Kurashiki or Onomichi

which one is better?

Onomichi

I've been to both, and they are different. If I have to pick one, I pick Kurashiki. The Bikan Historical Quarter is unique in their building construction - they use plastered wall with "kamaboko" design feature. Most other historical districts feature buildings made of wooden walls.

Onomichi is a rustic port town with many hills. You can see the inland sea landscape from one of the hills, most famous is Senkoji park. Kurashiki is a bigger (as compared to Onomichi) town with old merchant houses. Kurashiki has a nice museum (Ohara museum). My father is from an island close to Onomichi so I am familiar with it, so I would choose Kurashiki since Onomichi is some kind of boring for me, but for foreign tourists, Onomichi might be more interesting. You can see the street views from both Onomichi and Kurashiki and decide which to go.

Kurashiki is more of a historic quarter with canals. There are only a couple of canal towns in Japan which are reasonably well preserved with Sawara, Yanagawa and Otaru being the other ones. So to put it simply - you visit Kurashiki to walk around old buildings in canals. There are some nice secondary sites as well here.

Onomichi is a very different beast if you are just visiting the town. Most people visit this town to complete the temple walk. The temples are rather uninspiring, but it's a nice walk with great views of the Seto sea. Note that there is a reasonable change in elevation.

If it's in the middle of summer - I would choose Kurashiki as walking up stairs in stifling heat without much in the way of shade is not that fun.

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1414
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1415

If you are a fast traveller - it's possible to make a full day out of both locations together (Kurashiki in the morning, Onomichi in the afternoon). Note that there is not much in the way of baggage storage at Onomichi station from memory - but it may have changed or I may have forgotten.

Generally i would prefer Onomichi, cause it is more quiet. I would do this only if you make the full walk through the village. If you visit just the main hill, then i would rather suggest you Kurashiki, due to its marvelous museum, which is more touristic.

Here is maybe a plus / minus list for each city, so you can decide

Kurashiki
+ venice style chanals
+ absolut stunning exhibitions in the museum Ohara Museum of Art
+ great garden in the museum
+ old preserved trading houses streets
+ pottery
+ sake brewery location
- hordes of tourists
- beside main tourist spots deserted, dull city

Onomichi
+ lots of small and nice little temples (if you make full onomichi temple walk)
+ great architecture by Tadao Ando
+ great view from top of the hill
+ silent beside the main tourist spots
+ the place to go if you love cats
+ small little cafees
+ nice shopping street with lots of handcraft business
+ smithing and knifekraft
- no onsen

I also second Onomichi being the more interesting of the two sites....

wow thanks for all the great answers
i did some more research and i prefer kurashiki over onomichi at the moment
kurashiki got also denim street which is really cool in my opinion

i found also about the canal town omihachiman
which do you prefer between omihachiman and kurashiki

Haven't been in Onomichi, so no comment on this.
Kurashiki is lovely town, not too big, not too small. We spent there ca 5 days, and is was really good base for daytrips (incl Kibi plain and Shikoku). Nice canals, old town.
Omi Hachiman is near Biwa, nice but much smaller then Kurashiki. Great day trip from Kyoto, maybe two days - there are some museums, boat ride on canals, ropeway to hill top. Super good fish (ayu?).

My first visit to Kurashiki a couple of years ago there was nobody around - empty, quite pleasant. Most recently in Golden Week, it was busy, but I still found it ok. Depends on the day.
And there are more something like a dozen museums - quite a lot to do and look at (including the temple site).

One bet for Onomichi.
That town is small but you can enjoy side trips.
For example, I did the Onomichi to Tomonoura cruising though the cruising service
is available aturday, Sunday and Holidays.

Another option is the route Kurashiki - Fukuyama - Tomonoura - Cruising - Onomichi.

I enjoyed nice sight seeing and watched the big ships under constructing on the sea
and the walking around the old small town Tomonoura.

https://www.tripadvisor.jp/Attraction_Review-g298131-d1384415-Reviews-...

I've been to both, and frankly, I found Kurashiki to be rather underwhelming. The canals have their historical meaning, but aside from that, it is a big yawn inducer. If I had the time back I'd go see Kibitsu Shrine instead. And the RSK Rose Garden to the SW of it is absolutely magnificent now.
Onomichi has more scenery and a better experience. There is the temple tour, and while few places are by themselves stupendous, together it makes a nice day. Perhaps the best place though is on one of the islands - Kosanji is just so wild and ornate it's no surprise many people call it a "Buddhist Disneyland".
https://youtu.be/97Q5EjEOXI8

Kurashiki is a really nice historic district and one of the largest. It's quite scenic and picturesque. There are also a lot of small museums for those who are interested and the Ohara Art Museum is world-class. The Jeans Street is in a different area than the historic district, so it requires a bus or train (Kojima Station) to reach, but it's a unique place with the jeans over the street, jeans-themed ice cream and other foods, and don't miss the Nozaki House.

As far as Kurashiki vs Omihachiman...
Both are nice. I personally like Kurashiki's historic area better. It is larger and there is more to do.
Omihachiman is also scenic though. The historic streets are a bit more loosely connected than Kurashiki and there are not so many museums and extra things to do there (but there are some).