Kurashiki in August, with its relentless, sweltering heat.
It can be tempting to avoid going out, but staying home would be a waste.
Bikan Historical Area is hosting a limited-time nighttime event.
It’s Heartland Kurashiki, which begins at dusk, when the daytime heat starts to ease.
It’s being held with an expanded program compared with last year (2022).
I headed to the venue on the first day.
The information in this article was current when it was published in August 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Heartland Kurashiki
This year (2023) marks the 41st Heartland Kurashiki.
The event was forced to cancel for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In typical years before the cancellations, it was held during the day over Golden Week throughout Bikan Historical Area.
The event’s highlights, themed around wisteria, the flower of Kurashiki City, included the Kurashiki Wisteria Maiden and Punting Boat Rides on Kurashiki River featuring brides of the Seto Inland Sea.
When the event returned in 2022 after a three-year hiatus, its timing, hours, and concept all changed dramatically.
It shifted to August, another popular tourist season, and became an event for enjoying lights at night.
The event continued to be held on August evenings in summer 2023.
Following COVID-19’s reclassification as a Category 5 infectious disease, more events and areas were added, including workshops.
Here are some of the events.
What it was like in 2023
Heartland Kurashiki’s program changed significantly in 2022.
The 2023 events can be divided into three main categories.
- Lights (projection mapping and illuminations)
- Heartland Kurashiki-hosted events
- Heartland Kurashiki co-hosted events
There are also more specific events, so here’s a brief introduction.
Light events
The main light events are as follows.
| Name | Location | Lighting hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projection mapping | Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery (former Chugoku Bank Honmachi Branch) | 7:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m. | Projection mapping only: held August 11 (Fri., national holiday)–15 (Tue.), 19 (Sat.), 20 (Sun.), 26 (Sat.), and 27 (Sun.) |
| Andon lanterns and willow tree illumination | Kurashiki River | 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. | |
| Gentle Japanese-style lighting from Japanese lanterns and Kiriko lights | Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan | 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. | Last admission at 8:45 p.m. |
| Metasequoia tree and stone pavement illumination | Kurashiki Ivy Square | 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. | |
| Giant Kiriko light and venue illumination | Kurashiki SOLA | 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. |
Lights are set up at five locations in Bikan Historical Area.
You can enjoy illuminations in a variety of styles.
Projection mapping
Projection mapping is one of the highlights of Heartland Kurashiki.
A five-minute video is projected onto Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery (the former Chugoku Bank Honmachi Branch).
To watch, stand in the area cordoned off with cones along the edge of the road.
The video is designed to match the building’s exterior, making it feel realistic.
It features things associated with Kurashiki, such as the kingfisher, Kurashiki City’s bird, and wisteria, the city flower.
Look closely and you’ll spot some familiar paintings, too… works in the collection of the Ohara Museum of Art.
The video evokes the seasons, with ivy winding around the building, morning glories blooming energetically, and rain falling on a pond of water lilies.
These, too, are all associated with the Ohara Museum of Art and Bikan Historical Area.
Five minutes of footage packed with the essence of Kurashiki.
Gentle Japanese-style lighting from lanterns and Kiriko lights
Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan is enveloped in fantastical light.
The number of Japanese lanterns has increased from last year to 460.
The area was full of people enjoying taking photos against a backdrop of Japanese lanterns arranged in neat rows, reaching up to the ceiling.
Across from the lights reaching toward the sky, Kiriko lights placed on the ground create a fantastical world.
Each Kiriko light has a different design.
They depict Kurashiki scenery, including the round windows of the Ohara Museum of Art and the gate of Kurashiki Ivy Square.
The designs are carefully crafted with even the shadows cast on the ground in mind, so take your time to appreciate them.
Illuminated tree and stone pavement
The scenery of Bikan Historical Area is also illuminated.
At Kurashiki Ivy Square, the stone pavement is lit up.
In 2022, it was all blue, but in 2023, the colors change over time, creating an even more fantastical atmosphere.
The giant metasequoia tree beside Ivy Gakkan is also illuminated.
It’s tucked away a little, so people sometimes miss it, but its vivid lighting made it one of the highlights.
Heartland Kurashiki Events Hosted
A new hands-on event has been added.
