On a clear autumn day, November 4, 2019, “Harenomino Kurashiki 2019” was held.
We saw many groups spreading out their maps and discussing where to go next and what to eat.
Couples, friends, families, coworkers, and all kinds of groups strolled along from around JR Kurashiki Station to the Bikan Historical Area.
Some shops had lines, and the area was livelier than usual.
Here’s a look at the day of the ninth Harenomino Kurashiki!
The information provided was current when this article was published in November 2019. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is Harenomino Kurashiki?
Harenomino Kurashiki is a one-day-a-year food and drink hopping event.
Bring a ticket to a participating shop and you’ll receive a drink and food.
A five-ticket booklet costs 3,500 yen in advance.
Tickets are also sold individually on the day for 800 yen each.
If you plan to visit five or more shops, buying an advance ticket is a better deal.
All participating shops offer non-alcoholic drinks, so people who don’t drink alcohol and minors can also take part.
For details, see the article below.
The ninth Harenomino Kurashiki
The ninth Harenomino Kurashiki was held under clear skies.
We looked for shops using the map of participating businesses distributed with the tickets.
The earliest participating shop opened at 7 a.m.
Additional tickets can also be purchased on the day!
Even after using up your five-ticket booklet, you can buy more if you think, “I still want to visit that shop…”
Tickets for the day could be purchased, and reserved tickets collected, at the west side of the Danadua shop.
On the day of the event, tickets could be purchased individually for 800 yen each.
Advance tickets, incidentally, were only sold in five-ticket booklets.
Tickets could be purchased on the day and reserved tickets exchanged from around 11 a.m. until around 9 p.m.
Next, I’ll introduce some of the shops I visited at Harenomino Kurashiki 2019.
Popular burgers with fluffy, crispy buns! ICHI (Ichi)
ICHI (Ichi) opened at 11:30 a.m., but when I arrived at 11:35, a line of about 20 people had already formed outside.
It’s a good idea to line up early for shops you’re interested in.
Lots of freshly baked, golden-brown buns lined the kitchen.
ICHI prepared 200 servings for Harenomino Kurashiki 2019.
Whether 200 servings is a lot or a little depends on the shop, but some places close once they sell out.
I enjoyed a piping-hot hamburger.
The juicy chicken went wonderfully with the fragrant homemade bun!
Getting a hamburger set with just one ticket is a great deal.
Enjoy up to 16 kinds of beer! Beer BAR marugen
Being able to enjoy a daytime drink is one of Harenomino’s attractions.
Some shops that usually open in the evening open during the day for Harenomino Kurashiki.
A line had formed outside Beer BAR marugen, with people eager to enjoy a delicious beer in the middle of the day!
Waiting in this line is part of the fun, too.
People were chatting excitedly about which beer to try and which shop to visit next.
From the 16 beers, I chose “Mix Juice” from Johana Beer.
Beer that’s called mixed juice? I had to try it!
This ale offered fruity notes of peach and apple, along with a banana aroma.
Its clean finish made it an easy-to-drink beer that I’d recommend even to beginners.
The homemade bacon was packed with herbs and wonderfully fragrant, making me want to drink more beer.
We also recommend strolling through the Bikan Historical Area and Kurashiki shopping arcade between stops.
Next, I took a leisurely stroll through the Kurashiki shopping arcade for some post-meal exercise.
In the shopping arcade, I ran into Kurashiki City’s mascot, “Shirakabeno”!
I managed to get a photo looking straight at the camera.
The Kurashiki Photomural was also being held in the shopping arcade, and many people stopped to look up at it.
It was tourist season in the Bikan Historical Area, so I saw many visitors.
Why not enjoy a stroll through the Bikan Historical Area?
You might discover something new.
Tempting fruit cocktails featuring the flavors of autumn. Salon de Ric’s
After sobering up a little while strolling through the shopping district, I headed to Salon de Ric’s for a seasonal fruit cocktail.
From the three drinks on the menu, I chose the “Persimmon Frozen Cocktail”, and from the four food options, the “Mellow Persimmon Pudding.”
The Persimmon Frozen Cocktail is an easy-to-drink dessert cocktail, with a gentle sweetness and a smooth, velvety texture that melts elegantly on the tongue.
The soft, creamy persimmon pudding was a grown-up dessert packed with a subtle sweetness.
▲ Bartender Hijiyā Asuka, winner of the top prize at the “2019 Suntory The Cocktail Award.”
Customers asked her for their opinions on the cocktail’s flavor.
After visiting several places where drinks were the main attraction, I was starting to feel a little hungry.
Enjoy freshly fried, bite-sized, crispy kushikatsu! Kushiage Bakaichidai Kushitei
The sun was setting, and the air was getting a little chilly.
