【Bicchu Area】1 Chuo,Kurashiki City
Kurashiki Bikan Area
A cityscape with white walls extending along the Kurashiki River. It is designated by the government as a historic building preservation area.
The Kurashiki Bikan Area is a retro-modern cityscape having a mixture of Japanese and western flavors.
In the Edo Period, Kurashiki prospered as “Tenryo”, a domain directly governed by the shogunate. Special local products from all over the Bitchu area were gathered in Kurashiki via rivers using takasebune, takase-style cargo boats, and thus many white-walled houses and storehouses of merchants lined the Kurashiki River at the center of town. We can enjoy watching the nostalgic scenery of white-walled storehouses together with narrow stone-paved streets crowded by carts in olden days. The structures down the side streets have also been repaired and remodeled, and are used today for galleries, coffee shops, and souvenir shops. The blending of Japanese and western, as well as that of antiquity and modernism, create a unique, calming, original atmosphere one cannot experience in any place other than Kurashiki. The Kurashiki Bikan Area is a place in which traditional structures and buildings are preserved, while at the same time it is a place where people seize the current day. The way they live shows the spirit of Kurashiki, a city that has survived from the old Edo Period all the way up to the present day.
Lights in Tenryo
Nighttime Lights in the Kurashiki Bikan Area
“Nighttime lights” illuminate the area with a faint glow. A world-famous illumination designer, Mikiko Ishii, produced this style of illumination.
Illumination: After sunset until 10 PM (April to September), and after sunset until 9:00 PM (October to March)
- For more information, contact:
- Tourism Section, Kurashiki Municipal Government +81(0)86-426-3411
Would you like to take a walk in a nostalgic atmosphere?
- Roof tile
- Japanese roof tiles form a continuous pattern and the sunlight softly reflects off of them in the streetscape. We can see round roof tiles bearing family crests capping the eaves of roof.
- Stone lined river
- Along the Kurashiki River, there are houses which take in the river’s water. The water flows into the inside of homes through the space between their stone columns.
- Street Lamp
- Street lamps are located on the eaves of the Kusudo House (in Higashi-machi). The aged copper and glass from the Meiji Period are impressive.
- Gallery
- It is recommended to stop by and visit the art galleries standing in row to look for your favorite articles.
- Kurashiki Astronomical Observatory
- This private astronomical observatory opened in Japan in 1926. The dome building is preserved as the “Sumiji Hara and Minoru Honda Memorial Museum.”
Hands-on information
Kurashiki River Boat Riding
White-walled houses viewed from Kurashiki River
Kurashiki River was busy with the traffic of many cargo boats in the Edo Period. Today, you can take a similar boat ride, available in the Bikan Area, and you may be able to feel the nostalgic scenery of such traffic in old days.
- Season of Operation
- March to November
- Business Hours
- 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
(Boats leave every 30 minutes.) - Closed
- Mondays
- For more information, contact
- Kurashiki Convention Bureau
TEL:086-421-0224
Tour of places of interest in “Kurashiki Bikan Area”
“Hon-machi and Higashi-machi,” are areas in which people live quietly within an atmosphere harboring the eternal flow of time.
Hon-machi and Higashi-machi are the areas north of the Bikan Area, and they stand with an appearance different from that of the Bikan Area. You may feel that time passes slower in these areas. Along the street are many residential homes and shops with lattice windows, standing the same as they did in olden days. You may be fascinated by the calm, quiet and nostalgic atmosphere in which the structures exist. Now, there are many new café, galleries, and pubs opened in remodeled storehouses and old homes, making the areas more attractive to visitors.
Must-see-sights in Kurashiki Bikan Area
Ohara Museum of Art
The Ohara Museum of Art is the first Japanese private western art museum, and was established in 1930. A wide range of artwork, such as western oil painting, modern Japanese art, artwork of artists deeply involved with the folk art movement, and oriental and eastern antiques, are collected and exhibited in this museum. The collections include the “Annunciation” of El Greco and “Water Lily” of Claude Monet.
