Kurashiki, Okayama · Things to do
Things to Do in Kurashiki: 10 Places with Hours, Prices and Access
10 things to do · checked October 23, 2026
10 things to do in Kurashiki, from the old quarter to the coast
Hours, prices and access checked against each place's own page on October 23, 2026. They change; check before you go.
1Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter倉敷美観地区
Historic merchant quarter · Bikan Historical Quarter
White-walled storehouses and Western-style buildings along the willow-lined Kurashiki River, in a town that became a shogunate territory in 1642. The city's tourism board puts visitors at over 3 million a year.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from JR Kurashiki Station.
2Kurashiki River Boat (Kawafune Nagashi)くらしき川舟流し
Boat ride · Bikan Historical Quarter
A copy of the river boats that carried goods in the Edo period, poled along the Kurashiki River past the white-walled storehouses. The ride takes about 20 minutes. Tickets are sold on the day at the Kurashiki-kan tourist information centre; from October 2026 some seats can be booked online up to 30 days ahead (14 boats a day, 6 seats each).
From October 2026, some seats can be booked online up to 30 days ahead; the rest are sold on the day at Kurashiki-kan.
- Access
- Tickets at Kurashiki-kan in the Bikan Historical Quarter, about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kurashiki Station.
- Hours
- First boat 9:30, about every 30 minutes, last boat 17:00; 1 July–30 September last boat 15:00
- Closed on
- Second Monday of the month, March–December (runs if it is a holiday); January–February runs on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only; cancelled in bad weather
- Price
- Adults ¥1,000; age 5 to elementary school ¥500; under 5 free
3Kurashiki-kan Tourist Information倉敷館（観光案内所）
Historic building and tourist information · Bikan Historical Quarter
A Western-style wooden building put up in 1917 as the Kurashiki town office, now the tourist information centre. River-boat tickets are sold here, and the second floor looks out over the quarter.
- Access
- In the Bikan Historical Quarter, 1-4-8 Chuo, Kurashiki.
- Hours
- 9:00–18:00
- Closed on
- Open every day; hours may change over the New Year
- Price
- Free
4Ohara Museum of Art大原美術館
Art museum · Bikan Historical Quarter
The art museum inside the Bikan quarter. One ticket covers the main building, the Crafts and Oriental Art galleries and the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall; the annex is closed long-term.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from JR Kurashiki Station. Address: 1-1-15 Chuo, Kurashiki.
- Hours
- March–November 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30); December–February 9:00–15:00 (last entry 14:30). Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall opens at 10:00 and closes at 16:00 (15:00 December–February)
- Closed on
- Mondays (open when Monday is a holiday or substitute holiday); open every day in August; occasional temporary closures
- Price
- General ¥2,000; under 18 (high school, junior high and elementary) ¥500; preschool children free
5Shinkeien新渓園
Japanese house and garden · Bikan Historical Quarter
A Japanese-style house and garden built in 1893 as the villa of Ohara Koshiro, first president of the Kurashiki Boseki spinning company. Looking round is free; the rooms are also hired out.
- Access
- In the Bikan Historical Quarter, 1-1-20 Chuo, Kurashiki.
- Hours
- 9:00–17:00
- Closed on
- 29 December–3 January
- Price
- Free to view
6Kurashiki Ivy Square倉敷アイビースクエア
Former spinning mill: hotel, museum and shops · Bikan Historical Quarter
The Meiji-era founding mill of the Kurashiki spinning company (now Kurabo), kept and reused as a hotel with cultural facilities: the Kurabo Memorial Hall, a pottery studio with classes and shops selling Kurashiki crafts and sweets. The mill buildings were recognised as national Modern Industrial Heritage in 2007.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from the south exit of JR Kurashiki Station, through the shopping arcade and along the river; about 7 minutes by taxi. Address: 7-2 Honmachi, Kurashiki.
7Achi Shrine阿智神社
Shinto shrine · Bikan Historical Quarter
The shrine on top of Mt. Tsurugata, the hill above the Bikan quarter, with a Noh stage and an old garden laid out on the idea of Horai, the island of the immortals. The grounds can be visited at any hour.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from Kurashiki Station. Address: 12-1 Honmachi, Kurashiki.
- Hours
- Grounds open at all hours; amulet office 9:00–17:00
8Momotaro Karakuri Museum桃太郎のからくり博物館
Folk-tale museum · Bikan Historical Quarter
A small museum about the Momotaro folk tale, its history and its place in everyday life, with karakuri trick exhibits, a walk-through 'Onigashima' cave and a haunted house. Children of junior high age and under need a guardian with them.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from JR Kurashiki Station. Address: 5-11 Honmachi, Kurashiki.
- Hours
- 10:00–17:00
- Closed on
- Open every day
- Price
- Adults ¥600; elementary to high school ¥400; children 5 and over ¥100
9Kojima Jeans Street児島ジーンズストリート
Shopping street · Kojima
A street of about 400 m in Kojima, known as the birthplace of Japanese-made jeans, lined with shops run by local jeans makers. On Fridays, weekends and holidays a 'Jeans Bus' loops Kojima's sewing factories, shops and sights.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from Kojima Station on the JR Seto-Ohashi Line, or 3–6 minutes by bus. About 30 minutes by car from the Bikan quarter.
