Kurashiki: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 34°35′06″N 133°46′20″E / 34.58500°N 133.77222°E / 34.58500; 133.77222
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| other_name =
| other_name =
<!-- images, nickname, motto -->
<!-- images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline = Kurashiki bikatiku naka-bashi.JPG
| image_skyline = {{Multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 290
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2/2
| image1 = Kurashiki bikatiku naka-bashi.JPG
| image2 = Kurashiki Ohara Art Museum02nt3200.jpg
| image3 = 倉敷アイビースクエア - 正面アーチ.jpg
| image4 = Shimotsui-Seto Bridge who saw from Okayama Prefecture.JPG
| image5 = 補陀洛山 円通寺 本堂 - panoramio.jpg
| image6 = 東から水島臨海工業地帯を臨む.jpg
}}
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| image_caption = Bikan district of Kurashiki
| image_caption = <table style="width:280px;margin:2px auto;border-collapse:collapse">
<tr><td colspan="2">Bikan Historical Quarter</tr>
<tr><td style="width:50%">[[Ohara Museum of Art]]<td>Ivy Square</tr>
<tr><td>Shimotsuiseto Bridge<td>Entsu-ji</tr>
<tr><td colspan="2">Mizushima Industrial Zone</tr>
</table>
| image_flag = Flag of Kurashiki, Okayama.svg
| image_flag = Flag of Kurashiki, Okayama.svg
| image_seal = Kurashiki Okayama chapter.JPG
| image_seal = Emblem of Kurashiki, Okayama.svg
| seal_type = Chapter
| seal_type = Chapter
<!-- maps and coordinates -->
<!-- maps and coordinates -->
| image_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|frame-width=260|frame-align=center|plain=yes|type=shape|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|zoom=9}}
| image_map = Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg
| image_map1 = Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg
| map_alt =
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location of Kurashiki in [[Okayama Prefecture]]
| map_caption = Location of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture
| pushpin_map = Japan
| pushpin_map = Japan
| pushpin_relief =
| pushpin_relief =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Japan
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Japan
| coordinates = {{coord|34|35|N|133|46|E|region:JP-33|display=it}}
| coordinates = {{coord|34|35|06|N|133|46|20|E|region:JP-33|display=it}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| coordinates_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
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| subdivision_name1 = [[Chūgoku region|Chūgoku]] ([[San'yō region|San'yō]])
| subdivision_name1 = [[Chūgoku region|Chūgoku]] ([[San'yō region|San'yō]])
| subdivision_type2 = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Okayama Prefecture]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Okayama Prefecture|Okayama]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| subdivision_name3 =
| subdivision_name3 =
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<!-- population -->
<!-- population -->
| population_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| population_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| population_total = 483,576
| population_total = 478,651
| population_as_of = March 31, 2017
| population_as_of = March 31, 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_est =
| population_est =
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<!-- blank fields (section 1) -->
<!-- blank fields (section 1) -->
| blank_name_sec1 = City hall address
| blank_name_sec1 = City hall address
| blank_info_sec1 = 640 Nishinakashinden, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama-ken<br />710-8565
| blank_info_sec1 = 640 Nishinakashinden, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama-ken 710-8565
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->
| blank_name_sec2 = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec2 = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]
<!-- website, footnotes -->
<!-- website, footnotes -->
| website = {{URL|http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/}}
| website = {{Official|1=http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/}}
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
| module = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=yes
| module = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=yes
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}}
}}
}}
}}
[[File:Main building of Kurashiki city office.JPG|thumb|Kurashiki City Hall]]
{{nihongo|'''Kurashiki'''|倉敷市|Kurashiki-shi}} is a [[Cities of Japan|city]] located in [[Okayama Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. {{As of|2023|03|31}}, the city had an estimated [[population]] of 478,651 and a [[population density]] of 1300 persons per km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="Kurashiki-hp">{{cite web |url=https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/40106.htm|title= Kurashiki city official statistics|location= Japan|language= ja}}</ref> The total area of the city is {{convert|355.63|sqkm|sqmi}}.


==Geography==
{{nihongo|'''Kurashiki'''|倉敷市|Kurashiki-shi}} is a historic [[Cities of Japan|city]] located in western [[Okayama Prefecture]], [[Japan]], sitting on the [[Takahashi River]], on the coast of the [[Seto Inland Sea|Inland Sea]]. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated [[population]] of 483,576 and a [[population density]] of 1,400 persons per km². The total area is 355.63&nbsp;km².<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/dd.aspx?menuid=1437|title= Official website of Kurashiki city|publisher= Kurashiki City|location= Japan|language= ja|access-date= 12 April 2017}}</ref>
Kurashiki is located in the south-central part of Okayama Prefecture, and the [[Takahashi River]] flows through the midwestern part of the city from north to south and empties into the [[Seto Inland Sea]]. Most of the plains are occupied by [[reclaimed land]] and [[alluvial plain]]s, and are relatively flat except for the Kojima area. Kojima, Kameshimayama, Tamashima, and Tsurajima are many places in the city that have the ''[[kanji]]'' 'island' in their names; these areas were originally islands and were connected by land reclamation to form the current city limits. Okayama City, which is the prefectural capital, is adjacent to the east, and Kurashiki forms part of the Greater Okayama metropolitan area.

