Kurashiki

A part of the Okayama Prefecture, Kurashiki is essentially the Town of Storehouses which held heaps of rice once upon a time. With picturesque canals that go right back to the Edo era, Kurashiki could easily be Japan’s answer to Amsterdam and Venice. However, it is a lot humbler than the aforementioned European giants. In fact, the canal area is still home to some of these storehouses which have now been converted into restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and souvenir shops. With a tremendously relaxed atmosphere, Kurashiki is entrenched in history as it was founded way back in 1928. Home to some incredible Western art, the city has gems like the Ohara Museum that tourists absolutely love. In fact, the museum has the works of some of the greatest artists known to mankind, including Picasso, Pollock, and Rodin. If museums don’t intrigue you as much, you could visit ‘Ohashi,' which used to be the home of a wealthy merchant family and is a striking reflection of traditional Japanese lifestyle.
Kurashiki is two and a half hours away from Kyoto, and you should ideally leave early in the morning if you are not planning to stay overnight. You will first have to change trains at the Okayama Station in order to reach Kurashiki Station. You could first take the Shinkansen followed by the JR Sanyo Line both of which should come under your Japan Rail Pass.