It was time to check out of our hostel and travel onto Kurashiki. First though we decided to check out the hostel breakfast.
Ok, so the egg was overcooked but it still tasted great. That aside though the breakfast did feature a homemade bread roll served with butter and jam, a nicely dressed salad and an exceptional cappuccino.
On the way to the train station Ella called into the Totoro shop inside the shopping arcade to purchase a pair of the Totoro cups and saucers she'd seen a few days ago.
My souvenir from Takamatsu was a bento box I picked up from the train station.
Our journey today wasn't too far, it just required travelling 70km North to Kurashiki.
The train journey took us over the Great Seto Bridge which at over 8 miles long ranks as the world's longest two-tiered bridge system. The train takes 20 minutes to cross over the bridge and it offers a last glimpse of the islands on the Great Set Sea.
I really wanted to eat my bento box on the train but decided to wait until we arrived in Kurashiki. We did however share this delicious strawberry melon bun on the journey. I personally preferred them eaten without the ice cream as the bun flavour on it's own was superb!
We were too early to check into our hotel when we arrived in Kurashiki so we stored our cases and headed straight to the Bikan Historical Quarter.
Nearby we found a park, the perfect spot for some lunch. I unwrapped my Takamatsu bento box and loved what I saw underneath the lid! A beautifully presented selection which even included a matcha tea mochi ball for dessert.
The Bikan Historical Quarter has no power cables running between the buildings making it look really tidy and uncluttered.
A canal runs through the centre of the Bikan Historical Quarter with weeping willows lining it's banks. There are frequent boat trips for visitors to enjoy along the canal if you don't mind wearing the hats!
Kurashiki Denim Street has shops selling nationally popular denim made
in the Kojima district of Kurashiki City, which has been seen as the
birthplace of Japanese denim. I didn't feel the need to buy a new pair of jeans but was feeling a tad peckish.
Denim Street also sold steamed pork buns, ice creams and drinks, all in blue! The brightly coloured steamed bun was delicious!
Kurashiki's white walled storehouses are beautifully preserved and are now home to shops and restaurants.
At 4pm we were able to check into Hostel Kag where would spend the next two nights. A double room here cost £61.50 per night. Every hotel on this trip was booked using Booking.com, we were able to reserve the rooms a year in advance and pay on arrival.
The main reason we'd chosen Hostel Kag was the roof terrace. Perfect to enjoy a beer or bite to eat on.
There was also a bar and restaurant downstairs.
We decided to try one of their burgers which was very heavy on the salad!
A nice beef patty though.
After dinner we returned to the Bikan Historical Quarter which was peaceful to explore in the evening, nearly everything was closed though.
Hundreds of Koi Carp live in the canal.
Back at the hostel we chilled out on the roof terrace with a can of Sapporo.
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Hi, glad the lady was able to buy her cups and saucers, noticed them in your earlier post and quite lovely. Much as, I would love to explore England, Japan is a close second. The fry up tips the scales though, but thanks for sharing your journey.
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Mark Scease