Fukui Prefecture offers tourist attractions such as Kokubunji Temple, Lake Kuzuryu, and Tojinbo; tourist events such as the Mitama Festival, Katsuyama Sagicho Festival, and Gion Festival; and local delicacies such as fried tofu, seafood bowls, and black dragon.
Fukui Prefecture is a prefecture whose northern part faces the Sea of Japan and Wakasa Bay, and is sometimes geographically considered to be either Hokuriku, Chubu, or Kinki region. Areas within the prefecture are mainly divided into Reinan in the south and Reinan in the north.
Fukui Prefecture, with its lush green Echizen mountains and the Wakasa Sea, is a land of warm winters due to the Tsushima Warm Current, which causes rain instead of snow, so much so that there is a saying, "Don't forget your umbrella even if you forget your lunch box.
The ruins of the Asakura House and other structures remain in the area where Ichijodani Castle, the residence of the Asakura clan that ruled Echizen Province, once stood, and are designated as a special national historic site. A walk around the area is a sightseeing spot where visitors can imagine how difficult the battles fought there were and how the Ichijodani Valley was a natural fortress.
The area is also famous as a tourist destination for temples and shrines, with national treasures such as Myotsu-ji Temple and Eihei-ji Temple, which is known for its strict precepts, and offers Zen meditation training, not only for Soto Zen practitioners, and many people visit the area to practice Zen meditation.
Many of the precipitous cliffs often used in tense scenes in suspense dramas are located in Fukui Prefecture. Among the cliffs facing the Sea of Japan is Tojinbo, which is so iconic that it could be said to refer to the cliffs in Fukui Prefecture. For lovers of suspense dramas, this is a sightseeing spot where you can compare scenes from the drama with the actual scenery.
Near Tojinbo, there are Tojinbo Onsen and Ashihara Onsen, where you can enjoy a spectacular view of Mikuni Fishing Port and the Sea of Japan, and Miyama Forest Onsen, located in a beautiful cedar grove where you can enjoy forest bathing, and other hot springs scattered throughout Fukui Prefecture, where you can rest your body and soul.
Echizen Gani (Echizen Crab) is one of Fukui Prefecture's culinary delights. Echizen Gani is a male snow crab caught off the coast of Fukui Prefecture and is a brand-name crab that can be called the king of crabs. Echizen Gani can be found at many restaurants throughout the prefecture, and can be enjoyed with live fish dishes.
In addition to Echizen crab, Fukui Prefecture also offers a variety of other dishes that will satisfy your appetite, such as tezuki-oboro kombu, which is made from shaved kombu (a type of kelp that accounts for 85% of the nation's production), and Wakasa flounder, which is made by exposing the flounder to the cold wind. There are also B-class gourmet foods such as oroshi soba (buckwheat noodles with grated radish) and sauce katsudon (pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice), so be sure to enjoy them while sightseeing.
Tojinbo is a geologically unique and unusual sight of columnar cliffs of pyroxene andesite that juts out into the Sea of Japan and stretches for more than 1 km. This large-scale columnar jointed rock formation is rare in the world, and is a very valuable geological site along with Mount Kumgang on the Korean Peninsula and the west coast of Norway in Scandinavia.It is designated as a national scen...»
Mizushima is a small uninhabited island off the coast of Shikigahama near the tip of Tsuruga Peninsula. Two small islands connected by a sandbar stretch out into the crystal clear sea. Mizushima is uninhabited for only about two months, and during the bathing season from mid-July to the end of August, visitors can cross to the island daily by ferry. An additional fee is required for the ferry. D...»
Maruoka Castle was built in 1576 by Katsutoyo Shibata, a nephew of Katsuie Shibata, on the order of Nobunaga Oda during the Warring States period. It is a flat mountain castle with the oldest architectural style among the existing castle towers. Also known as "Kasumiga-jo," the castle is characterized by its fantastically beautiful appearance in spring when it floats amidst cherry blossoms in ful...»
Matsuokaken, a long-established shop that has been in business since 1897, is known as the originator of Habutae mochi. Habutae mochi is made with simple ingredients: rice flour produced in Fukui and other areas in Japan, beet granulated sugar from Hokkaido, and starch syrup. No preservatives are used, and the mochi is made using traditional methods, resulting in a soft, refreshing sweetness. T...»
