Table of Contents
- Summary
- Travel Itinerary
- 09:30am Okayama Station（岡山駅）
- 10:00am Kurashiki Station（倉敷駅）
- 10:20am Kurashikikan Tourist Information Center（倉敷観光案内所）
- 10:30am Traditional Boat Tour of Kurashiki Canal（くらしき川舟流し）
- 11:00am TANE x 612 FACTORY
- 11:30am Mechanism museum of Peaches Taro（桃太郎のからくり博物館）
- 12:30pm Dining Tsurugata（食事処つる形）
- 2:00pm gangukan (Japanese Folk Toy Museum) – 日本郷土玩具館
- 2:30pm Koeido Kurashiki Ondori（廣榮堂 倉敷雄鶏店）
Summary
Okayama Prefecture, nicknamed the “Land of Sunshine, Okayama,” is known by its residents for its mild climate and low precipitation.
This time, I went alone to the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, which is a famous sightseeing spot and especially popular among tourists.
I knew it would always be really nice✨
You will definitely have a very satisfying day as you can visit various spots in a short time while enjoying the tasteful scenery!
Please refer to this page when sightseeing in Okayama.
*Please note that information and prices listed are subject to change.
Travel Itinerary
09:30am Okayama Station（岡山駅）
First, go from Okayama Station to Kurashiki Station.
Kurashiki Station is only less than 20 minutes away by train, so when you go to Okayama, you must go to Kurashiki as well!
Spot Outline
Okayama Station is located in Kita-ku, Okayama City. It is only 50 minutes away from Osaka by Shinkansen bullet train and less than one hour from Kyoto. There are many souvenir stores and restaurants in the area, and buses provide convenient access to Shin-Okayama Port.
10:00am Kurashiki Station（倉敷駅）
Arrive at Kurashiki Station. From Kurashiki Station to the Bikan Historical Quarter is about a 15-minute walk.
Spot Outline
Kurashiki Station, located in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, provides convenient access to the Bikan Historical Quarter, a famous tourist attraction, which can be reached in about 15 minutes on foot from the station. The area around Kurashiki Station is convenient for many stores, including souvenir shops and cafes.
10:20am Kurashikikan Tourist Information Center（倉敷館観光案内所）
Arriving at the Bikan Historical Quarter, the first thing to do is to experience the Traditional Boat Tour of Kurashiki Canal!
This is where you get tickets for the boat ride. You should get there early before they sell out because they are very popular and keep selling out every day.
The second floor is a rest area, so it is recommended when you want to take a break!
Spot Outline
The Kurashikikan Tourist Information Center is located in central Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture. Here you can get tickets for the boat cruise. The boat ride is extremely popular and sold out every day, so we recommend that you visit as soon as possible. There is also a rest area on the second floor for those who want to take a break. The streets of Kurashiki have a time-travel feel, and the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Center building is so cute that taking pictures with it in the background is also recommended.
10:30am Traditional Boat Tour of Kurashiki Canal（くらしき川舟流し）
While listening to the boatman’s amusing talk, you will enjoy a leisurely view of the historic streetscape of the Bikan Historical Quarter.
The comfortable rocking of the boat and the beautiful natural scenery are truly a healing moment.
The 20-minute boat ride is a must-do when in the Bikan Historical Quarter✨
Bikan Historical Quarter from a boat
It was super beautiful with the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water and sparkling!
Spot Outline
Traditional Boat Tour of Kurashiki Canal in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is an experience and activity spot. For a reasonable price of 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children, you can enjoy the boatman’s Kurashiki talk. While riding the boat in a leisurely manner, visitors can enjoy the view of the historic Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. Tickets are only sold on the day of the tour and can be purchased at the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Center. By word of mouth, the captain’s stories are interesting and you can feel the history of Kurashiki.
11:00am TANE x 612 FACTORY
The next stop was a masking tape store.
Did you know that masking tape was actually born in Kurashiki?
The store is lined with 1,300 different types of masti!
If you can’t decide which one to choose, you’ll end up staying longer…
Wall-to-wall masking tape
Colorful and cute! All kinds of masti, from simple to patterned, are crammed in.
Original masking tape
Masteki, which can only be purchased here, makes a great souvenir.
