Our trip to Okayama: Day 1 Kurashiki

Over the weekend we went for a 2 day trip to Okayama with our friends Kazu, Hiroko and Miku-chan. Okayama prefecture is only a 3 hour drive away from us so we all squeezed into our La Festa and headed out for the old town called Kurashiki.
Here's what my old Lonely Planet Japan says about the town, Kurashiki's claim to fame is a small quarter of picturesque buildings around a stretch of moat. There are a number of old black-tiled warehouses which have been converted into an eclectic collection of museums. Bridges arch over, willows dip into the water and the whole effect is quite delightful - it's hardly surprising that the town is a favourite with tourists. Kurashiki means 'warehouse village'.





Testing out our recently repaired camera to make sure it worked.

Miku & Jo in a shop.

The traditional shopping area of Kurashiki runs alongside this beautiful moat.



Really old shops line the way.

Hiroko & Kazu



Yukiko and her macha, or green tea, ice.







I figure this happy, rickshaw riding couple just got married.

A shop with various paper lanterns and pottery.

Coffee-Kan, a famous coffee shop in Kurashiki.









The rickshaw man...

...hard at work.

The Ohara Museum of Art.

The Ohashi house, owned by a former Samurai family who gave up this status to become wealthy merchants in Kurashiki.

The most successful shop in Kurashiki?? This store specialiazes in Maneki Neko.

Read more about Maneki Neko here.

Afterwards we went and checked into our hotel, the Washu Highland Hotel. It's an older hotel perched on a hilltop. The lobby was filled with little waterways teeming with carp.

The hotel lobby.



Miku & Jo play on the floor in Kazu and Hiroko's room. Jo is already quite the ladies man.


The main feature of this hotel is its rooftop onsens (hot spring baths). So Kazu and I headed off for a dip before dinner. Our dinner was in the hotel dining room and consisted of lots and lots of different kinds of meats, seafoods and veggies.











Jotaro gets a big serving of razzberries.


Jo looks tiny in our big futons.

After dinner we went to a Taiko drum performance in the hotel's ballroom. It was an amateur group made of entirely of hotel staff but they were very good. They also used black lights for a very dramatic effect.

Yukiko & Jo, Kazu, Hiroko & Miku

All the other guests relaxing in their yukatas

Enjoying the show

"The stage! Look at the stage!"

The show started with a little dancing

Then these 2 put on a musical/comedy skit.

A taiko duel

Even I got into the action



Jotaro got into the act too.


When they turned off the lights things got really cool.

With the flash

Without the flash

Here is an excerpt from their big finale.


Then it was back to our room and off to bed.