanese brands. The largest outlet mall in the Chugoku area in Japan, you can find brands like Nike, Adidas, Gap, Under Armour, T-fal, and more. Even if you’re not usually a shopper on trips, it’s worth taking a look at least, as you never know when a good deal might catch your eye. You can find clothing, shoes, watches, kitchenware, and more at this outlet mall.

End off at Kurashiki Station

Est.

20:20

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