Kurashiki
Kurashiki is so quaint and well-preserved that being there is almost like being in ancient Japan. The streets are cobblestone and the buildings are white with black shingled rooftops. If someone lived there their whole life and walked into my house, they would say, “what is this thing that you refer to as a light bulb?” Well, maybe not, but you get the idea. Kurashiki has this ancient appearance that makes it look so enticing to explore. Of course, that didn’t stop us from finding some good modern day necessities like 7-Elevens and Family Marts nearby.
DAY ONE- SCENIC WALKS IN KURASHIKI (DINNER, SWANS, LANTERN WALK)
When we first got to Kurashiki, the train station felt fairly normal. Well, this place must be ordinary! That was all we were thinking. Boy, were we wrong! We turned a corner into the ancient part of town. The buildings there weren’t 
normal at all! It was like walking back in time. When we got to our hotel, the Ryori Ryokan Tsurugata, we were greeted by a hearty meal in our room consisting of fish, soups, and even some grapes stuck in a Jell-O like substance (this classifies as gelatin, but as a kid, Jell-O sounds more appetizing). The food was just average, but not horrible. When our stomachs were nearly overflowing, we decided to go on a walk, exploring the area. On our way out, we were offered lanterns by the hotel staff, which we accepted eagerly. (The lanterns were battery operated , so we didn’t have to worry about catching fire. Hoorah for modern times!) It was dark outside and perfect for walking by lantern light. Because the ryokan (This is a fancy word for a Japanese-style inn. See my Gora Kadan post for a more extensive definition) was right on a small waterway, we walked along it. There were swans in the canal and the lanterns were a fun addition to the walk! Of course, we also found a Family Mart just past the traditional buildings. It was pretty cool walking across that street and feeling like I traveled through time. Yum! The ice cream bars were, as always, delicious! We then went back to the ryokan. The ryokan wasn’t the best that we had stayed at, but the area was quite special. It was the end of a long day, so we passed right out on the mats that the ryokan staff had laid out in our room.
DAY TWO- BREAKFAST AND EXPLORATION
When we woke up we went to breakfast in the hotel dining room. We ate fish, which we cooked ourselves on the small flame they had set out in front of us. Eating fish for breakfast was not my favorite, but it was okay and grilling the meal at the table ourselves was a unique experience. It was a little pocket of fun in our trip. The breakfast was
okay, but nothing special other than the fish we got to cook ourselves. After this, we had to leave. It was a short stay, but there was not much to see in Kurashiki. It was a nice spot to take it down a notch and relax a bit and see what an old Japanese village was like. We definitely could have done Kurashiki as a day trip, but if we hadn’t stayed the night, we wouldn’t have gotten to do the special walk with lanterns or get to cook our own fish for breakfast. We left the ryokan with lots of time to spare, so we ambled slowly through the street. It really feels like going back in time! Soon, the white buildings with arching roofs started to thin, and we were continuing on our journey in the present-day.