===Adjoining municipalities===
[[Okayama Prefecture]]
*[[Kita-ku, Okayama]]
*[[Minami-ku, Okayama]]
*[[Tamano, Okayama|Tamano]]
*[[Sōja]]
*[[Asakuchi, Okayama|Asakuchi]]
*[[Yakage, Okayama|Yakage]]
*[[Hayashima, Okayama|Hayashima]]

===Climate===
Kurashiki has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Kurashiki is {{convert|15.8|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|1042.2|mm}} with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{convert|27.9|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{convert|4.6|C}}.<ref name=normals/> The highest temperature ever recorded in Kurashiki was {{cvt|37.1|C}} on 8 August 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-8.0|C}} on 27 February 1981.<ref name=extremes/>

{{Weather box
|width=auto
|collapsed = Y
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|location = Kurashiki (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1979−present)
|Jan record high C = 16.1
|Feb record high C = 22.5
|Mar record high C = 23.5
|Apr record high C = 30.5
|May record high C = 32.6
|Jun record high C = 35.2
|Jul record high C = 36.8
|Aug record high C = 37.1
|Sep record high C = 36.0
|Oct record high C = 32.4
|Nov record high C = 26.1
|Dec record high C = 19.9
|Jan record low C = -5.4
|Feb record low C = -8.0
|Mar record low C = -3.5
|Apr record low C = -0.8
|May record low C = 3.1
|Jun record low C = 9.8
|Jul record low C = 16.0
|Aug record low C = 17.1
|Sep record low C = 8.9
|Oct record low C = 2.7
|Nov record low C = -0.9
|Dec record low C = -4.1
|Jan high C = 9.2
|Feb high C = 10.0
|Mar high C = 13.6
|Apr high C = 19.3
|May high C = 24.4
|Jun high C = 27.3
|Jul high C = 30.9
|Aug high C = 32.2
|Sep high C = 28.4
|Oct high C = 23.1
|Nov high C = 17.1
|Dec high C = 11.5
|Jan mean C = 4.6
|Feb mean C = 5.2
|Mar mean C = 8.5
|Apr mean C = 13.9
|May mean C = 19.1
|Jun mean C = 22.9
|Jul mean C = 26.9
|Aug mean C = 27.9
|Sep mean C = 23.9
|Oct mean C = 18.0
|Nov mean C = 12.0
|Dec mean C = 6.7
|Jan low C = 0.3
|Feb low C = 0.6
|Mar low C = 3.5
|Apr low C = 8.6
|May low C = 14.0
|Jun low C = 19.1
|Jul low C = 23.6
|Aug low C = 24.4
|Sep low C = 20.1
|Oct low C = 13.5
|Nov low C = 7.3
|Dec low C = 2.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 34.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 42.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 78.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 82.5
|May precipitation mm = 101.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 149.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 154.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 81.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 133.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 93.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 51.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 40.4
|year precipitation mm = 1042.2
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 4.8
|Feb precipitation days = 6.1
|Mar precipitation days = 8.6
|Apr precipitation days = 9.0
|May precipitation days = 8.8
|Jun precipitation days = 10.6
|Jul precipitation days = 9.9
|Aug precipitation days = 6.8
|Sep precipitation days = 8.8
|Oct precipitation days = 7.1
|Nov precipitation days = 5.8
|Dec precipitation days = 5.2
|Jan sun = 152.5
|Feb sun = 144.5
|Mar sun = 175.7
|Apr sun = 189.8
|May sun = 199.2
|Jun sun = 143.1
|Jul sun = 173.0
|Aug sun = 206.5
|Sep sun = 155.2
|Oct sun = 166.7
|Nov sun = 149.7
|Dec sun = 145.8
|year sun = 2001.3
|source 1 = [[Japan Meteorological Agency]]<ref name=extremes>{{cite web
| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=66&block_no=0669&year=&month=&day=&view=h0
|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = May 2, 2022}}</ref><ref name=normals>{{cite web
| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=66&block_no=0669&year=&month=&day=&view=h0
|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = May 2, 2022}}</ref>}}

