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Kurashiki (倉敷市;
-shi) is a historic
city located to the west of
Okayama,
Japan, siting on the
Takahashi River, on the coast of the
Inland Sea.
As of
2003, the city has an estimated
population of 433,477 and the
density of 1,450.14 persons per
km². The total area is 298.92 km².
The city was founded on
April 1,
1928.
Kurashiki is famous within Japan for a number of reasons:
- Kurashiki is the home to Japan's
first
Western
art museum, the Ohara Museum of Art. Established in
1930 by
Magosaburu Ohara, it contains
masterpieces by
El Greco,
Monet,
Matisse,
Gauguin, and
Renoir. The collection also has fine examples of Asian and
contemporary art. The museum itself is housed in a neo-Classical building;
- Kurashiki University of Science and
the Arts;
- the ancient merchant quarter, called
the Bikan historical area. This area of the city is surrounded by almost
unique examples of
17th century wooden warehouses painted white with traditional black
tiles, and sits on a canal framed with weeping willows and filled with
koi. The area is extraordinarily picturesque, and is a popular tourist
destination. The city's town hall is located in Kurashiki Kan, an
impressive European style building constructed in
1917.
A
Tivoli theme park was built in
1998, based on the theme park of the same name in
Copenhagen, and is popular with local Japanese.
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