Kurashiki, Okayama - Glorious sunshine all day with a high of 19°C.

Kurashiki, Okayama - Glorious sunshine all day with a high of 19°C. Back when we looked at what we wanted to do around Osaka, I ended up on the Traveler's Company website—the Japanese company making fancy notebooks—and found that there was a partner store in Kurashiki, just west of Okayama. With a travel time of about two and a half hour each way it was a manageable day trip from Osaka. The city of Kurashiki is famous for its Bikan historical district, the old merchant quarter with old wooden warehouses and machiya, all beautifully restored and full of stores representing local craft products. This was going to be a more traditional tourist day, which we tend to avoid. The Traveler's partner shop is part of the Superior Labor (TSL) brand store, a local bag and leather goods maker based in the hills of Okayama prefecture. Last time we went to the official Traveler's factory store in Nakameguro, Tokyo, we were annoyed at how crowded it was and how it took away from the pleasure of…

Commenting on Bubbles has been removed. Why? If you want to talk about this post, write to the author, use the comments on their blog if it has them, or reply with a "RE:" post on your own blog. Suggestions? feedback@bubbles.town