Historical Kurashiki a city where Japanese, Western cultures meld

Okayama Prefecture's picturesque and historical city of Kurashiki, a former trading hub at the mouth of western Japan's Takahashi River, is famed for being a place where Japanese and Western mercantile cultures melded to bring harmonious results.In the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, with its pretty, willow tree-lined Kurashiki River main canal, traditional Japanese Edo Period (1603-1868) houses and warehouses sit alongside fancy western-style residences.The area's traditionally white-walled buildings, many now turned into restaurants or craft and souvenir stores, provide tourists and l…READ FULL ARTICLE