I’m freelance writer and blogger Daiji Okuno, strolling around Kurashiki after being asked, “Try coming to Kurashiki on a whim from Tokyo as a man in his 40s, and see what kinds of places you’d visit!”
Today is my third and final day in Kurashiki.
On the first day, I enjoyed the Tamashima area and its seafood, and on the second day, I experienced a quiet and solemn side of Kurashiki.
What kind of day will today be?
I visited the area around the Bikan Historical Area and Mabi, which suffered extensive damage in the July 2018 torrential rains.
▼Click here for my other “Kurashiki Tocotoco strolls from Tokyo”!
- Day 1: Walking through the Showa-retro streets of Tamashima, Kurashiki City
- Day 2: A leisurely stroll from JR Kurashiki Station to the Bikan Historical Area late at night
The information presented was current when this article was published in December 2019. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Breakfast: Bukkake udon again, as yesterday
It’s time to say goodbye to the Universal Hotel Kurashiki, where I stayed near the station.
When I travel, I’m the type who is happy with a single room at a business hotel and expects it to serve as a base camp where I can return just to sleep.
It was a reasonably priced hotel that was just right.
For breakfast, as yesterday, I had Bukkake udon at “Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi Nakamise.”
I really liked this place.
I ordered a large serving of cold “Buttoro,” Bukkake udon with grated yam, and added a tempura onion fritter, but it was far too much food.
I was stuffed first thing in the morning.
▼For information about the restaurant’s food, see this article.
To walk off breakfast, I decided to explore Kurashiki Department Store, which I’d found interesting on my walk the previous evening.
“Kurashiki Department Store,” made up of a collection of several buildings
“You should go to Kurashiki Department Store sometime.”
That’s what a friend in Kurashiki recommended.
There’s the Ario shopping mall at the north exit of JR Kurashiki Station, and Tenmaya at the south exit.
Ario has restaurants, electronics, and clothing stores, with everything you need for daily life.
If you’re the type who tries to pack as little as possible and buy what you need locally, Ario is a good place to rely on.
But I digress.
Kurashiki Department Store, despite its name, is apparently not a large building near a terminal station.
It is a collection of shops with a nostalgic Showa-era atmosphere, formed by several buildings brought together as one.
I guessed that it probably wasn’t named after a department store in the literal sense, but rather with the idea of creating a place like one.
From the front, it looks like a large mall with shops inside, but from the side, you can see that it consists of a row of different buildings.
Looking at a map posted nearby, I saw that it was indeed labeled “Kurashiki Department Store.”
But that doesn’t mean it’s a single building.
It really looks like a group of buildings joined together by a roof.
Here’s the front again. You can see a large roof covering the sidewalk along the road in front.
This sidewalk roof spans several buildings. From the front of the large Tsurugata Building, across the alley to the east, an arcade roof covers Kurashiki Department Store.
Fujishin inside Kurashiki Department Store was a popular local restaurant, not a tourist spot
“Udon Sakaba Fujishin,” in one corner of Kurashiki Department Store, is an udon restaurant where you can also enjoy sake and snacks.
In fact, I stopped by on the first night.
Here, too, I savored delicious seafood, including seared Spanish mackerel, shirako tempura, and butter-soy-sauce-fried whelk.
▼The seared Spanish mackerel was firm, with just the right amount of salt.
▼The balance between the crisp batter and creamy shirako was perfect.
▼The richness of the butter, the sweetness of the soy sauce, and the shellfish’s aroma and texture.
Butter-soy-sauce-fried whelk
▼The Bukkake udon was refreshing and delicious, with the sweetness of the broth coming through.
Everything was excellent and delicious, but what really caught my attention was “cucumber with mustard,” which seemed to be a standard snack.
“Maybe it’s salted cucumber pickled in Japanese mustard to give it a sharp kick.”
That’s what I thought as I ate it, but then—wait, what? No way!
It had a subtle sweetness.
That brought out the salt and mustard, doubling the deliciousness.
When I asked the owner, he said they used sugar to add sweetness.
