Spend 3 days and 2 nights in Kurashiki
experiencing the local lifestyle
3 Days 2 Nights

In the morning, take the ferry from Naoshima’s Miyanoura Port to Uno Port (20 min.). From Uno Port, travel approximately one hour by private vehicle to arrive at Kurashiki around noon. Enjoy a lunch that includes plenty of locally grown vegetables. In the afternoon, visit the Ohara Museum of Art. View the large collection of Japanese handicrafts in the Crafts Wing. Afterwards, relax over a hot brew at the Kurashiki Coffee House, a home-roast coffee shop with a bygone ambience. In the evening, check into Ryokan Kurashiki. For dinner, enjoy the ryokan’s authentic kaiseki cuisine, which features seafood from the Seto Inland Sea and Okayama vegetables and fruit.

Eat breakfast at the ryokan before heading off to spend time boating on a river. Enjoy a leisurely jaunt on a replica of a cargo riverboat from the Edo period (1603-1868) while taking in views of the city. After, visit the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft. See examples of pottery, baskets and furniture that were made to last. These everyday items have an artistic beauty all of their own.

In the afternoon, try your hand at making Kurashiki temari, which are complexly patterned balls made with colored thread wrapped tightly around a core of yarn. Skilled temari makers are few in number these days, but a group of women in Kurashiki have revived this folk art and now offer workshops. Visit the home of one such woman and learn to make temari, which you can take home as a keepsake from your trip. Afterwards, a stroll through the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter or a visit to a sake brewery can be arranged if you so wish.

On your second evening, eat out at a local restaurant. From Japanese cuisine to Italian favorites, Ryokan Kurashiki has many recommendations.

Check out of the ryokan in the morning and travel 45 minutes by private vehicle to Okayama Station, a Shinkansen bullet train station. From Okayama Station, take the Shinkansen to Kyoto and Osaka or Hiroshima.