Streetscape, Bikan Historical Quarter – Kurashiki, Japan

An hour and 15 minutes west of Osaka by Shinkansen, lies the charming city of Kurashiki. Specifically, I’m referring to the Bikan Historical Quarter which is just a 15 minute walk from the central station.

While there are a fair number of museums including Japan’s first for Western Art, I was interested in the historic warehouses. These well maintained 17th century structures, called Kura, were used to store rice back in the old days. The white buildings with distinctive black tiles now feature restaurants and shops.

Many warehouses are built next to a canal which, while functional long ago, now serve to add an extra layer of charm. That combined with weeping willow trees makes for a picturesque place for photography and sightseeing. And while I saw a comfortable number of tourists, most were of Japanese school children. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not overrun by foreign visitors.