I’m back home from Japan. I can think of no better word to describe the trip than ‘whirlwind’. It was very full and varied, and it’s taken me over a week to feel settled back into home life and routine. (The jet lag on the way there was almost nonexistent, but it hit me like a sack o’ potatoes on the return trip.)
It’s hard to summarize such a long trip, so I won’t really try. I’ll say this, though — I definitely want to return, and plan on it at some point. My goal right now is to document some of my trip highlights in a series of blog posts. I can’t share much about the first week (yet), so things will have to be out of chronological order. Not that it matters.
Enough jabbering, let’s get on to the good stuff. Here are some pretty pictures of clay walls and kura (storehouses) in the lovely city of Kurashiki, a small historic city I loved exploring.
Kurashiki & The Bikan Historic District
Kurashiki is a historic city located in western Okayama Prefecture on the coast of the Inland Sea. By Japanese standards, it’s not a huge city but it is home to an old merchant quarter, called the Bikan historic area. This beautiful district is full of converted 17th century kura, or storehouses. Many of them are home to small shops and restaurants. These are earthen buildings with tile roofs and a distinctive shikkui finish, or fine lime plaster. (You’ll hear a lot more about shikkui in future posts.) Central to the district is a scenic canal, lined with willow trees and stocked with koi. And up a hill in the middle of it all is a gorgeous park with both a temple and shrine site.
Kura and Local Archictiture
The architecture was a real treat — there’s no shortage of plaster walls, both lime and clay, and lots of yakisugi siding throughout the historic district. Some of the shops were clearly newly renovated, and it was sweet to see reclaimed wood and gorgeous interior clay plaster finishes all over the place. The use of clay and lime may not be totally commonplace in Japan as a whole, but it seemed apparent to me that there’s still a precedent and appreciation for these traditional aesthetics, and that’s definitely true in the Bikan district. I was in heaven soaking up all of the gorgeous plaster, stone, and carpentry details. Many of the buildings were in excellent repair given their age.
Many of the kura had a very distinctive tile pattern detail with thick plaster joints. (See above for an example, and note the heron on the ridge!) Here’s a fun fact about that pattern from the excellent kura entry on wikipedia: Some kura used tiles at the base of the external wall. These were laid either horizontally or diagonally and were fixed with plaster dabs. The joints were thick and protruding, with a rounded top, and because they reminded people of namako (sea cucumber) they became known as namako walls.
Even the vending machines emulate the distinct namako tile pattern – ha!
Clay Walls and Carpentry
The above (and below) building was a private residence (I think), and it really stood out for its vivid orange plaster finish. Note too the gorgeous stone work. It’s hard to tell in these pictures, but the roof had a distinct green tone, too.
One of my favorite walls was this yakisugi (or shou sugi ban, which it’s frequently referred to in the west) wall with a strip of bright white shikkui along the top. It was a heavy yakisugi finish, or “alligator skin” as we know it in English. You can see some of the exposed, uncharred wood where the charred finish has actually worn off in places.
This small health food / clothing shop appeared recently renovated to my eye, and it was full of reclaimed wood and beautiful interior clay finishes. It’s very satisfying to be surrounded by a procession of aesthetically pleasing buildings.
Another fascinating aesthetic I stumbled upon was this “bleeding nail” effect — I have no idea what else to call it, and I haven’t been able to find a proper name for it. I’ve never seen this intentionally done before, but basically these cypress boards were fastened with steel nails that were allowed to rust, resulting in these long beautiful streaks on the face on the wood. Of course the nails were driven very evenly, and the wood grain is very straight which contributes to the clean effect. I love it.
Meandering through one of the neighborhoods near the historic district, it was obvious that many of the residences also had clay walls. The one below had yakisugi boards over the bottom several feet, quite obviously for weather protection. I loved catching a glimpse of the clay wall behind the damaged siding board.
Being in Japan was definitely a learning experience for me, and some architectural patterns became clear. This black plaster finish seen below was a common look for the many sake breweries. Presumably it’s a lime plaster pigmented with wood ash. It’s a bold look and I never tire of the various plaster finishes.
A big part of the joy of Kurashiki was simply walking around and exploring. It’s not a huge area, but there’s a number of little courtyards, alleyways, and small surprises tucked away. The streets aren’t heavy with car traffic, and there are no power lines in sight, which makes observing and photographing the buildings very pleasant.
Kurashiki is home to the Ohara Museum of Art, the first privately operated museum of Western art in Japan, so there’s a lot of artsy shops catering to tourists. Luckily, most of the shops are pretty tasteful with interesting stuff on display and for sale, including pottery and denim wear. Snacks are not in short supply, either. As I was traveling with April and our 2-going-on-3 year old, Kurashiki was a very navigable city. We took our time and spent a full three days there, though a single person or couple would probably move through everything faster.
Be sure to check out more of my travel photos from Japan on my instagram. Check back next time for more trip highlights…