It’s perfect for making memories.
| Name | Location | Dates | Time | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Kiriko Lantern” Workshop | Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan Multipurpose Hall | August 12 (Sat)–15 (Tue), 19 (Sat), 20 (Sun), 26 (Sat), and 27 (Sun) | 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m. | 500 yen per person | Limited to the first 30 people each day; for elementary school students and younger only |
| Welcome display of fans designed by children from kindergartens near the Heartland Kurashiki venue | Eiten-gai Shopping Association, Center-gai Shopping Street, Tsurugata Building Shopping Street, Kurashiki Department Store, Ebisu-dori Shopping Street | August 11 (Fri, holiday)–27 (Sun) | On display all day | Free | With the cooperation of Mikuni Kindergarten, Showa Nursery School, Takenaka Kindergarten, and Wakatake no Sono |
| Wisteria decorations on sightseeing boats | Kurashiki River | August 11 (Fri, holiday)–27 (Sun) | Departures from 9:30 a.m.; last boat at 5:00 p.m. | Adults 500 yen, children 250 yen, free for children under 5 | Boats run every 30 minutes; tickets sold on the day at the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Center |
“Kiriko Lantern” Workshop
This workshop lets you make a kiriko lantern, the inspiration for Kiriko Akari.
Cut and paste your favorite patterns to complete it.
You could take your kiriko lantern in hand and stroll through the Bikan Historical Area at night.
Wisteria decorations on sightseeing boats
During the event, the boats used for the popular Kurashiki attraction “Punting Boat Rides on Kurashiki River” will be specially decorated with wisteria flowers.
Not only can you enjoy an elegant experience, but you can also take in the townscape from a perspective different from that of walking.
Glide leisurely across the water while listening to the boatman’s interesting tidbits.
At the opening on the first day of Heartland Kurashiki, which I visited to report on, Kurashiki Komachi made an entrance aboard a boat.
The wisteria flowers went perfectly with the yukata, creating a scene that felt distinctly Kurashiki.
Heartland Kurashiki Co-hosted Events
The co-hosted events at Heartland Kurashiki are also full of appeal.
| Name | Location | Dates | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bamboo Garden: Lights of the Wind | Kurashiki Yoimachi GARDEN “Bamboo Garden Walk” | August 11 (Fri, holiday)–13 (Sun), 19 (Sat), and 20 (Sun) | 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. | Free |
| Kibibi Night Museum | Kibibi Museum | August 11 (Fri, holiday)–13 (Sun), 19 (Sat), and 20 (Sun) | Open until 8:00 p.m. (last admission 7:30 p.m.) | Adults 700 yen, junior and senior high school students 500 yen, elementary school students 300 yen |
| Tenryo Balloon Catfish | Kurashiki City Art Museum Entrance Hall | August 11 (Fri, holiday)–27 (Sun) *Closed Mondays | 9:00 a.m.–5:15 p.m. (open until 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays) | Free |
Tenryo Balloon Catfish
The Tenryo Balloon Catfish is displayed overhead in the entrance hall of the Kurashiki City Art Museum.
If you want to enjoy the illuminations even more, nighttime is recommended, though only on Saturdays and Sundays.
Its colors change one after another, from a vivid, eye-opening green to a rainbow gradient.
It may look like something to simply admire, but it seems you can make the giant Tenryo Balloon Catfish move.
It responds to people’s movements via the “kaname stone” placed beneath the catfish.
Try clapping your hands or moving around in front of the kaname stone.
The fins flap and the eyes dart around in response to people’s movements.
Workshops are also being held.
The workshops have ended.
| Name | Date | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Akariuo” Fish Lantern-Making Experience | August 19 (Sat) | 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. | 300 yen |
| “Candle Catfish” Making Experience | August 20 (Sun) | 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. | 1,000 yen |
Please note the following:
- No registration required; limited to the first 150 people each day
- Takes about 40 minutes
- Registration closes 30 minutes before the end time
Since 2022, Heartland Kurashiki has been held on summer nights, with the dates and times changed.
We spoke with Noriko Yasuhara of the Kurashiki City Tourism Division, who is in charge of the event.
2023 Summer Heartland Kurashiki Information
| Name | 2023 Summer Heartland Kurashiki |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 11 (Fri, holiday)–27 (Sun), 2023 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. |
| Location | Bikan Historical Area |
| Website | 2023 Summer Heartland Kurashiki |
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