First we will go to Kurashiki Bikan historical area. We will walk along the stream called Kurashiki River. We will see big and old merchants' houses and old warehouses. We will watch and buy Japanese folkcraft there. We will go to Ivy Square and eat lunch. After that we will go to Washuzan in Kojima by bus and taxi. We will see many small islands and Seto Ohashi Bridge in Seto Inland Sea.
At your hotel near Kurashiki Bikan historical area.
Seeing many small islands in Seto Inland Sea and Seto Ohashi Bridge
Cruising by boat in Seto Inland Sea if you want
Walking along the stream with willow tree beside it in Kurashiki Bikan historical area
Watching and shopping Japanese folkcraft
Ivy Square , a hotel and restaurant which was the spinning factory in Meiji Period
At your hotel near Kurashiki Bikan historical area.
Kurashiki has many faces. One of them is Kurashiki Bikan historical area. In Edo Period Kurashiki was directly governed by Tokugawa Shogunate and it was prosperous as a town of merchants. We can see the houses and warehouses in those days along the stream called Kurashiki River. We can watch and buy Japanese folkcraft in the shops and museums. You can eat lunch in Ivy Square ,which was a spinning factory in Meiji Period. Kojima is in the south of Kurashiki. There you can see many small islands and Seto Ohashi Bridge in Seto Inland Sea from Washuzan Hill. It is a very beautiful scenery. You can see such a scenery only in this area in Japan.
guide fee, hotel pick-up in Kurashiki area
transportation fee (you and guide)
・ bus fee between Kurashiki and Kojima 1440yen round trip per person
・ taxi fee between Kojima and Washuzan about 4000 yen round trip
entrance fee ( you and guide), 1300yen per person in Ohara Museum and 700yen per person in Kurashiki folkcraft museum
Seto Inland Sea cruising fee for about 45 minutes 1500yen per person
lunch,
I can guide you according to your request.
On a national holiday I can guide you.
After visiting Washuzan we will return to Kurashiki together.
From Kurashiki Area to Kojima we use a bus. But from Kojima to Washuzan we use a taxi. It costs 2000yen from Kojima to Washuzan by taxi. In winter cruising in Seto Inland Sea is cold. When you don't want to join the crusing, you can visit Jeans Street in Kojima instead. Kojima is the town which made jeans for the first time in Japan. There are many jeans shops and jeans factories.
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.