By plane
A shuttle bus will take you from the Okayama airport to JR Kurashiki Station in approximately 45 minutes (�1000). Tickets can be purchased from a vending machine outside of the airport. Large luggage is okay; the driver will stow it underneath the seats. Staff at the information booth just beyond baggage claim are very helpful, and will go outside with you to purchase the ticket and get you on the appropriate bus. Like most buses in Japan, the driver will collect the ticket when you disembark.
Connections can also be made with the Hiroshima airport, via shuttle bus to Okayama (2 hours, �2100).
By train
Kurashiki is on the San'yo Main Line between Okayama and Fukuyama.
The best way to reach Kurashiki from the San'yo Shinkansen is to transfer to a local train at Okayama; the ride takes about 15 minutes (�320). Note that the limited express trains between Okayama and Kurashiki are more than twice as expensive, and will only save you a couple of minutes. However, if you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can take either a local or a limited express; on the latter, hop onto any non-reserved car and simply flash your rail pass to the conductor, declaring Kurashiki as your destination.
The Shinkansen stops at Shin-Kurashiki Station another 10 minutes down the San'yo Main Line, but only with the all-stops Kodama trains. It's about ten minutes on the local train from JR Kurashiki Station to Shin-Kurashiki Station.
By bus
Several companies run daytime and overnight bus routes from Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Matsuyama, Tokushima, Kochi, Fukuoka, and elsewhere. Operators include Chugoku JR Bus Company (+81 086-236-1123) and 123bus (050-5805-0383). Buses arrive and depart outside the north exit of JR Kurashiki Station
