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Kurashiki

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"The atmosphere of this small town casts you back into the Edo period as you stroll along the canal, lined with willow trees and the traditional storehouses that makes this area famous. Very pleasant"

James Mundy - PR Manager


Due to its strategic position, surrounded by thousands of fertile rice fields, Kurashiki was used for rice storage during the Edo period.  By barge from Shikoku and Kyushu and overland from western Honshu, tons of rice moved through Kurashiki every year.
The city's name reflects its heritage - "Kura" means storehouses and "Shiki" is from the verb meaning to "spread out". Hundreds of kura were built for the rice, and today many of them still remain in pristine condition.

Many of these distinctive black-tiled warehouse buildings have been converted into museums, galleries, boutiques and cafes.
Along the canals that carried all that rice through this picturesque town, one can now find galleries such as the Ohara Art Museum, Japan’s first Western Art museum containing masterpieces by Monet, Matisse and Renoir, as well as Asian and contemporary art.
Other attractions include the Folkcraft Museum and the Archaeological Museum as well as the old houses with their white walls and black tiles that tell the history of old Kurashiki.

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Products featuring Kurashiki...
Small Group Tour
Snow monkeys, a temple stay, bright lights and rural Japan. Japan Unmasked offers fantastic value and a fascinating insight into Japan old and new. This flexible tour, led by one of our experienced staff, allows you to spend as much, or as little, as you want. Visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and more!

13 Nights: £1750
Self Guided Adventure
Life continues as normal in Kyoto, Osaka and beyond. From Buddhist temple lodgings on Mount Koya, to sacred Miyajima Island, from the bright lights of Kobe port to the beautiful gardens at Matsue’s Adachi Museum; this itinerary offers a wonderful insight into the contrasts that make modern Japan

13 Nights: £1910
Inside Japan Tours - Independent British Travel Awards 2011 - Best Tour Operator To East and Central Asia
The Guardian, The Observer - Travel Awards 2010 Winner - Best tour operator (small)
Inside Japan Tours - Silver at the British Travel Awards 2009