I’d also found the sweetness of the Bukkake udon broth pleasantly surprising, and I began to wonder whether Kurashiki might have a distinctive way of using sweetness.
It was so delicious that I even ordered another serving. I was captivated by the cucumber.
Rather than trying famous local specialties, I found myself wanting to check out the sweetness in everyday dishes.
▼For information about the restaurant, see this article.
![[Closed] Udon Sakaba Fujishin — A restaurant where passion and care for food shine through in every dish](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/23060543/fujishin-81.jpg)
Visit Achi Shrine for a view of the Bikan Historical Area from above
The area in front of JR Kurashiki Station has the address “Achi.”
Achi Shrine, which bears that name, was located between JR Kurashiki Station and the Bikan Historical Area.
The area around JR Kurashiki Station is flat, with no slopes, but Achi Shrine sits on a small hill.
This small hill is called “Tsurugatayama.”
The surrounding area was tidal flats during the Heian period. Reclamation continued from the Sengoku period through the Edo period, creating the plain we see today.
It is said to be 43 meters above sea level.
I decided to climb the steps on the Kanryuji Temple side of Tsurugatayama and see whether I could get a view of Kurashiki.
Kanryuji Temple is where Choshu forces attacked a nearby magistrate’s office and set up camp during a battle connected to the Meiji Restoration.
The nearby magistrate’s office was around the tourist attraction Kurashiki Ivy Square, just a stone’s throw away.
Kurashiki was a territory directly controlled by the Edo shogunate, known as “tenryo,” during the Edo period, so it is no surprise that this area was attacked by Choshu forces.
I heard there were marks from arrows on the lintel of the temple gate, so I went to take a look.
Could this be it?
As I walked around the area known as Tsurugatayama Park, I was able to take in the Bikan Historical Area from above.
The green area near the upper center is the green stretch along the main street of the Bikan Historical Area.
▼This is what the green area looks like.
And one of Achi Shrine's famous features is this “Achi Wisteria.”
Ah, I suddenly understood that the “wisteria” in the name of the Kurashiki Toka Shogi title match comes from this.
It is a prefecture-designated natural monument, and at 300–500 years old, it is quite elderly, so it is currently receiving treatment from an arborist.
I sincerely hope it recovers and blooms beautifully again around Golden Week!
▼For a look at the flower-viewing gathering for Achi Wisteria, see this article.
Visit Kurashiki Ivy Square, where the ivy turns beautiful autumn colors
Just down from Achi Shrine is Kurashiki Ivy Square.
The facility preserves the exterior and other features of the Meiji-era factory of Kurashiki Spinning Company (now KURABO INDUSTRIES LTD.), and includes a hotel, restaurants, and cultural facilities.
It was originally the site of an Edo-period magistrate's office, which was demolished and replaced by a spinning mill and other facilities.
Spinning means making thread, and I couldn't help thinking about how this might be connected to Kurashiki's fame as a denim town.
The former factory grounds are used for exhibitions and other events.
The ivy had turned beautiful autumn colors, and travelers kept coming to take photos with it as a backdrop.
As I was exploring Kurashiki Ivy Square, it was time for the large-board commentary on the Kurashiki Toka Shogi title match, one of the main purposes of this trip.
I wrote about going to watch it here. After the commentary, I headed to the final destination of this trip.
Visit Mabi, which suffered extensive damage in the July 2018 heavy rains
There was nothing I could do, but Mabi was a place I wanted to see with my own eyes at least once.
I wanted to see the area for myself because I knew people who had traveled far and wide to help in the aftermath of the July 2018 heavy rain disaster.
I chose Mabi as the final destination of this trip.
It takes about 20 minutes from JR Kurashiki Station, changing from the JR Hakubi Line to the Ibara Line.
Neither line seems to run very frequently, but the connections appear to be coordinated for convenience: at Kiyone Station, the transfer takes about five minutes.
Ibara Railway is operated by a single crew member, and passengers press a button to open the doors when getting off at a station.
The train runs on an elevated track, and Kibinomakibi Station is also high above the ground.
