Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
Wandering around the famous Willow-lined canal
Kurashiki is a popular stop on the tourist trail thanks to its impressive historic quarter.
In the Edo period, the town was an important hub for rice. It was stored in white-walled warehouses surrounding the canal, and then shipped on to Osaka and Edo (Tokyo).
These historic buildings, which also feature black tiles, have been lovingly preserved over the years, giving Kurashiki a distinct identity.
They now house dozens of gift shops, cafes, and other places of interest.
Boat rides along the canal are popular with tourists, but I opted to take photos rather than jump in a boat myself.
Although I take most of my photos with my Ricoh GRIII, I love having a telephoto on hand when I travel. I took all of the photos in this post with my Olympus OM-1 and the 40-150mm lens (80-300mm full frame equivalence).
The telephoto came in handy to capture a shot of this wedding shoot across the canal.
My next Kurashiki post will feature the shotengai (covered shopping arcade).
Cheers
Matt
I enjoyed reading your post and seeing your images. Great work, I am now a little more educated and have another place to explore sometime in the future. Thanks for taking the time to post.