===Demographics===
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kurashiki in 2020 is 474,592 people.<ref name=zensus/> Kurashiki has been conducting censuses since 1960.
{{Historical populations
| 1960 | 286902
| 1965 | 308908
| 1970 | 374385
| 1975 | 417750
| 1980 | 432171
| 1985 | 443721
| 1990 | 445059
| 1995 | 453618
| 2000 | 460869
| 2005 | 469377
| 2010 | 475421
| 2015 | 477118
| 2020 | 474592
|align = none
| footnote = Kurashiki population statistics<ref name=zensus>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/japan/okayama/ Kurashiki population statistics]</ref>
}}


==History==
==History==
The Kurashiki area is part of ancient [[Bitchū Province]] and near the center of the ancient [[Kingdom of Kibi]]. Records of human settlements date back to the [[Japanese Paleolithic]] period, more than 20,000 years ago, and the city has numerous National Historic Sites from [[Jōmon period]] [[midden|shell middens]], [[Yayoi period]] settlement remains, [[Kofun period]] [[kofun|burial mounds]] and [[Nara period]] temple ruins. From the [[Heian period]], the estuary of the Takahashi River was a port, and the surrounding area was the setting for numerous battles.
The modern city of Kurashiki was founded on April 1, 1928. Previously, it was the site of clashes between the [[Taira]] and [[Minamoto]] clans during the [[Heian period]]. It gradually developed as a [[river port]]. During the [[Edo period]], it became an area directly controlled by the [[shogunate]]. Distinctive white-walled, black-tiled warehouses were built to store goods. During the [[Meiji Restoration]] (Japan's [[Industrial Revolution]] period), factories were built, including the Ohara Spinning Mill, which still stands as the nostalgic tourist attraction Ivy Square.<ref name="history">{{cite web
|url=http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kankou/JAPANESE%20STYLE/jp_style/CITY/history.html
|publisher=City of Kurashiki
|title=Kurashiki's History
|date=August 7, 2006
|access-date=August 8, 2006
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070119204959/http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kankou/JAPANESE%20STYLE/jp_style/CITY/history.html
|archive-date=January 19, 2007
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>


During the [[Edo Period]], the area had a complicated administration, with portions held by various feudal domains. The old town of Kurashiki and its port was held directly by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] as ''[[tenryō]]'' territory and was a collection point for the annual rice taxes. Distinctive white-walled, black-tiled warehouses were built to store goods. The Kurashiki magistrate's office recognized the autonomy of the merchants and gave preferential treatment to them, resulting in an increase in the population as well as increased ''[[kokudaka]],'' and local industries included cotton cloth weaving and salt production.
On August 1, 2005, the town of [[Mabi, Okayama|Mabi]] (from [[Kibi District, Okayama|Kibi District]]), and the town of [[Funao, Okayama|Funao]] (from [[Asakuchi District, Okayama|Asakuchi District]]) were merged with Kurashiki.


Following the [[Meiji restoration]], the village of Kurashiki was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on June 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1891 and to city status April 1, 1928.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kankou/JAPANESE%20STYLE/jp_style/CITY/history.html|publisher=City of Kurashiki|title=Kurashiki's History|date=August 7, 2006|access-date=August 8, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070119204959/http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kankou/JAPANESE%20STYLE/jp_style/CITY/history.html|archive-date=January 19, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Attractions==
[[File:Japan Kurashiki quay 3 034.jpg|thumb|19th-century warehouses in the Bikan district of Kurashiki]]
[[File:Shimotsui-Seto Bridge who saw from Okayama Prefecture.JPG|thumb|[[Great Seto Bridge]] (Seto-Ohashi Bridge) seen from Shimotsui, Kurashiki]]
[[File:Kurashiki Canal Area.jpg|thumb|Kurashiki Canal Area]]
Kurashiki is the home of Japan's first museum for [[Western culture|Western]] art, the [[Ohara Museum of Art]]. Established in 1930 by [[Magosaburō Ōhara]], it contains paintings by [[El Greco]], [[Claude Monet|Monet]], [[Henri Matisse|Matisse]], [[Paul Gauguin|Gauguin]], and [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir]]. The collection also presents fine examples of Asian and contemporary art. The main building is designed in the style of [[Neoclassicism]].


On August 1, 2005, the town of [[Mabi, Okayama|Mabi]] (from [[Kibi District, Okayama|Kibi District]]), and the town of [[Funao, Okayama|Funao]] (from [[Asakuchi District, Okayama|Asakuchi District]]) were merged with Kurashiki.
The old merchant quarter is called the Bikan historical area. It contains many fine examples of 17th century wooden warehouses (''kura'', 倉) painted white with traditional black tiles, along a canal framed with weeping willows and filled with ''[[koi]]''. The area has no electric poles in order to make it more closely resemble the look of the Meiji period. One of the city's former town halls was located in the Kurashiki Kan, a European style building constructed in 1917.


In 2002, Kurashiki was designed a [[Core cities of Japan|Core city]] with increased local autonomy.
In 1997 a theme park called ''Tivoli'' (after the [[Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen|park of the same name]] in [[Copenhagen]]) opened near Kurashiki Station. After ten years of operation it was closed in 2008, with a massive debt.