- Hours
- Varies by shop
- Price
- Jeans Bus one-day pass: adults ¥620, children ¥310 (runs Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays except the New Year; daily during Obon)
10Mt. Washuzan鷲羽山
Viewpoint · Kojima
A hill on the Kojima coast with an observation deck near the summit looking over the Seto Ohashi Bridge and the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. The free Washuzan Visitor Center sits just below the summit at 110 m and has a terrace and a Seto Ohashi corner.
- Access
- From JR Kojima Station, the Shimotsui Loop Bus to the Washuzan Daini Observation Deck stop (about 30 minutes), then about 5 minutes on foot. The visitor centre is about 10 minutes on foot from the Washuzan car park.
- Hours
- Washuzan Visitor Center: 9:00–17:00 (April–September), 9:00–16:30 (October–March)
- Closed on
- Visitor Center: 29 December–3 January
- Price
- Visitor Center free
Good to know
Eight of the ten places are in or beside the Bikan Historical Quarter, about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kurashiki Station. Kurashiki Station is on the JR San'yo Main Line, about 20 minutes from Okayama; rapid trains from Okayama make Kurashiki their first stop.
Buy river-boat tickets at Kurashiki-kan when you arrive: boats run 9:30–17:00 (last boat 15:00 from July to September) and only at weekends in January and February. The Ohara Museum of Art closes on Mondays, except on holidays and in August, and shuts at 15:00 from December to February.
Kojima Jeans Street and Mt. Washuzan are on the coast, reached from JR Kojima Station on the Seto-Ohashi Line; the tourism board gives Kojima as about 30 minutes by car from the Bikan quarter.
The old quarter or the Kojima coast
Getting there, what it costs to get in, and how late you can still start. Adult prices; children's prices are on each card above.
| Where | Getting there | Entry (adult) | Latest start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bikan quarter: streets, Kurashiki-kan, Shinkeien, Achi Shrine | About 15 min on foot from JR Kurashiki Station | Free | Kurashiki-kan until 18:00 · Shinkeien until 17:00 · Achi Shrine grounds at any hour |
| Kurashiki river boat | Tickets at Kurashiki-kan in the Bikan quarter | ¥1,000 | Last boat 17:00 (15:00 July–September) |
| Ohara Museum of Art | About 15 min on foot from JR Kurashiki Station | ¥2,000 | Last entry 16:30 (14:30 December–February) |
| Momotaro Karakuri Museum | About 15 min on foot from JR Kurashiki Station | ¥600 | Closes 17:00 |
| Kojima Jeans Street | JR Kojima Station, then about 15 min on foot or 3–6 min by bus | Shops; hours vary | Varies by shop |
| Mt. Washuzan | JR Kojima Station, Shimotsui Loop Bus about 30 min, then about 5 min on foot | Visitor Center free | Visitor Center closes 16:30 (October–March), 17:00 (April–September) |
By kind of trip
First trip, half a day in the old quarter
All four are in the Bikan quarter. Get river-boat tickets at Kurashiki-kan first, then fit the Ohara Museum around the boat time; the museum's last entry is 16:30 from March to November.
Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter · Kurashiki-kan Tourist Information · Kurashiki River Boat (Kawafune Nagashi) · Ohara Museum of Art
Free
The quarter's streets, Kurashiki-kan and Shinkeien cost nothing to enter, and so does the Washuzan Visitor Center on the coast.
Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter · Kurashiki-kan Tourist Information · Shinkeien · Mt. Washuzan
With children
The Momotaro Karakuri Museum is ¥400 for elementary to high school age and ¥100 from age 5. The river boat is ¥500 from age 5 to elementary school and free under 5; the Ohara Museum is ¥500 under 18 and free before school age.
Momotaro Karakuri Museum · Kurashiki River Boat (Kawafune Nagashi) · Ohara Museum of Art
Rain
These are indoors. The Ohara Museum closes on Mondays outside August; the Momotaro Karakuri Museum and Kurashiki-kan open every day.
Ohara Museum of Art · Momotaro Karakuri Museum · Kurashiki-kan Tourist Information · Kurashiki Ivy Square
A day on the Kojima coast
Both start from JR Kojima Station. The Jeans Bus runs on Fridays, weekends and holidays; the Washuzan Visitor Center closes at 16:30 from October to March.
Questions
How do I get to Kurashiki from Okayama?
Take the JR San'yo Main Line from Okayama to Kurashiki, about 20 minutes. Kurashiki is four stops west of Okayama and the first stop on rapid trains. From Kurashiki Station the Bikan Historical Quarter is about 15 minutes on foot.
Do I need to book the Kurashiki river boat?
Most tickets are sold on the day at the Kurashiki-kan tourist information centre. From boarding in October 2026, some seats can be booked online up to 30 days ahead: 14 boats a day, 6 seats each. Fares are ¥1,000 for adults and ¥500 from age 5 to elementary school; the ride takes about 20 minutes.
Is the Ohara Museum of Art open on Mondays?
It closes on Mondays, but opens when Monday is a holiday or substitute holiday, and it is open every day in August. Hours are 9:00–17:00 from March to November and 9:00–15:00 from December to February; the last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
How do I get to Kojima Jeans Street and Mt. Washuzan?
Both are reached from Kojima Station on the JR Seto-Ohashi Line. Jeans Street is about 15 minutes on foot or 3–6 minutes by bus from the station; for Washuzan, take the Shimotsui Loop Bus to the Washuzan Daini Observation Deck stop (about 30 minutes) and walk about 5 minutes.