Ryokan Kurashiki

Three converted 18th-century kura, the black-and-white wooden storehouses you see lining Kurashiki's old canal district, make up this eight-room ryokan sitting in the middle of a neighborhood that genuinely looks like it hasn't moved on in centuries. Tatami floors, cloud-soft futons, and multi-course kaiseki dinners served in the room or the restaurant keep the experience classically ryokan, while the living museum just outside the door handles the atmosphere.