Of art galleries, museums and bridges

Stepping out of the modern train station after grabbing an English map and directions, we were unimpressed by the town of Kurashiki. It looked like any other small Japanese town. That is, until we made a left turn from the main road into a dimly-lit covered shopping arcade. When we emerged at the other end, it was as if we had walked through a time warp and arrived in the Edo period where samurais reigned supreme.

We spent a delightful, albeit, wet Sunday wondering in and out of art galleries, musuems and sovenir shops. We were surprised to see tour coaches bringing in elderly visitors from other parts of Japan despite the rain. Yet, the Bizen area was not overly crowded nor too commercialised. It retained much of its charm and authenticity.

What surprised us most was when we came across the very new and modern "I love Candy" musuem. As fans of the manga "Candy Candy" by Yumiko Igarashi, (a very popular children's cartoon series in the late 1970s and early 1980s), we could not pass off the chance to revisit our favorite childhood characters.

Quick Tips:

If you are planning to visit Kurashiki, avoid Mondays as most musuems, art galleries and resturants are closed on that day.

There are many little cafes and restaurants near the canal area. We stumbled into a cosy Japanese resturant just north of the canal, near Ivy Square that serves only tofu dishes (look for the window display of plastic tofu meals). Meals are inexpensive and delicious, not to mention, healthy. We ordered a donburi set (rice topped with egg, mushroom and tofu, with tea and miso soup) and a bowl of udon noodles. While waiting for the food to be served, we while our time reading the comments of previous patrons recorded in an exercise book found at every table. We were not surprise to find that we were not the first lucky Gaijin (foreigner) to stumble into their quaint little resturant.

Try their special set if you are really hungry (almost everyone did). They do not have an English menu but we managed anyway by pointing at the dishes in the window display. We paid only 1200 yen in all (about US) and left, satisfied and energised for more cultural experiences.

Best Way To Get Around:

We hopped into the next available Shinkansen from JR Shin-Osaka station to Okayama via the Sanyo line (about 1 hour) and changed to a local train to Kurashiki station (320 yen, approximately 15 minutes). The close frequency (latest 1/2 hour)of the bullet trains and even the local trains are such that we do not have to worry about the schedules.

Kurashiki is a small town, and the area of interest: Bizen area, even smaller. A pair of good walking shoes is all you need to explore the area . . . that and an umbrella . . .(yes, it was one very wet day again), and a hat to blend in with the locals.

The ivy-covered walls of Ivy square is the centre of what used-to-be a complex of textile factories owned by Kurabo. The factories have since moved to modern facilities and the Meiji-era old buildings (dating back to 1889) have been converted into resturants, a hotel, shops and more museums; mainly the Torajima Kojima museum, the Kurabo Memorial Hall and the Ivy Acadamic Hall.

Torajima Kojima museum Torajima Kojima was a local artist who had helped Ohara established his European collection. This museum features Kojima's artworks.

Kurabo Memorial Hall This Hall outlines Kurashiki's growth as a textile center. The artefacts on display were interesting (once used by the factories), however, most explanations are in Japanese and the pamplets given were not much of a help either (yes, it's in Nihongo too).

Ivy Acadamic Hall This Hall traces the develpment of Western art through reproductions of famed paintings. Again, explanations are in Japanese. What interested me most was the architecture of the Hall, which was left very much intact.

Visitors are given the option to buy individual tickets to each museum (350 yen/entry) or to purchase the package deal which costs 600 yen for all three museums. Museums are open from 9am-5pm. Only Tarojima Kojima museum closes on Mondays and public holidays.

Next to Tarojima Kojima museum is a quaint sovenir shop that sells local handicrafts. There is also a weaving workshop above the shop. Across this is a tiny little music hall that features piano-rolled music at scheduled intervals. (Separate entrance fee applies).

Go here for more information.