This is the store of Maeda Seika, a long-established Japanese confectionary shop established in 1954, which manufactures and sells Habutae mochi, a famous confectionary of Fukui Prefecture. The entrance to the store is decorated with dinosaurs and other objets d'art, allowing visitors to enjoy the atmosphere of a dinosaur kingdom unique to Fukui Prefecture. Upon entering the store, visitors pass...»
Echizen Ono Castle was built by Nagachika Kanamori, one of Oda Nobunaga's elite vassals, "Akamogorishu," who was given two-thirds of the county of Ono by Nobunaga Oda, on a 249-meter-high mountain called Kameyama in the Ono Basin. The construction of the castle took four years from 1576 (Tensho 4). At that time, it was a magnificent castle with a two-story, three-story main keep, a two-story, two...»
This soba-making experience facility, directly operated by a long-established Echizen soba noodle maker, offers soba-making experience and factory tours, as well as a wide range of meals including Echizen grated buckwheat noodles in a spacious environment. At the "Soba Making Experience Dream Studio," visitors can try their hand at making soba (buckwheat noodles) and mizuyokan (sweetened water du...»
Located in the Nagaoyama General Park (Katsuyama Dinosaur Forest), this natural history museum has exhibits centering on dinosaurs. The museum is nationally renowned as a treasure trove of dinosaur fossils and is one of the largest in the world. Worldwide, it is considered one of the three major dinosaur museums, along with the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Canada and the Drikung Dino...»
This is a hands-on, experiential aquarium where visitors can see, touch, and learn in a fun environment right in front of the Sea of Japan. Fun attractions such as dolphin shows and penguin walks are available. Visitors can also touch seals, sharks, a giant octopus, doctor fish, snow crabs, and lobsters, and feed sea turtles and marine fish. There are several mini-pavilions, including the Ocean ...»
A large theme park where you can enjoy numerous attractions on a vast site surrounded by beautiful lawns facing the Sea of Japan. Especially in summer, one of the largest swimming pools in Japan opens, attracting many tourists from Kansai and Chukyo. Visitors can enjoy approximately 50 screaming slides and the largest scale water resort on the Sea of Japan. The amusement pool is also one of the l...»
The observatory at the Rainbow Line Mountaintop Park offers a spectacular view of all the Mikata Goko (Five Lakes of Mikata) stretching across the town of Mihama. The Sea of Japan and the Five Lakes of Mikata can be seen from any direction, east, west, north, south, and west. Five terraces have been set up, and visitors can enjoy the view in a variety of styles, including footbaths and sofas. Th...»
The Mikatagoko Rainbow Line, also known as the Mikatagoko Toll Road, opened in 1968. This scenic road spans Mihama Town and Wakasa Town and offers a panoramic view of the rias coast, a famous landmark of Wakasa Bay National Park, and the five lakes: Lake Kyuko, Lake Hyuga, Lake Mikata, Lake Suigetsu, and Lake Suga. All of these lakes are connected, and each lake has a different mixture of fresh ...»
Mikata Goko (Five Lakes of Mikata), which straddle the towns of Mihama and Wakasa in Fukui Prefecture, consists of five lakes: Mikata, Suigetsu, Suga, Kyuko, and Hyuga, and is a representative scenic spot of Wakasa Bay National Park. The lakes have long been mentioned in the Manyoshu (Anthology of Myriad Leaves) and are widely known for their seasonal beauty. It is designated as a national sceni...»
Uriwari Waterfall, located in the back of Tentokuji Temple, is a waterfall created from a clear spring that gushes from the mountains. The cold water from the cedar and cypress forests on the temple grounds flows down like a waterfall, and when the trees sway in the wind, the water glistens and spreads out into the forest creating a fantastic sight. The air is moist, the sound of rushing water e...»
Located on a hillside, this art museum is a 20-hectare forest with a variety of art and hands-on facilities. Visitors can enjoy art in the midst of nature at the main facility, Art Core, the museum's glass studio, and other creative studios such as pottery and wax-dyeing. Artists live and create in the midst of nature, which shows different expressions of the four seasons. It is a place to expe...»