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About three hours from Tokyo on the bullet train is a beautifully preserved area in Okayama Prefecture’s Kurashiki known as the Kurashiki Bikan historical quarter. Set alongside a picturesque canal, the district has long been known for its traditional storehouses and shops, but now it’s looking to celebrate one of its most profitable exports – denim.

With more than 100 family-run indigo and dyeing factories operating throughout the prefecture, denim has long been an important part of area’s economy. And what better way to celebrate the locally made textile than with a selection of special foods? Come with us as we show you what burgers, ice cream and steamed buns look like when crafted in a denim blue hue.

The unique menu has been created to celebrate the recent inauguration of Denim Street, a row of jeans and denim specialty stores which include internationally renowned local brands Momotaro and Eternal. White walls, signs and storefronts are decorated with jeans, and the quality and quantity of denim produced here has earned it the nickname, “Holy Land of Denim”.

Now the jeans capital is shifting its attention to another partner – denim food. Twitter users have been raving about the unusual-looking treats on offer.

▼ Denim Bun (Denim Nikuman – steamed pork bun) is coloured only with a natural pigment extracted from the fruit of the Gardenia with alcohol

[tweet https://twitter.com/guro12fg/status/577336116979740672 align=’center’]

▼ There’s also a black Denim Bun on offer (pictured bottom right)

[tweet https://twitter.com/123113Rieko/status/541437520026669056 align=’center’]

▼ The flavour is the same as that of a regular steamed bun, but this one has the colour of jeans

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▼ Now on to the terrifying denim burger

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▼ It might look like a fistful of lettuce smashed between a couple of poisonous bluebottles, but this Twitter user says it’s better than a burger from McDonald’s

[tweet https://twitter.com/bocwpfp/status/575857087034490881 align=’center’]

▼ Now on to a sweeter-looking shade of denim with the ramune (Japanese soda) ice cream

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▼ This one is getting a big, fat thumbs-up from Twitter users

[tweet https://twitter.com/Titaly0407/status/580238494536073216 align=’center’]

Another find on the street included the Denim Stick, a crispy sweet that comes wearing a cute pair of daisy dukes!

[tweet https://twitter.com/com_yu/status/551570503287046144 align=’center’]

The winners here are definitely the ice cream and the burger. Would you be game to eat denim food?

[tweet https://twitter.com/OKAYAMA_desu/status/600241627450376192 align=’center’]

Thanks, Japan, for another reason to take a trip out of the city and venture out to a distant town. Kurashiki, we’ll be seeing you soon to chow down on that bizarre denim menu and when we do, we’ll be wearing jeans!

Photos: Yoshi2816 Instagram Amur0ck Instagram Toniko Instagram
[ Read in Japanese ]