I’m a sucker for the word “limited edition,” so I tend to buy a lot of them.
Spot Outline
TANE x 612 FACTORY, located in Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is a general store where visitors can enjoy shopping and hands-on experience. It has become a word-of-mouth favorite among masking tape lovers, with more than 1,200 varieties of masking tape lining the walls. With designs limited to Kurashiki and seasonal designs, this is a spot where you can have a good time.
11:30am Mechanism museum of Peaches Taro（桃太郎のからくり博物館）
The museum is marked by a realistic Momotaro next to the store mentioned earlier.
In addition to exhibits related to Momotaro, there are various tricks in the museum that will make you chuckle.
Both children and adults can enjoy this facility! Photography is allowed, so be sure to capture many memories of your trip to Okayama.
Peach Exhibit
This peach exhibit actually features a certain person at every angle you look at it. I hope you will take a look when you visit!
Onigashima
The dark space will make your legs tingle… There are surprising tricks that will make you feel like you are in a petit haunted house and have a lot of fun.
Spot Outline
The Mechanism museum of Peaches Taro, located in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is a museum where visitors can enjoy learning about the history related to the fairy tale “Momotaro”. The facility is a popular spot for both children and adults to enjoy hands-on attractions such as a karakuri and a haunted house, as well as exhibits of old documents, picture books, toys, and ukiyoe woodblock prints related to Momotaro. There is also a performance of the “Chikuwa Flute” by the famous museum director. However, please note that the haunted house may scare even kindergarten children.
12:30pm Dining Tsurugata（食事処つる形）
You will have a special lunch in a historical building.
Most of the customers seem to order the famous tai chazuke.
tai chazuke (Sea bream’s Rice in green tea)
The large fillet of sea bream matched with the flavorful sesame sauce is irresistible!
After the tea is poured, the meat becomes fluffy and twice as delicious once ✨.
Spot Outline
Dining Tsurugata is located in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter in central Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture. You can enjoy food in a building that evokes a sense of history. The most popular menu item is the famous “tai chazuke” (Sea bream’s Rice in green tea). Most of the customers are seen ordering tai chazuke.
2:00pm gangukan (Japanese Folk Toy Museum) – 日本郷土玩具館
After our stomachs were satisfied, we went to another unique museum.
There are 10,000 toys on display! There are three toy halls, each with different exhibits, so there is plenty to enjoy.
There is a collection of toys that you don’t usually see, such as super giant daruma dolls, masks, and kites! There is also a store and cafe, so it’s perfect for a break.
Sweet Daruma dolls.
I love this indescribable face. It makes me want to take him home. LOL!
Masks lined up in a row!
It was the first time for me to see so many masks, but each one has a different expression and is very interesting. Toys are so deep…
Spot Outline
The gangukan (Japanese Folk Toy Museum), located in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is a museum with a whopping 10,000 toys on display. The museum displays old-fashioned local toys collected from all over Japan, and also has a store selling glass crafts and tatami mat borders. Visitors can also take a break at the café.
2:30pm Koeido Kurashiki Ondori（廣榮堂 倉敷雄鶏店）
The final event of the day was the much-anticipated café time.
From the stylish restaurant, you can enjoy an elegant view of the Bikan Historical Quarter.
There is also a souvenir corner, so I recommend getting food souvenirs here ✨
Kibidango (A type of mochi sweets and a famous souvenir from Okayama Prefecture) set
You will receive a peach tea and a set of three types of kibidango (old kibidango, peach, and soybean flour).
The kibidango is the perfect size to be snapped up in one bite!
Long Chofu (Japanese confectionery made of sponge cake dough wrapped in mochi-like gyuhi) take-out
The freshly baked long chofu is addictive with its crispy outer dough and chewy beef skin.
Eating outside makes it taste even better ✨.
Spot Outline
Koeido Kurashiki Ondori, located in Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is a sweet shop where you can enjoy sweets and Japanese confections. Founded in 1858, the store is located in a renovated Meiji-era townhouse at the southern end of the Bikan Historical Quarter, near Takasago Bridge. Delicious sweets such as kibidango, murasuzume, chofu, and kibi daifuku (A type of mochi sweets) made from carefully selected ingredients are on display.
Read More