==Government==
The [[Great Seto Bridge]] connects the city to [[Sakaide, Kagawa|Sakaide]] in [[Kagawa Prefecture]] across the Inland Sea.
Kurashiki has a [[mayor-council]] form of government with a directly elected mayor and a [[unicameral]] city council of 43 members. Kurashiki contributes 14 members to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Okayama 4th district and Okayama 5th district of the [[House of Representatives of Japan|lower house]] of the [[Diet of Japan]].


==Economy==
[[Kenzo Tange]], winner of the 1987 [[Pritzker Prize]] for architecture, designed the former Kurashiki City Hall in 1960.
Kurashiki is the second largest city in Okayama, and has a mixed economy based on commerce, agriculture and heavy industry. The Mizushima Rinkai Industrial Area, which spans the Mizushima and Tamashima areas, has factories centering on petrochemicals, steel, automobiles, and shipbuilding and is one of Japan's leading industrial complexes.


==Education==
==Education==

===Colleges and universities===
===Colleges and universities===
The city is home to several [[private university|private universities]] and one public university.
The city is home to several [[private university|private universities]] and one public university.
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===Primary and secondary schools===
===Primary and secondary schools===
Kurashiki has 62 public elementary schools, and 26 public junior high schools and five public high school operated by the city government. There are ten public high schools operated by the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education and on combined middle/high school. In addition, there are four private high schools. The prefecture also operates three special education schools for the disabled.
{{expand section|date=October 2015}}

The city has a [[Chosen gakko|North Korean school]], {{Nihongo|Okayama Korean Elementary and Junior High School|[[:ja:岡山朝鮮初中級学校|岡山朝鮮初中級学校]]}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chongryon.com/j/cr/link3.html |script-title=ja:ウリハッキョ一覧 |access-date=October 14, 2015 |title=Archived copy |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6cGktqdmJ?url=http://www.chongryon.com/j/cr/link3.html |archive-date=October 14, 2015 |url-status=dead }}" ().</ref>
The city has a [[Chosen gakko|North Korean school]], {{Nihongo|Okayama Korean Elementary and Junior High School|[[:ja:岡山朝鮮初中級学校|岡山朝鮮初中級学校]]}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chongryon.com/j/cr/link3.html |script-title=ja:ウリハッキョ一覧 |access-date=October 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219132215/http://www.chongryon.com/j/cr/link3.html |archive-date=December 19, 2015 |url-status=dead }}" ().</ref>

== Transportation ==
=== Railway ===
[[File:JR logo (west).svg|frameless|20x20px]] [[West Japan Railway Company|JR West]] (JR West) - [[San'yō Shinkansen]]
*{{STN|Shin-Kurashiki}}
[[File:JR logo (west).svg|frameless|20x20px]] [[West Japan Railway Company|JR West]] (JR West) - [[San'yō Main Line]]
* {{STN|Nakashō}} - {{STN|Kurashiki}} - {{STN|Nishiachi}} - {{STN|Shin-Kurashiki}}
[[File:JR logo (west).svg|frameless|20x20px]] [[West Japan Railway Company|JR West]] (JR West) - [[Hakubi Line]]
* {{STN|Kurashiki}}
[[Mizushima Rinkai Railway]] - [[Mizushima Main Line]]
* {{STN|Kurashiki-shi}} - {{STN|Kyūjōmae|Okayama}} - {{STN|Nishitomii}} - {{STN|Fukui|Okayama}} - {{STN|Urada}} - {{STN|Yayoi}} - {{STN|Sakae|Okayama}} - {{STN|Tokiwa|Okayama}} - {{STN|Mizushima}} - {{STN|Mitsubishi-jikō-mae}}
[[File:Ibara Railway logo.gif|20px]] Ibara Railway Company - [[Ibara Line]]
* {{STN|Kawabejuku}} - {{STN|Kibinomakibi}} - {{STN|Bitchū-Kurese}}

=== Highways ===
* [[File:JP Expressway E2.svg|25px|link=|alt=]] [[San'yō Expressway]]
* [[File:JP Expressway E30.svg|25px|link=|alt=]] [[Seto-Chūō Expressway]]
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|2}}
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|429}}
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|430}}
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|486}}