The Yumiko Igarashi New Art museum, otherwise known as "I Love Candy" museum is only for die-hard fans of the manga series highly popular across Asia in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many of us grew up following the adventures of Candy Candy. This cartoon television series was withdrawn before its completion due to copyright infringements and lawsuits between the author and illustrator. Nevertheless, it has inspired a few young girls to become nurses when they grew up.

The musuem is a modern 2.5-story building standing apart from the nearby charming old homes. It houses mainly framed stills illustrations from her various works besides Candy Candy and not much else. Still, it was an unexpected nostalgic experience back to our childhood days. We had fun taking turns having our pictures taken with our favorite male-leading character "Antony" who suffered an early dimise in the series (er . . . or was it William?).

Admission is 600 yen per adult. It remains open 7 days a week, 9am-6pm. Go here for further information.

There are limited edition postcards and posters with Yumiko Igarashi's signature for sale at the gift shop.

Kurashiki's delicacies include beautifully boxed muscat gapes (US$20 for a small bunch!), white peaches (only seasonal and equally expensive), mamakari sushi (sardine-like fish) and Murasuzume, crepe-like dessert with red-bean filling (now that we can afford!) Unfortunately, the latter is best eaten hot and fresh, not the best of gifts to bring home.

Stroll along the historical streets and along the canal and try the local snacks available there. For affordable shopping, try the 1000 yen (US$8) shop located diagonally across the Folkcraft museum (cross over the canal) or just after the Archaeological museum. It sells a hotchpotch of items from local handicrafts to accessories and clothes.

If you are pressured for time, there is always the sovenir shops at the good old JR train station for that last minute purchases.

At last count, there are approximately 13 museums in Kurashiki, most of them located within walking distance in the historical Bizen area. For a small town, we were impressed by the number of museums and a little envious of the local townsfolk, they are so lucky! Unless you have a lot of time or are really into museums, you might want to take a little time off to plan and choose which museums to visit. Of course, the wet weather was responsible for the more than planned number of museums we had intended to visit. :P

We got serious after our short unplanned visit to the "I Love Candy" museum. We visited (not in order): The Ohara Museum of Art, the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, the Torajiro Kojima Museum, the Kurabo Memorial Museum and the Ivy Acadamic Hall in Ivy Square. (*whew*)

The Ohara Museum of Art
We left the best for the last. This museum was established in 1930 and was the first gallery to house Western art in Japan. This museum has impressive artworks by masters like Rodin, Renoir, Monet, Picasso, Toulouse-Lactrec and Matisse to name a few. The museum is the only building with a neo-classical facade. Enter via an ivy-archway next to the canal and be greeted by one of Rodin's artwork. Exhibits have English labels but explanations are in Japanese. English pamplets are available at the ticket booth though.

The museum opens from 9am to 5pm and closes on Mondays. Admission fee is 1000 yen (US$8) per adult and includes visits to the museum's folk art and Chinese art collections as well as the contemporary art collection (like Andy Warhol, Pollock, Henry Moore). These are housed in a separate building behind the main one. Follow the arrows located within the main building and out towards a tranquil garden to the annex.

For more information, go here

Just next to the museum (side-street exit from Annex) is a cute little shop that sells all things Totoro. Not to be missed for fans of Hiyao Miyazaki. If the items are too expensive, there is also a chance to take a photo of a life-size Totoro waiting by the mock bus-stop outside the shop.

Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft The building was once a series of linked kuras (granaries). The rustic, charming museum houses artefacts and daily articles/furniture used by Japanese of yore. It gave us a feel of how the locals lived in the past.

Admission is 700 yen (about US$6) and is opened from 9-5pm. Closes on Mondays. Visitors are required to remove their shoes and don on the provided slippers before entering into the main exhibit area. Exhibit labels are in Japanese but the pamplet given upon purchase of the entrance fee has a brief English explanation.

Address: 4-11, 1 Chome, Chuo Kurashiki Shi, Okayama Ken, Japan. Or just follow the canal, won't miss either of the museums.