Kurashiki

Kurashiki is a canal town in Okayama Prefecture whose white-walled storehouses and willow-lined waterways have been beautifully preserved since the Edo period. Once a major rice-distribution center, its merchant warehouses now house museums, galleries, and boutique shops that make the Bikan Historical Quarter one of Japan's most photogenic neighborhoods.

The crown jewel is the Ohara Museum of Art, Japan's first private museum of Western art, housing works by El Greco, Monet, and Picasso within a Greek-temple facade. Beyond the canal district, Kurashiki's textile heritage lives on in its renowned denim industry — the nearby Kojima district is considered the birthplace of Japanese jeans.