==Sister city relations==
Kurashiki maintains the following [[Sister city|sister and friendship cities]]:<ref>[http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kurakoku/english/SisterCities/E_SisterCities.html Kurashiki's Sister/Friendship Cities]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Austria}} [[Sankt Pölten]], Austria, September 29, 1957
* {{flagdeco|United States}} [[Kansas City, Missouri]], United States since May 28, 1972<ref name="KC sister">{{cite news | title=Learn more about Kansas City's sister cities and possible travel destinations | first=Jennifer | last=Silvey | date=July 28, 2019 | work=Fox 4 KC | url=https://fox4kc.com/news/learn-more-about-kansas-citys-sister-cities-and-possible-travel-destinations/ | access-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Japanese Tea Room and Garden|url=http://kcparks.org/facility/japanese-tea-room/|publisher=Kansas City Parks|access-date=October 18, 2017|archive-date=October 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019005609/http://kcparks.org/facility/japanese-tea-room/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|New Zealand}} [[Christchurch]], New Zealand, March 7, 1973
* {{flagdeco|People's Republic of China}} [[Zhenjiang]], [[Jiangsu]], China, November 18, 1997

==Local attractions==
[[File:Japan Kurashiki quay 3 034.jpg|thumb|19th-century warehouses in the Bikan district of Kurashiki]]
[[File:Kurashiki Canal Area.jpg|thumb|Kurashiki Canal Area]]
Kurashiki is the home of Japan's first museum for [[Western culture|Western art]], the [[Ohara Museum of Art]]. Established in 1930 by [[Magosaburō Ōhara]], it contains paintings by [[El Greco]], [[Claude Monet|Monet]], [[Henri Matisse|Matisse]], [[Paul Gauguin|Gauguin]], and [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir]]. The collection also presents fine examples of Asian and contemporary art. The main building is designed in the style of [[Neoclassicism]].

The old merchant quarter is called the Bikan historical area. It contains many fine examples of 17th century wooden warehouses (''kura'', 倉) painted white with traditional black tiles, along a canal framed with weeping willows and filled with ''[[koi]]''. The area has no electric poles in order to make it more closely resemble the look of the Meiji period. One of the city's former town halls was located in the Kurashiki Kan, a European style building constructed in 1917.

In 1997 a theme park called ''Tivoli'' (after the [[Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen|park of the same name]] in [[Copenhagen]]) opened near Kurashiki Station. After ten years of operation it was closed in 2008, with a massive debt.

The [[Great Seto Bridge]] connects the city to [[Sakaide, Kagawa|Sakaide]] in [[Kagawa Prefecture]] across the Inland Sea.

[[Kenzo Tange]], winner of the 1987 [[Pritzker Prize]] for architecture, designed the former Kurashiki City Hall in 1960.

===National Historic Sites===
*[[Tatetsuki Site]],Yaoi period ruins
*[[Yata Ōtsuka Kofun]], Kofun period tumulus


==Sports==
==Sports==
Kurashiki has a variety of Sports clubs, including former [[Japan Football League]] side [[Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima FC|Mitsubishi Mizushima]].
Kurashiki has a variety of sports clubs, including former [[Japan Football League]] side [[Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima FC|Mitsubishi Mizushima]].
*[[Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima FC]] - Soccer
*[[Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima FC]] - Soccer
*JX Nippon Oil & Energy Mizushima F.C. - Soccer
*JX Nippon Oil & Energy Mizushima F.C. - Soccer
Line 150: Line 356:
Kurashiki was also the place where current [[J. League]] sides [[Vissel Kobe]] and [[Fagiano Okayama]] had their origins before moving.
Kurashiki was also the place where current [[J. League]] sides [[Vissel Kobe]] and [[Fagiano Okayama]] had their origins before moving.


==Notable people from Kurashiki==
==Sister and friendship cities==
Kurashiki maintains the following [[Sister city|sister and friendship cities]]:<ref>[http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kurakoku/english/SisterCities/E_SisterCities.html Kurashiki's Sister/Friendship Cities]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Austria}} [[Sankt Pölten]], Austria, September 29, 1957
* {{flagdeco|United States}} [[Kansas City, Missouri]], United States since May 28, 1972<ref name="KC sister">{{cite news | title=Learn more about Kansas City’s sister cities and possible travel destinations | first=Jennifer | last=Silvey | date=July 28, 2019 | work=Fox 4 KC | url=https://fox4kc.com/news/learn-more-about-kansas-citys-sister-cities-and-possible-travel-destinations/ | access-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Japanese Tea Room and Garden|url=http://kcparks.org/facility/japanese-tea-room/|publisher=Kansas City Parks|access-date=October 18, 2017}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|New Zealand}} [[Christchurch]], New Zealand, March 7, 1973
* {{flagdeco|People's Republic of China}} [[Zhenjiang]], [[Jiangsu]], China, November 18, 1997

