[Bizen City]

During the Edo period, educational institutions for the general public were established throughout Japan, and foreigners who came to Japan were surprised at the penetration of academic knowledge. The former Shizutani School in Bizen City was founded in 1670 by Mitsumasa Ikeda, the lord of Okayama. It is Japan's first and oldest existing public school for ordinary people, and is dotted with impressive buildings, including an auditorium designated as a national treasure and a shrine designated as an important cultural property. In 2015, it was recognized as the first Japanese Heritage Site, along with the Ashikaga School Ruins (Tochigi Prefecture).

[Kurashiki City]

Kurashiki, which was under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, prospered as a hub of goods transported by water, and a townscape lined with merchant houses was formed along the Kurashiki River. After the mid-Edo period, salt-resistant cotton and rushes were cultivated on the vast land reclaimed from the Seto Inland Sea, and the production of tabi and other items became popular. During the Meiji period, Western technology was adopted and the textile industry further developed. The history of Japanese tradition and modern Western industry was recognized as a Japanese Heritage Site in 2017.

[Bizen City]

Bizen is known as one of Japan's six ancient kilns, along with Seto and Shigaraki, and is a genuine pottery production area. Among them, Bizen ware has the oldest history and is an extremely simple pottery that does not use glaze or painting. The town, where pottery continues to be made today, is a maze of narrow paths leading to the remains of kilns and workshops, and if you walk through the chimney smoke as a guide, as if searching for someone you miss, you will encounter the original scenery of Japan. Certified as a Japanese Heritage Site in 2017.

[Kurashiki City]

During the Edo period, Tamashima and Shimotsui were ports of call for the Kitamaebune ships, where dried sardines and herring meal, which were essential for cotton cultivation, were brought in from Hokkaido and the Tohoku region as fertilizer, and cotton, rapeseed, and salt were traded as return cargo. , has developed greatly. The townscape of the port town, where most of the alleys lined with merchant houses face the sea, is unique and not seen in rural areas or castle towns. In 2018, it was certified as a Japanese Heritage Site.

[Okayama City, Kurashiki City, Soja City, Akaiwa City]

Okayama, which was known as Kibi Province, still has ruins such as the ancient mountain castle "Kinojo" and huge stones lined with ancient tombs, and because of these characteristics, it became the setting for the legend of Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto exterminating Ura (demon). Ta. As the name suggests, the ancient mountain castle was the residence of Ura, and the huge stone became Kibitsuhiko's shield of life. This demon extermination is said to have become the origin of the legend of Momotaro due to the history of Kibi Province's prosperity and subjugation, and visitors are still invited to this mysterious story. In 2018, it was certified as a Japanese Heritage Site.

[Kasaoka City]

The granite and stone cutting techniques of the Setouchi Bisan Islands have long supported Japan's architectural culture. Many of Japan's landmark buildings, such as Western architecture such as the main building of the Bank of Japan, which symbolizes Japan's modernization, and the stone walls of Osaka Castle, which is representative of early modern castles, were built using stones cut from this area. It's called. The islands are home to a rare industrial culture of people who have lived with stones for 400 years by cutting, processing, and transporting them by sea. In 2019, it was certified as a Japanese Heritage Site.

[Takahashi City]

Red-pigmented Bengara from Fukiya, a mining town that once prospered as one of Japan's leading producers of Bengara (Red Gara) and copper (Akagane), is distributed throughout the country, and is used in buildings such as shrines and temples, as well as Kutani ware, Imari ware, Wajima lacquerware, etc. We created Japan Red, the image color of Japan, by vividly coloring Japan's representative crafts. The townscape was built by wealthy merchants who made their fortune through the production of red garland, creating a unique landscape with red tiles and latticework painted with petal patterns, which attracts many visitors. In 2020, it was certified as a Japanese heritage site.