The youth of today gather at Yurin-an in Kurashiki, drawn in by local revitalization and strong exchanges
Quality of life has been a hot topic of late, and perhaps that is why I hear more and more of here people making a ‘sea change’ to rural areas. With the popularization of the internet and development of traffic networks it is much faster and easier to connect with others no matter where you are, and the way we work has begun to change as well. Because of this artists and youths from around Japan and the world are being drawn to Kurashiki as well. The gathering spot for these people that stands out the most in Kurashiki is Yurin-an.
Let’s take a look at what we know about Yurin-an.
Kurashiki Guest House Yurin-an, Kominka Cafe, and Sharehouse are operated under the supervision of Mr. Koho Nakamura, a man with more than 10 years experience in town development, for young people with big dreams to gather and bring Kurashiki to the world stage. Mr. FJHFUEKHFU is also involved in local revitalization projects such as building libraries and schools on small islands, all of which are garnering attention around Japan. Kurashiki Guest House Yurin-an and Kominka Cafe in particular operate from an old townhouse over 100 years old in the Kurashiki Bikan historical area and is the center of information for the 40,0000 yearly visitors to Kurashiki.
Discover Yurin-an and you’ll discover Kurashiki. In this article we will briefly look at Kurashiki and the guest house as well as show you the two sharehouses in operation. Let your imagination run wild as you envision a lifestyle in Kurashiki.
Yurin-an brings its preserved local charm and posterity to the world
I had the good fortune of meeting with Mr. Nakamura to ask him a few questions.
‘We must make our own neighborhoods’
These are the words of Mr. Nakamura, and they are hardly easy words to say let alone put in practice, yet he has succeeded and the fact that his project has become the face of Kurashiki quite promising.
‘I am here doing what I do because of the people before me’
We can understand that Mr. Nakamura Ohara family who made a large contribution felt respect and reverence for cooperation of many people NOT ONLY place trust in the youth of today who burden the future nakamura’s pocket who made a place to challenge with the same point of view could Speaking with Mr. Nakamura I got the impression that he not only held great respect and esteem for the efforts of those before him, such as the Ohara family and their contribution to the mission, but that in trusting in the youth of today and creating a place for them to challenge their dreams, he has proven that he is a man of great generosity.
Yurin-an has grown to be one of the top guest houses in Japan thanks to an environment that makes the most of the abilities of the staff working there, who smile at you as if you were family.
‘It’s like a second family here, come back anytime!’
Hearing these words automatically brings a smile to your face. Everyone should check the place out so that you all can be smiling ear to ear, too. Come on over and try out Yurin-an’s famous ‘Yellow Chive and Soy Sauce Raw Egg Rice’ dish and ‘Happiness Pudding’.
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Kurashiki, a town with pulsating, unbroken history representing the future
Everyone knows Kurashiki to be an old town with well-preserved, traditional streets, but why has it been kept so well?
During the Edo period Kurashiki was directly governed by the shogunate and special local products from all over Bitchu were gathered in the area, accelerating development and growth. As goods were gathered so was wealth, and many large, sturdy buildings were built as if to symbolize the prosperity of those times. The people who lived in this area made a conscious effort to preserve its old streets.
Immediately after the war Kurashiki became an important traditional architectural preservation district and to this day the spirit of the town remains.
I honestly thought I had stepped back in time when I visited Kurashiki this time for the first time, feeling a strange comfort as I walked along its beautiful, elegant streets.
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Kurashiki is a place to understand both East and West
Why do artistic-types gather here? And why is it so appealing to young men and women? The key to understanding this might just be in the Ohara Museum of Art.
Incidentally, the Ohara Museum of Art is a place with such history that it was chosen as Princess Kako’s first public duty official outing.
It was the first private art gallery in Japan to showcase Western modern art in 1930. Established by Magosaburo Ohara, a man involved in many projects involving Kurashiki, it is rare to be a non-national museum in this day and age.
Mr. Ohara sent artist Torajiro Kojima to Europe three times, bringing back artwork from artists at the time not yet famous such as El Greco, Paul Gauguin, Monet and Henri Matisse, and these works are still stored at Ohara Museum of Art. The Ohara Museum of Art may have had small influence on the advancement of Western modern art, however indirect it might have been.
Magosaburo Ohara’s great enterprise investing in a novel yet daring combination of preserving the town for the sake of understanding the West via modern art and also recognising the East resonates with our mission today.
It is a great honor even today for an artist to have his or her piece hung in the Ohara Museum of Art, and having such honor is a gateway to success. This is why many young, up-and-coming artists come to Kurashiki.
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Sharehouse：Sentakusen
From 1904 to 1909, artists including Pablo Picasso and Modigliani lived together in a guest house named Le Bateau-Lavoir (sentakusen in Japanese) in Montmartre, Paris, working on their artistic endeavours. In the same way, this guest house in Kurashiki has become a place where the artists, creators, and dreamers of Japan and the world to gather, a place full of the dreams of future-famous artists.
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Sharehouse: Life and Time
This sharehouse was created with the hope it would become a place for residents living together and experiencing culture to encourage, enhance and praise each other. Living here, a stone’s throw away from the Bikan district, residents chasing their dreams can feel the spirit of the town ancestors who walked the streets before them and incorporate such treasures into their daily lives.
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A chance meeting with Yurin-an during a casual trip to Kurashiki.
Looking back, I think how lucky I was to discover it.
The environment of Yurin-an and the quality of your time spent there will make you feel this way, too.
A guest house of cultural exchange teaching you local customs.
A sharehouse supporting people chasing their dreams and involved in their art in Kurashiki.
What’s more, a cafe in which to enjoy the food of Kurashiki.
Yurin-an’s approaches towards innovative town revitalization are interwoven with the theme of ‘interaction’ to help spread the appeal and fascination of the local area. Moreover, this interaction connects the people of Kurashiki and the people visiting Kurashiki, creating even more exchanges, connecting everyone together in a big circle that is the Yurin-an community.
Those of you wanting to experience local warmth and strength in tradition should stop in at Yurin-an the next time you are in Kurashiki.
/Author: Takahashi