“Kurashiki Kan” Tourist Information Center
tangible cultural asset registered by Japanese Government
The Kurashiki Town Office, designed in the style of western architecture and using wood, was built in 1917. Currently, this building is used as the tourist information center, introducing tourist guides and hotels. It is also a resting place equipped with vending machines, coin-operated lockers and rest rooms.
Ohashi House
important cultural asset designated by Japanese Government
A typical city home of Kurashiki, this house was built in 1796 by the Ohashi Family who amassed riches through development of new fields in the Edo Period. The house still maintains the climate of a wealthy merchant’s house from bygone days. It has features such as a tenement house gate, Kurashiki windows and Kurashiki lattice. It is designated as an important cultural asset of Japan.
Kurashiki Archaeological Museum
This museum of archaeology, based in an old storehouse, exhibits archaeological findings such as stone implements and bronze, bell-shaped vessels from the Kibi Area (southern part of Okayama Prefecture).
Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft
Folk crafts for daily use, including pottery and glasses from all over the world, are exhibited. People are also attracted by the building which used to be a rice storehouse in the late Edo Period.
Japanese Folk Toy Museum
The folk toys made in various places in Japan during the periods of Edo and Showa (from18 AD to 1980) are collected and exhibited. The gallery, shop and café are also available around the courtyard.
Kurashiki City Art Museum
Articles in this art museum are mainly those of artists connected with the local area. The collection of Yohson Ikeda’s artwork is one of largest in Japan, as he is a modern Japanese-style art painter from Kurashiki.
Kurashiki Museum of Natural History
In this museum, creatures which once lived in the Seto Inland Sea and drainage basin of Takahashi River are introduced in an easy-to-understand manner through an exhibit of Naumann's model elephant and ancient fossil remains.
Yurinso
This is the second house of the Ohara family, built by Magosaburo Ohara for his wife. The uniquely baked roof tiles look green when viewed from certain angles, and it is therefore called the “Green Palace.”
Ohara House
important cultural asset designated by Japanese government
The house still holds the climate of typical town homes from days gone by, such as Kurashiki windows and Kurashiki lattice, in addition to their unique white-wall design.
Keikendo and Yushintei (Shinkeien)
The Keikendo, which is in the Shinkei Garden of the Ohara Museum of Art, was built as a second house of the Ohara Family. Currently, the Keikendo, together with newly built tea house, Yushintei, are open to the public.
Ivy Square
The old red brick building covered with ivy used to be a spinning factory. Now, there are a hotel, the Kurabo Memorial Museum, and a hands-on craft shop in the site.
Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall
tangible cultural asset registered by Japanese Government
The warehouse in Ivy Square was remodeled to be an art museum to commemorate the great accomplishments of Torajiro Kojima, an artist who devoted his life to collecting paintings for the Ohara Museum of Art. Torajiro’s representative artwork and ancient oriental fine arts are exhibited.
Inoue House
important cultural asset designated by Japanese government
This town house stands as the oldest among the other traditional architectures in Kurashiki.
Kusudo House
The main part of the house is done in Omoteya style (designated as an important cultural by the Kurashiki municipal government) and the windows are done in Mushikago style. Houses done in these two styles are typical of the houses built in the town during the Meiji Period. The Kusudo House is currently used as a store dealing in Japanese native costume.
Achi Shrine
A 1700 year-old Shinto shrine, top of the local deities of Kurashiki is located on the summit of Tsurugata-yama hill, overlooking the Bikan Area. On the grounds of the shrine, there is a Noh stage as well as an ancient garden. It is worth seeing the over 300-year-old “Wisteria of Achi” (designated as a natural monument).
Access
Train: 10 min. on foot from the south exit of JR Kurashiki station
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Contents「Cityscape」
Must-see sights
Tsuyama Cherry Blossom Festival
【Mimasaka Area】 Tsuyama city
Tsuyama Cherry Blossom Festival
This festival is the spring time tradition at Tsuyama Castle (Kakuzan Park) which is famous as one of the best cherry blossom watching spots.
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