PSA : there are many amazing places to explore in Japan that exist outside of Tokyo
Now, I say that as someone who LOVES LOVEEESSSS Tokyo with an eternal adoration. So this is no hate on the greatest city in the world, just a mere announcement that there are so many places to explore in Japan that most people don’t know about!
Case and point : KURASHIKI.
I first heard of this place when I asked my mom’s hairdresser (who is from Japan) what her favorite place to visit was and she said without hesitation, “Kurashiki. It’s the most beautiful place in all Japan!” Prior to this conversation, I had never heard of Kurashiki before. So I did a quick google search and discovered it was in Okayama prefecture, 3.5 hours south of Tokyo… and within 1 minute of my search I decided - Ok. I’m gunna go there.
I convinced two of my good friends who live in Japan, Steph and Miri, to join me for a short trip to Okayama prefecture. We boarded the Shinkansen early one morning and we were off!
And let me just say, one of the best things about Japan is the Shinkansen (新幹線) aka Bullet Train. This may be debatable considering ticket prices are NOT CHEAP (17000 yen, $150 one way)…but I when it comes to convenience, comfort and efficiency the shinkansen is unparalleled. We bought our ticket a few days before, chose our seats, and easily got on and off the train from Tokyo station —> Okayama station which took 3.5 hours.
And quite possibly the best part of the Shinkansen is the EKIBEN 駅弁 (station lunchbox) that you can pick up at any Shinkansen station and eat on your trip. They are always so cute, well designed and fun to eat! I also opted to bring some pastries from BURDIGALA which is a really yummy bakery at the basement of Tokyo station.
After a smooth and effortless ride, we arrived in Okayama, dropped our bags off at our hotel and hopped on the local train line to take the 20minute ride to KURASHIKI!!! It was a beautiful day and I was so stoked to finally see this magical place in real life.
We got to KURASHIKI STATION and picked up a few maps to help us get around. The main river and shopping area is just a 10 minute walk from the station. So convenient and easy to get to.
How quaint and cozy are these little streets?
This little street reminded me of BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE in Seoul, South Korea, that I visited last summer. This style of architecture always makes me feel like I stepped back in time.
And after a 10 minute walk through the shops we turned a corner and…
B O O M….
This is the famous Kurahsiki canal area that dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867)!! All the shops were tiny and cozy, it was quiet around every corner, the boats along the canal were so peaceful, and the wisteria falling over the water was simply magical.
A crew of older Japanese men were the boat guides and I caught them chillen in between rides.
One thing Okayama prefecture is famous for is DENIM. You can notice it everywhere you go and Kurashiki was no exception. We passed by the famous “Denim street” and found some very unique things…
Now, leave it to the Japanese to make a souvenir or trendy food item of just about anything…and here on Denim street you could buy DENIM ICECREAM, DENIM PORK BUNS, DENIM BURGERS and DENIM DRINKS. WHAT!??!?!! HAHAHAHHA
I really cracked up when I saw “デニムまん” denim pork buns that were actually BLUE AHHAHAHAH. OH my gosh…how funny.
We stumbled upon this really cool coffee shop that was in the attic of an antique store.
One thing that is REALLY REALLY famous in Okayama prefecture is the story of 桃太郎 - ももたろう- momotarou- peach boy! ….wait that is a prime example of how complicated Japanese it. I just wrote that name out in Kanji (桃太郎), hiragana (ももたろう), romaji (momotarou), and the English translation (peach boy). Yikes HAHA.
Anyway, momotarou is a famous Japanese folk tale about a little boy born in a peach who goes on an epic journey with his animal friends to defeat these monsters. The little coin purses are Momotarou and his friends. On his journey, he famously eats “kibidango” to give him energy and basically every store in Okayama prefecture sells these dango which are really yummy mochi balls usually covered in きな粉 (soybean powder.)
Coffee break pt.2 to experience the best matcha soy latte of my life at YAMAU COFFEE STAND wowowowow
More cozy little shops all along the canal.
This was late October and the leaves were just beginning to change color!
Becasue Kurashiki is such a historical site, there were A LOT of school groups there. Mostly Junior Highers, but I also saw a few Elementary groups, who were easy to spot because they were all wearing yellow caps. So cute.
On our walk back to the station we stumbled upon something very interesting … a DASHI VENDING MACHINE. For those of you who don’t know, dashi is a soup stock made from fish. As a good Japanese girl, I enjoy the taste of dashi (mostly bc it’s in a few important dishes aka miso soup and udon) but seeing it in a bottle with a real fish soaking it in was NOT COOL!!! hahahah. 700 yen for one bottle…only in Japan would you find this.
We stayed in Kurashiki from about 1pm to 4pm and then headed back to our hotel next to Okayama station to have dinner and rest for the rest of our trip. Thankfully from our hotel room we had this cool city view!!
Kurashiki was such an awesome little place to visit! I love seeing the more calm, historical sides of Japan. Tokyo will always have it’s magic, but the countryside of Japan has a different type of magic just as special.
more to come.