The venerable Japanese restaurant inn “Ryokan Kurashiki” is said to have been a regular lodging for Shiba Ryotaro and Munakata Shiko.
Lunch at Ryokan Kurashiki is actually very good and reasonably priced!
You can enjoy Japanese-style lunches unique to a restaurant inn, including “A Stroll Through the Seasons,” filled with seasonal delicacies from all four seasons.
In fact, my first lunch in the Bikan Historical Area was here at Ryokan Kurashiki.
It is also a place full of memories, where my mother and I nervously entered a refined restaurant together.
Enjoy a special lunch in the Bikan Historical Area while gazing at the beautiful garden. You can spend a peaceful, relaxing time here.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in April 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
The long-established inn “Ryokan Kurashiki” in the heart of the Bikan Historical Area
With its beautiful white walls, Ryokan Kurashiki is a long-established Japanese restaurant inn located near the center of the Bikan Historical Area, just across Nakabashi Bridge.
It opened in 1957, making use of the main house and rice storehouses of a sugar wholesaler, built in the late Edo period.
The architect who designed Ryokan Kurashiki was Shizutaro Urabe.
He was a leading Kurashiki architect who also designed Kurashiki Ivy Square and Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel.
Guest rooms at Ryokan Kurashiki, beloved by Munakata Shiko and Shiba Ryotaro
The Ryokan Kurashiki building, designed by Shizutaro Urabe, is a historically valuable structure that retains traces of its past in features such as its beams, pillars, and window frames.
The guest rooms have been renovated to suit the times and guests’ needs. The original 30 rooms were reduced to six, and since 2018 there have been eight.
Here’s a brief introduction to the eight guest rooms, each with its own distinctive character. This is the Matsu Room.
This room features a spacious layout with a bedroom, Japanese-style room, and Western-style room. The inner garden can be seen from the bedroom.
The retro-modern furnishings are lovely, too.
The Nishi Room is in a former sugar wholesaler’s building that is 160 years old.
From this second-floor room, comprising an eight-tatami-mat Japanese-style room with exposed thick beams and a Western-style bedroom, you can also see the Kurashiki River.
It’s wonderful to be able to enjoy the scenery of the Bikan Historical Area from your inn—it feels special.
This is the Tatsumi Room, converted from a rice storehouse dating back about 260 years.
The room has a slightly attic-like atmosphere.
It is known as a room beloved by Munakata Shiko and Shiba Ryotaro, and literary fans are said to visit often.
Now, let’s have lunch!
The restaurant is to the left of the entrance.
A restaurant filled with classical music, plus seasonal menus
Ryokan Kurashiki’s restaurant was renovated as part of a 2007 refurbishment, and lunch service began then.
It is a quiet, relaxing restaurant with classical music playing.
There are six tables for four and three tables for six, all arranged to provide a private dining space.
The large windows overlooking the garden are lovely, too.
The inner garden visible through the windows is a beautiful Japanese garden with flowers blooming in every season.
(Part of the garden was under construction when we visited in February 2020.)
Ryokan Kurashiki’s lunch menu began with the desire to make it enjoyable not only for tourists but also for local residents.
In addition to “A Stroll Through the Seasons,” limited to 50 servings a day, and chirashi sushi topped with flowers, the limited-time menu includes hot pot, stone-baked curry, and soba.
There is also “Ryokan Kurashiki Gozen,” a kaiseki meal available by reservation only. Reservations can be made at any time during lunch hours.
“A Stroll Through the Seasons,” a beautiful two-tiered meal box, limited to 50 servings a day
We’ll try the restaurant’s recommended two-tiered meal box, “A Stroll Through the Seasons,” priced at 1,850 yen (excluding tax; includes a 10% service charge).
“A Stroll Through the Seasons” is limited to 50 servings a day, and reservations are available only for 11 a.m.
There are 12 colorful seasonal small dishes featuring ingredients from both the sea and the mountains!
Served with clear soup and rice, this meal box is perfect for women who enjoy having a little of everything.
This was the menu in February 2020, when we visited. It includes 12 dishes, from sashimi, simmered dishes, and grilled dishes to dessert.
Bigeye tuna, yellowtail grilled with miso and yuan marinade, mamakari, simmered hijiki seaweed, chawanmushi…
You can check the menu as you enjoy the dishes.
