Postcard JP-599514

The Seto Ohashi Bridge and the birthplace of Japanese-made jeans

Kojima is the area in southern Kurashiki near the foot of the Seto Ohashi Bridge and contains Japan's first national park, Setonaikai National Park. Approximately 150 years ago, the powerful merchant Buzaemon Nozaki built a fortune developing vast salt farms here. The area is also historically associated with the textile industry and is known as a “town of textiles.” The 1960s saw Japan's first domestically produced jeans here, and Kojima continues to develope as a main area that produces Japanese jeans. Lying at the base of Washuzan Hill is Shimotsui, one of the major fishing ports in the Seto Inland Sea (Setonaikai), and fresh treats from the sea can be enjoyed.