Kurashiki was a center of trades in Edo Period. And some warehouses and many houses in those days are left here now . When you walk along the stream , you will feel that you travel into the town in Edo Period. You can ride a small boat rowed with paddles along the stream , and you can also ride the rickshaw. You can visit old merchant's house, Ohara Museum , and Kurashiki Folkcraft Museum.
At your hotel in Kurashiki or At Kurashiki Station or At Okayama Station
Big merchant Ohashi House (built about two hundred years ago)
Ohara Museum
Kurashiki Folk Crafts Museum
Walking or riding a boat or a rickshaw along the stream with willows beside it
Lunch in Ivy Square which was a cotton spinning company in Meiji Period
Walking and shopping in Honmachi Area with old merchant's houses
If you want, you can wear kimono and walk in the historical area.
If you want, you can taste Japanese dishes in a popular restaurant.
At your hotel in Kurashiki or At Kurashiki Station or At Okayama Station
This is a quiet tour. There are many places to visit and some things to experience and watch in Kurashiki Bikan historical area. You have enough time. You don't have to be busy. After I ask you what you want to do or watch here, I will make a special plan only for you. If you are interested in art, you can spend a lot of time in Ohara Museum. If you are interested in architecture, you can spend a lot of time in Ohashi House. If you like vehicles, you can ride a boat and a rickshaw. If you want to experience Japanese life, you can wear kimono or cook Japanese sweet 'murasuzume' or make your own 'tenugui' Japanese towel. If you like shopping, you can walk and watch many souvenir shops. There are many good restaurants in this area. You can enjoy Japanese dishes, Western dishes, Indian dishes, and so on.
guide fee, hotel pick-up in Kurashiki area.
transportation fee (you and guide), 640yen per person if you stay in the hotel in Okayama City.
entrance fee (you and guide) about 2500yen per person
lunch,
I can guide you according to your request.
On national holidays I can guide you.
I planned this tour for seven hours. But I can guide you simply for four hours if you don't have enough time. Please tell me in such a case.
Yoko was tremendously helpful both long before our custom tour and even after! She patiently answered so many questions I had as a first time visitor to Soja City/Kurashiki, Okayama in the weeks before our tour. She set up a taxi driver and helped me navigate Japanese gravesite customs. Someone in the taxi compoany even happened to know my family and where my family's grave was located! Her English is excellent and she is a caring and capable guide that w connected with so easily. Our visit to my family's grave in Soja City was magical for me, my wife, and our daughter and granddaughter. Our granddaughter asked me if she could meet a relative her age. Yoko and the ancestors made that happen. (See picture with two happy 10 year olds, one from the US, one from Soja CIty, Japan). We bid our newly found relatives goodbye and returned to Kurashiki. After a refreshing lunch, we had a wonderful (and cooling!) visit to the Ohara Art Museum and Ohara houses. After our tour, Yoko was once again such a star! My cousin wanted to visit our family grave a couple days after us. Yoko helped arrange a taxi for them and my cousin got to spend additional time with our Soja City relatives! Yoko is such a caring, generous, knowledgable and helpful guide! Words cannot express our deep gratitude to her. Our request was complex and she delivered! We cannot recommend her to you enough!
Thank you for a nice review. I also had a nice time with you and your family. I appreciate you.
We saw a lot on this tour. Important to have an umbrella on hand if touring in June as it rained a bit. Yoko packed a lot into this day which was good. Because it rained the river boats were not operating. We instead walked along the beautiful river bank. Yoko understood and spoke good English.
Thank you for your nice review. I am very happy to read it. Is your leg all right? We walked long. So I am worried about that. I wish you can get Nintendo tickets. Yoko
This is an interesting island to visit. Yoko helped us navigate transportation. It does take a fair bit of time to get to the island including a train from Okayama (which can require a transfer), a ferry and local buses on the island. We enjoyed seeing the red and yellow pumpkins. Yoko knows the island well and was able to highlight key sites and told us about the artworks.
Thank you for your nice review. June is a rainy season in Japan. This year we had a lot of rain. You had a lot of luck. Though the weather forecast said it would rain a lot on both days , we had a little rain and could enjoy the sightseeing in almost all the places without an umbrella. Yoko
We had a wonderful time exploring Naoshima and Teshima with Yoko. Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for good evaluation.