==Notable people==
* [[Ahn Young-Hak]], Japanese-born North Korean football midfielder
* [[Ahn Young-Hak]], Japanese-born North Korean football midfielder
* [[:ja:檜山うめ吉|Umekichi Hiyama]] , Japanese female folk rhyme master belonging to the [[:ja:落語芸術協会|Rakugo Arts Association]]
* [[Senichi Hoshino]], baseball player<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:星野仙一記念館|language=ja|trans-title=Hoshino Senichi Memorial Hall|url=http://kankou-kurashiki.jp/tourismguide_enjoy/001153.html|publisher=Kurashiki Convention & Visitors Bureau|access-date=2 October 2014}}</ref>
* [[Senichi Hoshino]], baseball player<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:星野仙一記念館|language=ja|trans-title=Hoshino Senichi Memorial Hall|url=http://kankou-kurashiki.jp/tourismguide_enjoy/001153.html|publisher=Kurashiki Convention & Visitors Bureau|access-date=2 October 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006105003/http://kankou-kurashiki.jp/tourismguide_enjoy/001153.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Keitarou Izawa, a.k.a. [[Ichiyo Izawa]], pianist, frontman of [[Appa (band)|Appa]], and former member of [[Tokyo Jihen]]
* Keitarou Izawa, a.k.a. [[Ichiyo Izawa]], pianist, frontman of [[Appa (band)|Appa]], and former member of [[Tokyo Jihen]]
* [[Mikio Kariyama]], professional shogi player
* [[Kibi no Makibi]], scholar and noble during the [[Nara period]]
* [[Kibi no Makibi]], scholar and noble during the [[Nara period]]
* [[Magosaburō Ōhara]], businessman and philanthropist<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:大原孫三郎から現代まで|language=ja|trans-title=From Magosaburo Ohara to the present |url=http://www.ohara.or.jp/201001/jp/B/B2b.html|publisher=Ohara Museum|access-date=2 October 2014}}</ref>
* [[Magosaburō Ōhara]], businessman and philanthropist<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:大原孫三郎から現代まで|language=ja|trans-title=From Magosaburo Ohara to the present |url=http://www.ohara.or.jp/201001/jp/B/B2b.html|publisher=Ohara Museum|access-date=2 October 2014}}</ref>
Line 166: Line 367:
* [[Daisuke Takahashi]], figure skater<ref>{{cite web|title=Daisuke TAKAHASHI Biography|url=http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00004810.htm|publisher=International Skating Union|access-date=February 20, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Daisuke Takahashi]], figure skater<ref>{{cite web|title=Daisuke TAKAHASHI Biography|url=http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00004810.htm|publisher=International Skating Union|access-date=February 20, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Joichiro Tatsuyoshi]], boxer
* [[Joichiro Tatsuyoshi]], boxer
* [[Isamu Nagato]], actor
* [[Makiko Ohmoto]], voice actress
* [[Makiko Ohmoto]], voice actress
* [[Keiji Tanaka]], figure skater<ref>{{cite web | title=Biography|url=http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00010968.htm|publisher=International Skating Union|access-date=February 20, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Keiji Tanaka]], figure skater<ref>{{cite web | title=Biography|url=http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00010968.htm|publisher=International Skating Union|access-date=February 20, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Hisako Kanemoto]], voice actress
* [[Hisako Kanemoto]], voice actress
* [[Megumi (actress)|Megumi]], actress
{{clear}}
{{clear}}


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{{Wikivoyage|Kurashiki}}
{{Wikivoyage|Kurashiki}}
* {{Official website|http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp}} {{in lang|ja}}
* {{Official website|http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp}} {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://www15.j-server.com/LUCKRSK/ns/wt.cgi/http%3a//www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/?SLANG=ja&TLANG=en&XMODE=0&XCHARSET=utf-8&XJSID=0 Kurashiki City official website] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://www.kurashiki-tabi.jp/ Kurashiki City Tourists official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061025030824/http://www.ryokan-kurashiki.jp/e_index.htm Ryokan Kurashiki website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061025030824/http://www.ryokan-kurashiki.jp/e_index.htm Ryokan Kurashiki website]
* [http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kurakoku/english/SisterCities/E_SisterCities.html Kurashiki's Sister/Friendship Cities]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kurakoku/english/SisterCities/E_SisterCities.html Kurashiki's Sister/Friendship Cities]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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[[Category:Kurashiki| ]]
[[Category:Kurashiki| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Okayama Prefecture]]
[[Category:Cities in Okayama Prefecture]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Japan]]

Latest revision as of 19:51, 13 May 2024

Kurashiki
倉敷市
Core city
Bikan Historical Quarter
Ohara Museum of ArtIvy Square
Shimotsuiseto BridgeEntsu-ji
Mizushima Industrial Zone
Flag of Kurashiki
Flag
Official seal of Kurashiki
Chapter
Map
Location of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture
Location of Kurashiki
Kurashiki is located in Japan
Kurashiki
Kurashiki
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°35′06″N 133°46′20″E / 34.58500°N 133.77222°E / 34.58500; 133.77222
CountryJapan
RegionChūgoku (San'yō)
PrefectureOkayama
Government
 • MayorKaori Itō
Area
 • Total355.63 km2 (137.31 sq mi)
Population
 (March 31, 2023)
 • Total478,651
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address640 Nishinakashinden, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama-ken 710-8565
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdKingfisher
FlowerWysteria
TreeCamphor
Kurashiki City Hall

Kurashiki (倉敷市, Kurashiki-shi) is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 March 2023, the city had an estimated population of 478,651 and a population density of 1300 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 355.63 square kilometres (137.31 sq mi).