In addition to the two large rivers, the Takahashi and Oda, the town was rich in water, with rivers, irrigation channels, and ponds.
Children finished with their lessons at a cram school near the station, rode their bicycles home, talking loudly as they went.
As I followed the scene with my eyes, I noticed a private home with blue tarpaulins covering the first floor.
I could tell that the damage had reached up to the height of the first floor and that restoration work was still unfinished.
A friend gave me a ride to the Mabi Fureai Center, which had not been operating since the disaster.
From a distance, it looks like a beautiful building, but the doors are shut tight and you can’t go inside.
The notice near the entrance hasn’t been updated since the list of events for July 2018, so it feels as though time has stopped here…
Mabi is known as the home of Kibi no Makibi, a famous court noble of the Nara period whose name is also used for a station, as a major bamboo shoot-producing area, and as the town where Seishi Yokomizo created Kosuke Kindaichi.
I hope the town can make good use of these strengths to revitalize itself.
It seems they also hold events such as the 11th Cosplay Event: 1000 Kindaichi Kosuke (held November 23, 2019) — An event exploring Mabi, the hometown of the great detective. I hope they can make the most of opportunities like these and bring in more and more visitors.
When my favorite athlete had to step away from competition for neck surgery, he said:
“I won’t come back the way I was before. I’ll make a comeback stronger than ever.”
I really love those words, and sometimes I keep them in mind and persevere when things are tough for me, too.
I hope Mabi can do the same.
Finally, the trip ends with a visit to Wohl Wollen, a Western-style confectionery shop that Mabi is proud of.
The cake I ate on the Shinkansen home was delicious.
▼For information about Wohl Wollen, see this article.
Mabi is much larger than I expected, so I relied on an acquaintance who had rushed around helping during the disaster to drive me to various places.
That was a huge help.
In October 2019, the year after the July 2018 heavy rains, the Tama River, which forms the boundary between Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture, flooded due to Typhoon No. 19.
It was the first time in 45 years that the Tama River had flooded. I was 48 at the time and had no memory of the previous flood, so it was a completely new experience for me.
I remember seeing footage that made me realize the fear of water possibly overtopping a levee could be felt even in Tokyo, and that I could take it in as something real and personal.
I did want to help people affected by disasters, as one person and one Japanese person helping others, but I can’t deny that I had thought of it as something that happened somewhere far away.
I feel that the Tama River flood was one of the main reasons I came to Mabi this time.
Three days and two nights discovering history, tradition, food, and disaster
A three-day, two-night trip spent strolling around Kurashiki and taking it all in.
The Entsu-ji Temple, where the young Ryokan trained, was a place I’d like to visit again by car or other means. The autumn leaves were beginning to change color beautifully, and it’s in the Tamashima area, where you can also enjoy views of the industrial district at night.
Night views of industrial areas are a genre that definitely has its fans, so it seems like they could become even more popular.
The Shimotsui octopus, which I’d never encountered in Tokyo, was truly delicious, and it was the first time I’d thought of takoyaki as an “octopus dish.”
The owner here was an interesting guy, just the sort of person you’d expect to run a bar.
It seems like a fun place to go when you’re a little tired or feeling down.
At the Kurashiki Toka Shogi Championship, I got to experience the tension of an open match and reaffirm the achievements of Meijin Oyama, the 15th lifetime holder of the title. Learning why the title includes the name “Toka” also satisfied my curiosity.
The current state of Mabi moved me: the town is certainly making progress toward recovery, yet signs of the disaster still remain.
I sincerely hope that, guided by the people working hard now, the town will make an even more remarkable comeback.
I’d love to visit Kurashiki again.
Now that I’ve seen how flat the town is, a cycling trip sounds like fun, too.
▼Find the other “Strolling around Kurashiki Tocotoco from Tokyo” articles here!
- Day 1: Walking through the nostalgic Showa-era streets of Tamashima, Kurashiki City
- Day 2: A leisurely stroll from JR Kurashiki Station to the Bikan Historical Area late at night
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
