Just 15 minutes walk from JR Kurashiki Station, Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is a really nice preserved area featuring white walled houses, a small canal that runs through the center of town, and plenty of small alleys, galleries, museums and shops. The easy access and beautiful townscape make it a desirable place to visit in Okayama Japan.
The Kurashiki Historical Quarter (District) was a river port where warehouses were built to store goods. “Kura” means storage in Japanese. The white walled houses with black tiles were classic warehouses in the Edo Period. Then factories were built, Western styled buildings were constructed. Yet no cables and posts were in sight in the area to preserve the pleasant look and feel of an Edo town.
Getting a short boat ride wearing a traditional fishermen hat offers a nice experience to look at the town from a different angle. 帶著斗笠、乘坐傳統小艇遊覽倉敷川是美觀地區的閒遊活動，可以從另一角度觀看兩岸的建築物，感受江戶時代的慢活浪漫。Locating in the middle of the canal area, Kurashikikan was built as a town hall in 1917. This wooden Western style building is a designated Important Cultural Property. It is currently under renovation and will be opened in August 2019. 位於倉敷川中心區的倉敷館建於1917年，是當時的市政廳，這木造西洋建築被登錄成為之國家有形文化財產。現正進行維修，將於2019年8月重開。This unique large mud color wall building is called Yurinso Villa, a detached villa for the wife of a successful merchant Magosaburo Ohara. It is also called the Green Palace because the roof tiles look green in certain angle. This building is not open for public. 這座黃土色外牆的大宅是倉敷企業家大原孫三郎夫人的別墅，由於屋頂的瓦片泛綠色的光，又被稱為「綠御殿」，只可外觀。Magosaburo Ohara was also an art collector. In 1930, he built the Ohara Museum of Art as the first Western style private art museum in Japan, featuring master pieces of El Greco, Gauguin, Claude Monet, Matisse and many more. 大原也是一位藝術收藏家。1930年建立的大原美術館是日本第一間私人西洋美術館，內藏格雷考、莫內、馬蒂斯等名家作品，把倉敷美觀地區打造成為一個真正的文化藝術區。Museum of Folkcraft exhibits pottery, glassware and some folk craft objects used on a daily bases. This Edo Period building is an attraction itself. 倉敷民藝館是美觀地區的一座江戶時代建築物，除了展示一些陶器、玻璃器皿及民俗工藝品，白色外牆的建築物本身就是一個大景點。Japanese Folk Toys Museum is a shop, cafe and museum in one place, displaying a large collection of rural toys from the Edo, Meiji, and Showa (1603–1989) periods. 日本鄉土玩具館有商店、咖啡店和博物館，展示許多江戶時代至昭和時期 (1603–1989)的鄉土玩具。Momotaro Karakuri Hakubutsukan Museum is an interesting place for those who like Momotaro and experience the various optical illusion games. 桃太郎機關博物館內除了展示桃太郎的歷史資料，還提供各種視覺設計機關讓遊客體驗，小小的空間內充滿驚喜。Kurashiki Ivy Square is a multi-purpose public space is a modification from a cotton mill built in 1889. There is a hotel, pottery workshops, and shops around the area. 倉敷愛美廣場 Ivy Square 是一間建於 1889年的紡織工廠改建而成的多功能公眾地方，目前有酒店和各文化設施，周邊還有許多特色小商店。
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