Geography[edit]

Kurashiki is located in the south-central part of Okayama Prefecture, and the Takahashi River flows through the midwestern part of the city from north to south and empties into the Seto Inland Sea. Most of the plains are occupied by reclaimed land and alluvial plains, and are relatively flat except for the Kojima area. Kojima, Kameshimayama, Tamashima, and Tsurajima are many places in the city that have the kanji 'island' in their names; these areas were originally islands and were connected by land reclamation to form the current city limits. Okayama City, which is the prefectural capital, is adjacent to the east, and Kurashiki forms part of the Greater Okayama metropolitan area.

Adjoining municipalities[edit]

Okayama Prefecture

Climate[edit]

Kurashiki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Kurashiki is 15.8 °C (60.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,042.2 mm (41.03 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.9 °C (82.2 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.6 °C (40.3 °F).[2] The highest temperature ever recorded in Kurashiki was 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) on 8 August 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −8.0 °C (17.6 °F) on 27 February 1981.[3]

Climate data for Kurashiki (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1979−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 		22.5
(72.5) 		23.5
(74.3) 		30.5
(86.9) 		32.6
(90.7) 		35.2
(95.4) 		36.8
(98.2) 		37.1
(98.8) 		36.0
(96.8) 		32.4
(90.3) 		26.1
(79.0) 		19.9
(67.8) 		37.1
(98.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.2
(48.6) 		10.0
(50.0) 		13.6
(56.5) 		19.3
(66.7) 		24.4
(75.9) 		27.3
(81.1) 		30.9
(87.6) 		32.2
(90.0) 		28.4
(83.1) 		23.1
(73.6) 		17.1
(62.8) 		11.5
(52.7) 		20.6
(69.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.6
(40.3) 		5.2
(41.4) 		8.5
(47.3) 		13.9
(57.0) 		19.1
(66.4) 		22.9
(73.2) 		26.9
(80.4) 		27.9
(82.2) 		23.9
(75.0) 		18.0
(64.4) 		12.0
(53.6) 		6.7
(44.1) 		15.8
(60.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.3
(32.5) 		0.6
(33.1) 		3.5
(38.3) 		8.6
(47.5) 		14.0
(57.2) 		19.1
(66.4) 		23.6
(74.5) 		24.4
(75.9) 		20.1
(68.2) 		13.5
(56.3) 		7.3
(45.1) 		2.4
(36.3) 		11.5
(52.6)
Record low °C (°F) −5.4
(22.3) 		−8.0
(17.6) 		−3.5
(25.7) 		−0.8
(30.6) 		3.1
(37.6) 		9.8
(49.6) 		16.0
(60.8) 		17.1
(62.8) 		8.9
(48.0) 		2.7
(36.9) 		−0.9
(30.4) 		−4.1
(24.6) 		−8.0
(17.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 34.4
(1.35) 		42.4
(1.67) 		78.2
(3.08) 		82.5
(3.25) 		101.9
(4.01) 		149.8
(5.90) 		154.1
(6.07) 		81.3
(3.20) 		133.0
(5.24) 		93.6
(3.69) 		51.2
(2.02) 		40.4
(1.59) 		1,042.2
(41.03)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 4.8 6.1 8.6 9.0 8.8 10.6 9.9 6.8 8.8 7.1 5.8 5.2 91.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 152.5 144.5 175.7 189.8 199.2 143.1 173.0 206.5 155.2 166.7 149.7 145.8 2,001.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2]

Demographics[edit]

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kurashiki in 2020 is 474,592 people.[4] Kurashiki has been conducting censuses since 1960.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1960 286,902—    
1965 308,908+7.7%
1970 374,385+21.2%
1975 417,750+11.6%
1980 432,171+3.5%
1985 443,721+2.7%
1990 445,059+0.3%
1995 453,618+1.9%
2000 460,869+1.6%
2005 469,377+1.8%
2010 475,421+1.3%
2015 477,118+0.4%
2020 474,592−0.5%
Kurashiki population statistics[4]

History[edit]

The Kurashiki area is part of ancient Bitchū Province and near the center of the ancient Kingdom of Kibi. Records of human settlements date back to the Japanese Paleolithic period, more than 20,000 years ago, and the city has numerous National Historic Sites from Jōmon period shell middens, Yayoi period settlement remains, Kofun period burial mounds and Nara period temple ruins. From the Heian period, the estuary of the Takahashi River was a port, and the surrounding area was the setting for numerous battles.

