Discovering Japan Again in Kurashiki

We took a day trip to Kurashiki, Okayama, recently. It's known for the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, with its white-walled buildings, traditional townhouses, willow-lined canal, and preserved historic streets.

It's surprisingly easy to get there from Osaka—about 65 minutes by Shinkansen and local train—so it's a great destination for a day trip.

I hadn't been to Kurashiki for probably 15 years or more.

We started with a workshop making Murasuzume, a traditional Kurashiki confectionery. You make it yourself and, of course, eat it afterward.

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Then we just wandered around the narrow streets without much of a plan.

That's one of my favorite ways to explore a place.

We found small shops, traditional craft stores, lots of denim stores, and cafes renovated from old houses. Kurashiki is closely connected to Japan's denim industry through the nearby Kojima area, which is known as the birthplace of Japanese denim.

There were also a few places I had been looking forward to visiting.

A shop specializing in tatami edging.

A shop selling Washi tape.

I bought a Washi tape with a denim-clothesline design, which I thought was such a clever combination of local culture and everyday design.

We visited Ivy Square, a complex created by renovating the former Kurashiki Spinning Works. The red-brick buildings covered with ivy have a very different atmosphere from the traditional white-walled streets, but they are also part of Kurashiki's industrial history. The original factory dates back to the late 19th century.

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We also visited the Ohara Museum of Art, Japan's first private museum specializing in Western art.

But honestly, I think I spent just as much time looking at the buildings as I did looking at the art.

I've noticed that since I started living outside Japan, I've become much more interested in architecture.

When I was living in Japan, I probably walked past these things without thinking twice.

Now I notice the patterns.

The materials.

The proportions.

The way old buildings are renovated and used for something completely different.

One of the details I particularly enjoyed was namako-kabe. You see these walls throughout the Bikan area: dark square tiles with thick, raised white plaster joints between them.

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"Namako" means sea cucumber in Japanese, and the raised plaster joints are said to resemble the shape of a sea cucumber. The technique was also practical, helping protect walls from fire, wind, rain, and other damage.

I love details like this—when something beautiful also has a practical reason behind it.

We had lunch at Miyake Shoten, a cafe renovated from an old traditional house.

The interior reminded me of my grandparents' house.

The staircase was tucked inside a closet-like space. The front part of the house still had a traditional earthen floor, and there were lots of wooden elements everywhere.

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For me, those details brought back memories.

But at the same time, I was seeing them differently.

Maybe that's because I've been away from Japan for so long.

When you live in your own country, it's easy to think of your surroundings as ordinary. You don't necessarily notice what makes them special because you've seen them your whole life.

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Living abroad gives me a different filter.

I'm more aware of Japanese patterns, architecture, craftsmanship, food, and traditions. I notice things that I might have taken for granted before.

And sometimes, I feel proud when I see how much these things fascinate people from other countries.

At the same time, living abroad also makes me notice things Japan could improve. Being outside gives you enough distance to see both the things you love and the things that aren't working so well.

Maybe that's one of the interesting things about traveling—not only traveling to somewhere completely new, but looking at your own country with fresh eyes.

Our Kurashiki trip was only one day, and we explored a relatively small area.

But I came home with lots of photos, ideas, and things I want to look at more closely.

I've been interested in traditional patterns for a long time, and lately I've been paying more attention to Japanese patterns and architecture too. I'm sure some of what I saw in Kurashiki will eventually find its way into my creative work.

Sometimes you don't have to travel far to discover something new.

Sometimes you just need to look at a familiar culture with unfamiliar eyes.