Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [350]
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel (422-5141; www.kurashiki-kokusai-hotel.co.jp; 1-44-1 Chūō; s/tw from ¥9450/14,700; ) Though somewhat faded, this excellently located art-deco hotel features woodwork, tiles and murals by local artists. Some rooms have views of the Ōhara Museum and its gardens.
Ryokan Tsurugata (424-1635; www.mmd.co.jp/tsurugata, in Japanese; per person with 2 meals ¥13,800-33,600; ) Japanese-style accommodation in a converted building in the historic area, with rooms overlooking a garden and meals featuring local seafood.
Hotel Nikkō Kurashiki (423-2400; www.nikko-kurashiki.com; 3-21-19 Achi; s/tw from ¥22,000/30,000; ) A modern high-rise towering over Ōhashi House a short walk from the historic quarter, this top-end business hotel has comfortable, spacious rooms with good city views, and several restaurants and bars on site.
Ryokan Kurashiki (422-0730; fax 422-0990; www.ryokan-kurashiki.jp; 4-1 Honmachi; per person with 2 meals from ¥28,000; ) Right by the canal in the heart of the historic district, and incorporating several beautifully restored Edo-period buildings, this is probably the best ryokan in town. There’s a pleasant cafe overlooking a garden, and dinner is a multicourse kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine)-style affair featuring delicacies from the Inland Sea.
Eating
Kamoi Restaurant (422-0606; 1-3-17 Chūō; 10am-6pm, closed Wed) A pleasant canalside restaurant opposite the Ōhara Museum. Meals, from a photo menu, include a sashimi teishoku (sashimi set meal; ¥2100), unajū (grilled eel on rice, ¥1890) and mamakari-zushi (sushi featuring the local sardine-like speciality; ¥1050).
Kana Izumi (421-7254; 8-33 Honmachi; 11am-8pm, closed Mon) Sanuki-udon (a type of wheat noodle) dishes such as tempura udon (¥780) are the main attraction in this restaurant, which has a traditional exterior, just back from the canal. Plastic versions of the meals are on display in the window. Full-meal deals include mamakari teishoku for ¥840 and tempura teishoku for ¥1780.
Iwakura (427-3100; 2-1-18 Chūō; 11am-2pm & 5-10.30pm Mon-Sat, to 9.30pm Sun) An unpretentious izakaya-style place opposite the Dormy Inn hotel, specialising in seafood from the Inland Sea. The menu has a few pictures. Sashimi moriawase (a selection of sashimi) costs ¥2100, while tempura moriawase (a selection of tempura) is ¥1050.
Mamakari-tei (427-7112; 3-12 Honmachi; 11am-2pm & 5-10pm, closed Mon) This traditional spot (in a 200-year-old warehouse) is famed for the small sardinelike local speciality that gives it its name. This tasty fish is supposed to induce bouts of uncontrollable feasting, so that people are obliged to kari (borrow) more mama (rice) from their neighbours in order to carry on with their binge. The menu is in Japanese only. Mamakari-zushi is the cheapest thing on the menu at ¥840; lunchtime-only set meals include a mamakari teishoku for ¥2625.
Drinking
El Greco (422-0297; 1-1-11 Chuō; coffees from ¥500; 10am-5pm, closed Mon) Right next to Ōhara Museum (you can’t miss the cafe’s ivy-clad walls), this relaxed, roomy spot is popular for coffee and cakes.
Coffee-Kan (424-5516; 4-1 Honmachi; coffees ¥500-850; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) With its brick interior, this cavernous caffeine-lovers’ paradise is thick with the aroma of freshly roasted coffee. There’s an English menu, but no food is served. It’s on the canal, just down from Ryokan Kurashiki.
SWLABR (434-3099; 2-18-2 Achi; 11.30am-3am, closed Thu) After the Bikan area closes down, relax with the good music and friendly staff at SWLABR. The food stops at 6pm, but the cosy bar-lounge keeps going until late. It’s the green weatherboard house on the corner, a couple of blocks southeast of the station. A BLT sandwich costs ¥800, and cocktails cost from ¥600.
Getting There & Away
Kurashiki is just 17km southwest of Okayama. Regular trains on the San-yō line