2.25.22
Wednesday was a day off because the Emperor turned 62 that day. Happy bday dude! In celebration (but not really because I didn’t know the reason for the vacation day until today) I went to explore the historic town of Kurashiki, located about 45 minutes east of Yakage.
And what a treat! Freely walking into local modern (this one & this one!) and traditional craftwork studios, discovering a hidden restaurant via its homemade curry aroma escaping the latticed doors, and having a whole national-heritage-marked machiya (traditional edo-period wooden rowhomes on which I wrote my whole undergraduate thesis on!) to myself during golden hour…let’s just say I was a jolly bean by the end of the day. It helps that my train ride back had crimson rays softly highlighting the mountains as the sun set.
Side note: this being my first solo day trip in Japan, the peace in aloneness was definitely felt. Being alone is different from being lonely, and it was nice experiencing this by indulging myself with a small Kurashiki adventure. Of course, there were countless moments and scenes I wish I could share with certain people, but there's a sweetness to exploring and discovering in a wandering, free kind of way. I think I'm starting to get in touch with my inner Snufkin (the best Moomin character ever...if you don't know Snufkin or Moomin stop reading now and go google these words.)
But back to the good stuff: Kurashiki especially tugged at my heartstrings because of its architectural richness (my dream is to pursue a graduate degree in Japanese architectural history, so like…This. Was. Amazing.) Most people flock to the city for its gleaming white kura houses (the city’s namesake actually) sitting along a small canal central to the city. This connects to the Takahasi River which allowed Kurashiki to become one of the most important Edo trading centres/river ports, especially for cotton…which is what the kura houses would help store (of course with other goods such as oil and rice.) However, Kurashiki’s cotton really allowed it to be a flourishing mercantile city and one leading to its fame for their textile production. Not only is it still Japan’s leading textile manufacturing area, but it was also the starting ground for Japan’s first Blue Jeans production and first modern cotton spinning mill.
I could go on and on about the history of the town, but for your sake I won’t…though if you’re interested in learning more about its architectural history (because it’s sooo goood) this is the town’s English visitor’s website with cute overviews of its most important landmarks.
But! Without further ado! Some shots to better aid my verboseness:
solitude at the bottom of the temple
a prayerful pair
"....crunch!"
"oof...so hot! so good!"
ohara machiya house rouka
ohara machiya tatami
ohara machiya opening
that golden light ... *chef's kiss*
ohara machiya shoji
temizuya basin holding water to wash oneself before entering temple grounds
gate framing the main hall
flag!
very elaborate hina doll set-up
hina dolls
daruma dolls
an unknown negai
kitsune altar
