Kurashiki Bijin District White-Walled Merchant Houses

A port town along the Seto Inland Sea in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. More than 25 temples line steep slopes, creating a distinctive landscape. Hidden gardens, stone steps, and teahouses weave an atmospheric scenery. Setting for the film 'Onomichi Trilogy' and numerous literary works. A rare tourism destination where Edo-period merchant character coexists with historic temple architecture.

The riverbank area of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture preserves Edo-period townscape. White-walled storage houses line the streets with beautiful willow trees. Designated a Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings in 1979. Multiple museums add cultural value. Attracts approximately 1.5 million visitors annually, exemplifying Japanese townscape preservation.

Kurashiki Bikan District in Kurashiki, Okayama preserves an Edo-to-Meiji merchant town. White-walled earthen-walled merchant houses along the Kurashiki River with weeping willows express quintessential Japanese beauty. Once a cotton distribution hub, it pioneered private preservation efforts. Represents Japan's finest example of integrated preservation combining buildings, land, and water landscape.

A picturesque historical district in Okayama featuring white-walled storehouses and willow-lined canals. Home to cultural institutions like the Ohara Museum of Art and stylish shops, it preserves the ambiance of an Edo-period merchant town.

A concentration of archaeological sites from the Yayoi to Kofun periods in Okayama's Kibi Plain. Massive burial mounds including Tsuyamayama and Sakuyama, and the Oni-no-Shiro ruins testify to 600 years of kofun culture. A rare region where evidence of ancient Japan's political center remains visible on the landscape. Intersection of archaeological significance and folk tradition, a crucial base for learning ancient Japanese history.

A cultural city in Hokuriku that flourished as the castle town of the Kaga domain, where tradition and modernity coexist at Kenroku-en Garden, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, and Higashi Chaya District. The 2015 Hokuriku Shinkansen dramatically improved access from Tokyo, triggering a tourism surge.

One of Japan's premier mountain scenic spots at approximately 1,500m elevation in the Northern Alps. Views from Taisho Pond and Kappa Bridge reflecting the Hotaka Range are sometimes called 'Japan's Switzerland.' Private car restrictions preserve the natural environment, making it a popular base for mountaineering and trekking.