During the Edo Period, the area had a complicated administration, with portions held by various feudal domains. The old town of Kurashiki and its port was held directly by the Tokugawa shogunate as tenryō territory and was a collection point for the annual rice taxes. Distinctive white-walled, black-tiled warehouses were built to store goods. The Kurashiki magistrate's office recognized the autonomy of the merchants and gave preferential treatment to them, resulting in an increase in the population as well as increased kokudaka, and local industries included cotton cloth weaving and salt production.

Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Kurashiki was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on June 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1891 and to city status April 1, 1928.[5]

On August 1, 2005, the town of Mabi (from Kibi District), and the town of Funao (from Asakuchi District) were merged with Kurashiki.

In 2002, Kurashiki was designed a Core city with increased local autonomy.

Government[edit]

Kurashiki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 43 members. Kurashiki contributes 14 members to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Okayama 4th district and Okayama 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy[edit]

Kurashiki is the second largest city in Okayama, and has a mixed economy based on commerce, agriculture and heavy industry. The Mizushima Rinkai Industrial Area, which spans the Mizushima and Tamashima areas, has factories centering on petrochemicals, steel, automobiles, and shipbuilding and is one of Japan's leading industrial complexes.

Education[edit]

Colleges and universities[edit]

The city is home to several private universities and one public university.

Primary and secondary schools[edit]

Kurashiki has 62 public elementary schools, and 26 public junior high schools and five public high school operated by the city government. There are ten public high schools operated by the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education and on combined middle/high school. In addition, there are four private high schools. The prefecture also operates three special education schools for the disabled.

The city has a North Korean school, Okayama Korean Elementary and Junior High School (岡山朝鮮初中級学校).[6]

Transportation[edit]

Railway[edit]

JR West (JR West) - San'yō Shinkansen

JR West (JR West) - San'yō Main Line

JR West (JR West) - Hakubi Line

Mizushima Rinkai Railway - Mizushima Main Line

Ibara Railway Company - Ibara Line

Highways[edit]

Sister city relations[edit]

Kurashiki maintains the following sister and friendship cities:[7]

Local attractions[edit]

19th-century warehouses in the Bikan district of Kurashiki
Kurashiki Canal Area

Kurashiki is the home of Japan's first museum for Western art, the Ohara Museum of Art. Established in 1930 by Magosaburō Ōhara, it contains paintings by El Greco, Monet, Matisse, Gauguin, and Renoir. The collection also presents fine examples of Asian and contemporary art. The main building is designed in the style of Neoclassicism.

The old merchant quarter is called the Bikan historical area. It contains many fine examples of 17th century wooden warehouses (kura, 倉) painted white with traditional black tiles, along a canal framed with weeping willows and filled with koi. The area has no electric poles in order to make it more closely resemble the look of the Meiji period. One of the city's former town halls was located in the Kurashiki Kan, a European style building constructed in 1917.

In 1997 a theme park called Tivoli (after the park of the same name in Copenhagen) opened near Kurashiki Station. After ten years of operation it was closed in 2008, with a massive debt.

The Great Seto Bridge connects the city to Sakaide in Kagawa Prefecture across the Inland Sea.

Kenzo Tange, winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize for architecture, designed the former Kurashiki City Hall in 1960.

National Historic Sites[edit]

Sports[edit]

Kurashiki has a variety of sports clubs, including former Japan Football League side Mitsubishi Mizushima.

Kurashiki was also the place where current J. League sides Vissel Kobe and Fagiano Okayama had their origins before moving.

Notable people from Kurashiki[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kurashiki city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Kurashiki population statistics
  5. ^ "Kurashiki's History". City of Kurashiki. August 7, 2006. Archived from the original on January 19, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2006.
  6. ^ ウリハッキョ一覧. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015." ().
  7. ^ Kurashiki's Sister/Friendship Cities[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Silvey, Jennifer (July 28, 2019). "Learn more about Kansas City's sister cities and possible travel destinations". Fox 4 KC. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Japanese Tea Room and Garden". Kansas City Parks. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  10. ^ 星野仙一記念館 [Hoshino Senichi Memorial Hall] (in Japanese). Kurashiki Convention & Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  11. ^ 大原孫三郎から現代まで [From Magosaburo Ohara to the present] (in Japanese). Ohara Museum. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  12. ^ ７ 大山名人記念館（倉敷市芸文館内 (in Japanese). Kurashiki City. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  13. ^ 棋士紹介:物故棋士一覧 (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Daisuke TAKAHASHI Biography". International Skating Union. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  15. ^ "Biography". International Skating Union. Retrieved February 20, 2018.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kurashiki, Okayama.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kurashiki.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kurashiki&oldid=1223698668"