I headed to Kushiage Bakaichidai Kushitei for some crispy kushikatsu.
Perhaps I arrived at just the right time, as I was able to get in with almost no wait.
Kushiage Bakaichidai Kushitei’s Harenomino Kurashiki 2019 menu included five kinds of kushikatsu and one drink.
Five skewers—ginkgo nuts, spring roll, mackerel, beef, and quail egg—were served one after another, freshly fried.
Ginkgo nuts, in season in autumn, are beautiful jade green and look like jewels.
The lightly fried ginkgo nuts have a satisfyingly fluffy texture and rich flavor.
They’re freshly fried, so be careful not to burn your mouth when you bite into them.
You can enjoy them with one of three sauces—salt, sauce, or ponzu—chosen to suit each ingredient.
I was glad they were served piping hot in almost bite-sized portions.
Enjoy four kinds of wine with obanzai. small ville
The Harenomino Kurashiki 2019 menu at small ville featured four kinds of wine: red, white, orange, and rosé.
Each wine came with a matching obanzai dish.
I asked for a recommendation for an easy-drinking wine with a lower alcohol content, and chose the rosé.
The beautiful pale-rose wine has a faint strawberry aroma. After the fruit’s sweetness and acidity, a touch of bitterness rounds out the overall flavor.
The saltiness of the mackerel rillettes brings out the wine’s flavor.
I enjoyed taking my time over the wine and snacks that pair well with it.
Delightfully chewy udon. Kurashiki specialty: Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi Nakamise
Looking for something more filling, I next visited Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi Nakamise.
For Harenomino Kurashiki 2019, the menu offered hot or cold bukkake udon and one drink.
I had the hot bukkake udon, a familiar favorite among Kurashiki residents, topped with nori, tenkasu, green onions, sesame seeds, and a quail egg.
The pleasantly chewy noodles are gently coated in a sweet-and-savory broth.
Some participating establishments focused mainly on drinks, while others specialized in meals. I saw people stopping here to fill up before heading to a bar.
For the finale, unwind at a cozy bar. BAR Kurashiki capri
I headed to BAR Kurashiki capri (Capri), a two-minute walk from JR Kurashiki Station.
The menu at BAR Kurashiki capri for Harenomino Kurashiki 2019 included one drink and an assortment of three snacks.
The orange juice with coconut liqueur was mellow and easy to drink.
The three snacks ranged from sweet to savory, so I enjoyed a variety of flavors.
Seasoned to bring out the full flavor of Japanese black wagyu. “Sumibi Yakiniku Futaba”
At Harenomino Kurashiki 2019, I imagine many of the men visited yakiniku restaurants.
Sumibi Yakiniku Futaba is a yakiniku restaurant located in Kurashiki Department Store.
At Harenomino Kurashiki 2019, you could choose between a beef bowl and a plate of beef.
Thinly sliced Japanese black wagyu short plate and kalbi, among other cuts, were used generously.
There was plenty of onion, just a little sauce, and a sprinkling of pepper; the seasoning let the flavor of the meat really shine.
A pub with enticing fresh sashimi: Kaisen Donya Katatsumuri
I headed to Kaisen Donya Katatsumuri, a seafood pub run by a fishmonger.
Kaisen Donya Katatsumuri is a restaurant known for its fresh fish from the Sea of Japan.
At Harenomino Kurashiki 2019, you could pair a drink with either the “Sanin sashimi assortment” or “Sanin conger eel tempura.”
The sashimi assortment featured three kinds of fish: sea bream, John dory, and yellowtail amberjack.
The sea bream was springy in texture with a refined sweetness.
The yellowtail amberjack was firm and rich, making for a flavor that went well with sake.
From the Writer
Harenomino Kurashiki is a bar-hopping event where you can visit lots of restaurants in a single day.
As someone who loves eating my way around, this was my third time taking part, at the ninth Harenomino Kurashiki.
Thanks to this event, I’ve discovered lots of new favorite restaurants.
I hope you’ll visit any places that catch your eye again and take your time enjoying the food, drinks, and atmosphere.
I also hope more people will discover the appealing restaurants in Kurashiki.
One of the event’s special features is how conversations flow between restaurant staff and fellow participants over drinks and food.
Did you discover any new favorites or places you’d like to try at Harenomino Kurashiki 2019?
I’m already looking forward to the 2020 event!
Harenomino Kurashiki 2019 Information
| Name | Harenomino Kurashiki 2019 |
|---|---|
| Date | November 4, 2019 |
| Admission (tax included) | Advance ticket: 3,500 yen for a book of five Same-day ticket: 800 yen each |
| Website | Harenomino Kurashiki, 9th Event |
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