Hofu Tenmangu Mitokuji temple Izumo Taisha Omori Silver mine Xavier memorial church peace memorialpark miyajima sanctuary_outline Shukkeien Adachi garden Ikouji Rurikouji temple Amida-ji Sourin-ji Kourakuen Japanese trad.Garden_outline Matsue Yonago Shimonoseki Okayama Hiroshima HAB CITY_outline TSUYAMA TSUWANO MATSUE CHOFU IWAKUNI HAGI SAMURAI towns_outline ONOMICHI YANAI TAKEHARA KURASHIKI TOMO SHIMOKAMAGARI Xavier Cathedral SHIMONOSEKI Washi Touken Bizen Pottery Hagi Pottery & Kilns Japanese trad.artcrafts Experience-outline GEGEGENO Kitaro Matsuda museum Naval Base of Kure MAZDA,Hofu plant Modern Japan-outline Kirin beer Park in Okayama Tottori sand dune Mt.Fuji of Sanin DAISEN SHINJI Lake Iwami coast Oki Hagi coast Nagato SANIN COAST-outline SHUHODO Trail to Hikimi Hiruzen Highland Kibi Highland Tsuyama Travel with Stream locomotive Deep Inland Tour-outline SETO-OHASHI Seto-inland seas OANORAMA view Tiboli Park Tokiwa Park Inland-sea-outline List of Japanese terms Bathing in Japan 7seafood of the Lake Shinji Blow fish Stone fish Show Crab Oysters Buchwheat Noodles Peach and Other fruits Okonomiyaki
 
Located in southwest Okayama prefecture next to the Seto Inland Sea, Kurashiki is actually three cities in one, as the old Kurashiki city, Kojima city and Tamashima city merged in 1967 to create a single municipality. A traditional town with a mild climate most of the year, large sections of Kurashiki have a scenic beauty that evokes the Edo Period (1603-1867) when Japan was closed to the West.
 
 
 
  Kurashiki has a wide assortment of hotels and ryokans (Japanese-style inns), and an entire section of the town (the Bikan Historical Quarter) has been preserved from the Edo Period. Here tourists can stroll through the whitewashed walls and along the river banks to get a glimpse of historical Japan. Partly located in a covered arcade, partly open to the air along the river and among gently swaying willow trees, the Bikan section of town has a large variety of restaurants and shops. One can easily spend an entire day exploring just this section.  
     
 
Kurashiki also has an unusual concentration of museums, some of which are located in the historical district. Among them are the Kurashiki Museum of Folk Crafts, an anthropological museum and the Ohara Museum of Art. This museum, established in 1930 by Magosaburo Ohara, was the first museum of modern Western art in Japan. In main hall, styled after a Greek temple, are over 100 works by the world's greatest artists. For example there are El Greco's Annunciation and paintings by Monet, Matisse, Renoir and Gauguin. Adjoining the main hall are the Annex, Crafts Hall and Asiatic Arts Hall (where there are many beautiful works created by Japanese artists) housing impressive collections that make the Ohara one of the world's most comprehensive private museums. The museum currently offers art seminars and several concerts a year, and serves as a focal point of Kurashiki's cultural activities.		  
     
 
# #
 
     
 
Tivoli Park is located immediately adjacent to the JR Kurashiki train station. In addition to a variety of attractions, the park has flower displays that represent the four seasons. Tivoli Park is modeled on the famous original Tivoli Park in Denmark.
West of Kurashiki is the Tamashima district, where Entsuji Temple and the Sami sea bathing resort can be found. Entsuji is well known as the Zen temple where Ryokan, the legendary Buddhist monk, practiced asceticism.


 

South of Kurashiki proper, the Kojima district provides many scenic spots. Mt. Washuzan, Ojigatake and the famous Seto Ohashi (a bridge providing rapid and convenient access to and from the island of Shikoku) are all to be found here. There are also more museums to be explored in this area, including the Seto Ohashi Memorial Museum, the Shimotui Shipping agent museum and the Ogino Museum. Also the traditional home of Nozaki, a famous salt maker, has been preserved. ?Truly, Kurashiki is second to none in Japan for those who wish a glimpse of the past!Read more about Kurashiki:http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kankou/index_e.html

     
 
# #