The Setonaikai (Seto Inland Sea) calmly stretches between the Western Honshu and Shikoku to the south. The Setonaikai is known as Japan’s “Mediterranean Sea” thanks to its warm climate, abundance of sea food and beautiful scenery. Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture is a popular tourist spot facing onto the Setonaikai. In particular, the town’s “Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area” with its old merchants’ houses is a beautiful tourist spot that is carefully preserved.

Enjoy a pleasure trip on a river boat

    The "Edo Period" (1603-1868) was a period when central government was ruled by the so-called "Edo Shogunate" - a samurai military government created by the samurai Ieyasu Tokugawa, who became Shogun. The Edo Period lasted for around 300 years. In addition to the territory under the direct control of the Edo Shogunate, there were around 300 smaller states governed by various feudal lords. Among these was Kurashiki, in an area far away from Edo (now known as Tokyo), which came under the direct control of the Edo Shogunate in 1642. The reason is thought to be that the feudal lord who ruled the area around Kurashiki was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) - a war that split Japan and proved decisive in establishing the rule of Ieyasu Tokugawa.
    This period saw an end to many years of civil war and became an era of peace and economic development. At the time Kurashiki was an intermediary point for goods transported by ship, bound for big cities such as Osaka etc.; i.e., what today we would call a "special tax zone." The taxes payable here were around 70% those of neighboring areas and as a result many merchants moved to Kurashiki and the town gradually prospered.

    The Kurashiki River, which flows through the middle of the town's Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area, used to be connected to the sea and cargo ships used to ply up and down on the ebb and flow of the tide. After an embankment was constructed in 1959, the river turned to fresh water, where colorful carp and swans now swim.
    You can still experience what it was like when water transport was popular. Take your time to slowly enjoy the Kurashiki River on a small punt steered by a boatman. Looking up at the river banks from a low position you can enjoy a different view from the one you get walking along the river.

Take a look at the mansions of the wealthy merchants

    There are some places where you can look around the inside of the old merchant houses. There are a number of residences dating from the late eighteenth century, that used to belong to successful merchant families, which are open to the public.
    One such family is the Ohashi Clan. Originally a samurai clan, the family moved to Kurashiki in 1705 where they made their fortune developing salt ponds, new agricultural plots and financial services etc., Their residence was still used as a home until 1930, but it has now been restored to the state it would have been in around 1850 and is open to the public.

    The Ohara Clan was active as one of Kurashiki's influential families in the Edo Period and in the following period from 1868 onwards, when Japan began to modernize. The former residence of the Ohara Clan was opened to the public in April 2018 as the "Katarai-za Ohara Hontei (known in English by the name 'Ohara House Katalyzer')" This name links the Japanese term kataru (meaning "to talk") with the English term "catalyzer.” In other words, it is hoped that visiting this residence (which represents the advanced nature and qualities of its time) will act as a "catalyst" for discussions about modern day life and the future.

    Standing across from the former Ohara residence on the other side of the Kurashiki River is the "Ohara Museum of Art" - the first private Western art museum in Japan, built in the Greek architectural style. Magosaburo Ohara, a merchant who made his fortune in the spinning business, was the financial sponsor of Torajiro Kojima - a painter in the Western style of art. When visiting Europe, Kojima asked Ohara to allow him to show the young people of Japan real Western art and subsequently accumulated a large collection of paintings. The Ohara Museum of Art was built in 1930 to display this collection. As well as "The Annunciation" by El Greco and western paintings by artists such as Monet and Picasso, the museum is also home to masterpieces that include oriental artworks and contemporary art.

Famous dishes created by common wisdom

    In some restaurants you can still enjoy meals with an "Edo Period" flavor.
    The finances of the Shogunate and the smaller states were rather tight from the end of the 17th century onwards and the shogun/local feudal lords often issued legislation forbidding luxuries and encouraging people to be frugal in their dress and their eating habits. However, common people enjoyed their luxuries in secret, so as not to be discovered by the samurai. A specialty of this type of restaurant is "kaeshi (turn over) sushi" - a modern re-make of a dish from that time. At first glance the dish looks like plain sushi with thin slices of baked egg on the top, but if you turn over the box and open the lid, a luxurious assortment of fresh sea-food sushi caught in the local waters appears.

    You can also make and eat your own dessert that looks like a crepe in this Japanese-style confectionery store, established in 1877; a specialty of the store it is called mura-suzume (meaning a flock of sparrows.)

Enjoy more of Kurashiki

    There are also free volunteer guides to tell you some of the information you may tend to overlook. For example, they will tell you about the Tsumerenge (Japanese rock pine; or Orostachys Japonica) that grows on the roofs - a rare plant designated as a near-threatened species.
    From April 4 2019, there will also be English-speaking guides available every day. Please try them out.

　

    Moreover Kurashiki at night looks different to the daytime. A world famous Japanese lighting designer has produced the illuminations that light up all the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area. Many facilities are closed after 5 p.m., but a lot of restaurants stay open. It is good to take a relaxing stroll through the subtly illuminated streets filled with silence.