The menu changes depending on ingredient availability, but they try to use ingredients from Kurashiki and Okayama wherever possible, so there’s something to enjoy in every season.
The boxed meal is arranged with care, even in the choice of dish colors, “so that it’s a feast for the eyes, too.”
You can feel the thoughtful attention to detail of this long-established inn.
The delicate seasoning brings out the best in each seasonal ingredient
Now, let’s enjoy Ryokan Kurashiki’s “A Stroll Through the Seasons.”
First is “mamakari and cabbage dressed with shio koji.”
The tangy mamakari pairs with cabbage seasoned with shio koji.
The name mamakari comes from the idea that it is “such a delicious fish that you’d want to borrow rice (mama, or manma) from your neighbor,” and it is famous as a specialty of Okayama Prefecture.
This is “miso-marinated grilled yellowtail with yuzu daikon.”
The slightly sweet, fatty yellowtail flakes apart in your mouth. The yuzu daikon is refreshing, leaving a clean finish.
This is “hiryozu,” also known as ganmodoki, served with a light, savory sauce and green onions.
The hiryozu, covered in a savory sauce rich with dashi, has a full-bodied, luxurious flavor.
“Octopus with plum koji sauce and simmered hijiki.” The pink plum koji sauce is lovely!
The chewy octopus pairs with the refreshing tartness of plum koji. It’s a dish that’s good for you, too.
“Komatsuna Greens Simmered in Broth with Kettle-Cooked Whitebait.”
The gentle saltiness of the kettle-cooked whitebait adds a nice accent.
“Bigeye tuna with fresh yuba.”
This dish of bigeye tuna sashimi and fresh yuba is topped with a sesame sauce made with soy sauce koji.
The wonderful aroma of soy sauce koji brings out the sweetness of the bigeye tuna and fresh yuba.
This is “country-style simmered taro and pumpkin,” gently cooked in dashi.
The taro is creamy and the pumpkin fluffy. Among the lavish dishes, it’s a comforting, soothing bite.
From nanbanzuke and chawanmushi to dessert, this boxed meal lets you savor the deliciousness of Japanese cuisine.
During café hours, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., you can also enjoy sweets such as Ryokan Kurashiki’s special warabi mochi and banana cake.
Enjoy the seasons with your eyes: a stroll through Ryokan Kurashiki’s courtyard
After your meal, why not take a stroll through Ryokan Kurashiki’s beautiful courtyard?
You enter the garden from the terrace room, which usually serves as a waiting area for overnight guests.
When they invited me to “take my time and enjoy the garden,” I became so relaxed that I forgot I was there on assignment.
It’s hard to believe you’re right in the middle of the Bikan Historical Area; the air is quiet and serene.
A camellia tinged a refined, pale pink.
You can see flowers in every season, including delicate weeping plum blossoms.
The courtyard connects to the rear entrance. You can also enter the restaurant from this side, of course.
This is the courtyard of Ryokan Kurashiki, seen from the rear entrance. The stone-paved path leads to the restaurant.
While exploring the courtyard, I spotted two swans.
They must be modeled on the swans of the Kurashiki River.
A delicious lunch at Ryokan Kurashiki, where you can enjoy a truly special experience
I returned for the first time in about 10 years, and was once again moved by the familiar, classic atmosphere: “It really is lovely—so wonderful.”
It preserves the character of the Bikan Historical Area while seeking to offer even greater hospitality, unafraid to change.
I felt that this attitude is why it has been loved and supported for so long.
I visited only for lunch during my reporting trip, but I hope to stay overnight someday.
Lunch while gazing at the garden is an especially elegant and luxurious experience.
I recommend it for older visitors and anyone who wants to spend time in a quiet, relaxing setting. It would also be a lovely place to take someone as a treat.
Be sure to try the refined lunch at this long-established inn.
Ryokan Kurashiki Information
| Name | Ryokan Kurashiki |
|---|---|
| Address | 4-1 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-0730 |
| Parking | None Parking available for overnight guests only |
| Hours | Lunch: 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Cafe: 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Lunch is served on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays only |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Available Reservations available only for 11:00 a.m. Reservations at times other than 11:00 a.m. are also available for the “Ryokan Kurashiki Gozen” only |
| Seating | 42 seats; 9 tables |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilets |
| Website | Ryokan Kurashiki |
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