Travelogue – Andrew Bone

Asia and Australia 2025

Day 12: Tuesday 17 June 2025

Kurashiki

Believe it not, this was our breakfast in the Royal Park Hotel, Kurashiki! Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Scrambled Eggs, Red Wine Sauce and Cream Cheese Sticks.

Prayer blocks at the Achi Shrine, Kurashiki. In the Medieval Period, the hill on which this shrine stands was an island, but gradual land reclamation provided room for the town.

The mix of religions and ethnicities is evident in this Chinese astrological wheel on the ceiling of the Achi Shinto Shrine loghouse.

The Achi Shinto Shrine has a number of smaller shrines around it. This is the Kurashikigokoku Shrine.

Blank prayer tablets can be purchased, and private messages written, for due processing by the deity of choice. One tablet we translated by Google read:
Kotoyasu Family
I hope that this year will be a healthy one for my family. I hope that I can pass high school and make friends in middle school.
Shang Mei De Hong Xing Dan Kick
Xin Yuan
Anita

On the way down the hill from the Achi Shrine, we came across a Buddhist temple. This bell, like others we have seen, has beautiful calligraphy over it, and has a wonderfully evocative booming tone.

All around the town of Kurashiki are beautifully pruned trees. We saw a team of three men high up on one tree, pruning carefully each branch. The next day they had only advanced one tree.

Steles in a buddhist temple grounds.

Interesting wooden carvings on the roof beams of a buddhist temple in Kurashiki.

There was an art display in the town hall. The most delightful exhibit was this child´s origami boat. Ironically enough, the name “Yamamoto” is also that of the admiral in charge of the fleet during the attack on Pearl Harbour, 7th December, 1941. (Isoroku Yamamoto 1884 – 1943)

Cindy and Andrew at the entrance to the Ohara Family Museum.

Cube tree: an imaginative and effective way of presenting the family tree of the Ohara family. This family is now in its 9th generation, and a museum was created for it by the 7th generation, in the family house built 220 years ago. The family has a tradition in cotton milling, and has made a major contribution to the social and economic development of the town. The house, now a museum, has authentic examples of “Kurashiki lattice”, “Kurashiki window”, and “Namako wall”.

Interior of the Ohara family museum.

The beautiful garden of contemplation in the Ohara Family Museum.

The Garden of Contemplation

The Kurashiki Toy Museum has a huge collection of ancient toys and models through the ages.

Kurashiki Toy Museum

Kites in the Kurashiki Toy Museum

Kurashiki Toy Museum

Games in the Kurashiki Toy Museum

The fantastic Milk Kintoki dessert!

One of the shrines to Ebisu, the deity of protection for mariners, which are dotted around the town. The inscription reads “Make an offering”. Alongside there is a fortune dispenser.
Ebisu is one of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods, and is associated with resilience and perseverance. Born as Hiruko, a child without bones or limbs, Ebisu overcame his physical challenges, growing legs by age three. From disability to divinity, Ebisu transformed into the Laughing God, symbolizing triumph over adversity.
Ebisu is a friendly god, bearing humble symbols – a fishing rod and a red sea bream, representing sustenance and abundance. Fishermen honor Ebisu, praying for safety and bountiful catches, believing in his divine protection.
On the twentieth of the tenth month, people celebrate Ebisu’s journey, reminding us that joy can arise from struggles. His story lives on as a cherished tale of a benevolent protector who bestows prosperity and good fortune upon those who seek his blessings.
Being islands, Japan has many legends and myths concerning the sea. Two major gods of the sea are: