Okayama

Kurashiki streets

Kurashiki is QUEEN. | Japan DAY 9 – BLAUGUST 2025

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How would you spend 20 summer days in Japan? Here’s a log of highlights from my latest trip, day by day. Follow along this Blaugust as I recount my adventurous July!

It’s been a couple days since I last popped by. We’re only halfway through my trip, and so I’ve basically consented to this Blaugust series extending into September. Oh well!

Welcome to my favorite day of my summer Japan trip!

Kurashiki is one of those many cities that tout the title “Venice of Japan,” but to its credit, I think it really nails it. Canals run through the city’s unique wood-sided, charcoal-roof-tiled shopping streets, so you can cross over the little stone bridges anytime you want to see the green from the other side. You can even enjoy the scenery from on a canal boat or take a rickshaw ride through the winding roads! We engaged neither of these activities, but we saw some do it on our wonderfully non-crowded day, and many DO take on these historical rides.

Looking back, it’s hard to think of a shop that we didn’t stop into and buy something. Seriously! It’s all amazing, high quality, hand-crafted goods from the heart of the countryside! From tote bags and wash tape to other stationary and photograph postcards, cute cloth designs and miniature cutlery to clay cups and wood-carved magnets, I took a BIG haul from Kurashiki. In fact, most of my family’s souvenirs came from the kind vendors of Kurashiki. ~She~ really is that legend, that queen.

Whether gazing down from Achi Shrine at the tiled roofs or admiring the countless storefront windows, posters from the water polo anime RE-MAIN stalked my path. Which is hilarious, because I think it’s a terrible anime, lmao. It must mean something to the people of Kurashiki, though, so I respect.

As if this day couldn’t get any better, we managed to score an incredible set meal at a restaurant that only prepares 50 of them each day. My fried croquette was stuffed with a blend of potato, cheese, and seafood. I even got the little tomato pasta “side” that many Japanese restaurants seem bent on serving you. Sure, it’s odd getting two random pasta noodles or a clump of spaghetti next to your shredded cabbage, but no complaints here! To escape the warm and drizzly weather, we stopped in for fruity bingsu or shaved ice (idk what the Japanese call it).

I look back on Kurashiki warmly, and not only because it was like 90 degrees F and humid. (If anything, the on-and-off showers added to the whole aesthetic, darkening the wood with rich hues.) This was a return trip for my friend, so I got to interact closely with a couple of the shop owners whom he was familiar with. We even took a selfie together, but that’ll remain my closely guarded photo. 😛

It seems like an out-of-the-way locale, but Kurashiki offers a canal-laden traditional Japan like no other. Plus, it’s relatively quiet compared to other cities that claim to offer similar experiences. I’ll definitely be keeping it on my recommended itinerary for family and fellow travelers, and I can’t wait until the day I return.

Our next stop is Kyoto, where we manage to do NONE of the major touristy things (except Kiyomizu) despite being there for two full days. ‘Til then, thanks for reading.

– Takuto

Okayama view

The countryside calls! A trip to Okayama | Japan DAY 8 – BLAUGUST 2025

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How would you spend 20 summer days in Japan? Here’s a log of highlights from my latest trip, day by day. Follow along this Blaugust as I recount my adventurous July!

Bright and early on day 8, I boarded my first shinkansen!

Our train bound from Tokyo to Okayama in Japan’s southeastern region would take 3.5 hours, meaning I had plenty of time to soak in the views of the green countryside flashing before my eyes. And WOW did I savor every second of this trip. Riding the shinkansen is just as effortlessly smooth and silent as passengers say it is. Were it not for my eyes being glued to the window, I wouldn’t have been able to tell when we stopped and took off again at the various stations along the way.

Our first destination off the train was a quiet shrine bordering the road that ran alongside a river. My friend and I had made this unintentional habit of starting each day with a shrine visit. Since shrines are everywhere in Japan, it’s easy to pause by on your walk for a moment of zen before catching the busy winds of traffic. The green roof of this shrine in Okayama was particularly eye-catching to me.

Since it was actually closer to afternoon than morning, we went straight for a cafe for a drink and dessert before deciding to stroll across the bridge to Korakuen Garden on the opposite side. Hailed as one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens and established over 300 years ago, the garden was mostly deserted on the summer day of our visit. Therefore, we pretty much had the whole expanse to ourselves, and so we took our time delightfully admiring the careful landscaping.

When we reached the open hilltop of the garden, we were exalted by this arresting view of light rays bursting through the clouds. I remember joking that we’d been visited by the gods that day. Really, we felt lucky to witness such a view. The giant leafy plants reinforced the otherworldly feel of Korakuen.

It was then onwards to Okayama Castle! While neither of us felt strongly about entering the castle (since it had apparently fallen into one of the tragic renovation trends of having an interior that resembled little of the original site), we did walk the river surrounding the castle to capture a 360-degree view. At the tip of the islet, we were treated to a statue of peach boy Momotaro. The mini amphitheater he sat in had fallen into disrepair, which made the statue feel more odd than sad in its otherwise remote placement.

After a creamy carbonara dinner, we decided to return to the castle for its exquisite nighttime view. This is where it pays to be a monochrome structure; the white strips practically glowed in the moonlight!

Okayama City is technically one of the largest in its area, but it manages to offer a significant countryside landscape befitting its “Land of Sunshine” moniker. Certainly in the garden, the sun seemed to have descended just for us! In the second day of our Okayama adventure, we revel in ever more beauteous sights. ‘Til then, thanks for reading.

– Takuto