Hokuriku Arch Pass
Tourism Information
Introducing recommended tourist attractions in the three prefectures of
Hokuriku—Toyama,Ishikawa, and Fukui.
TOYAMA
Kurobe Gorge Railway
An 80 minutes-railway route (one way) on a mini train passing through abundant nature. Passengers can admire the fascinating and beautiful scenery though the train window while the train passes over bridges and through tunnels. There's also an onsen area along the train line.
National Treasure Zuiryu-ji Temple, Takaokayama
It took approx. 20 years to build the family temple of Toshinaga Maeda, the second generation daimyo of the Kaga Domain. Zuiryu-ji features a magnificent arrangement of the temple buildings and the Sanmon gate, the Buddha Hall as well as the Lecture Hall have been designated as a national treasure.
Kanaya-machi (Rows of latticed houses)
Kanaya-machi is the birthplace of Takaoka's copper casting. Visitors can experience copperware production for themselves while admiring the beautiful street of houses bringing together cobblestone alleys and latticed windows. Of course, visitors can enjoy shopping, too.
World Heritage Site, Historic Villages of Gokayama
In Gokayama, which is registered as a Cultural World Heritage, you can find the two villages of Ainokura and Suganuma, which belong to the "Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama" and feature Gassho-zukuri (prayer-hands construction) style architecture. Some facilities offer experiences in Gokayama washi paper making (fee applies).
ISHIKAWA
Kenrokuen Garden
One of the three most beautiful gardens of Japan. Featuring a stroll garden with a central pond from the Edo Period, it brings about the elegant beautiful sceneries of the four seasons with sakura, red leaves or Yukitsuri (traditional method of protecting trees from heavy snowfall).
Higashi Chaya District
The traditional townscape is lined with houses featuring "Kimusuko", a kind of lattice protruding an elegant style. Many small restaurants and souvenir shops are lined up along the street and the atmosphere is filled with memories from the olden times.
Notojima Aquarium
With a focus on fish and shellfish found in the sea waters near Noto Pensinsula, this aquarium is home to 40,000 aquatic creatures of approx. 500 different species. It also offers events such as dolphin and seal shows or the penguins' stroll.
Kaga Traditional Handicrafts Village "Yunokuni no Mori"
Traditional handicraft products, the biggest pride of the Ishikawa Prefecture, are sold in former residences with a history which dates back more than 100 years. In eleven exhibiting houses of the village, visitors can experience the production of more than 50 different types of traditional handicraft products themselves.
FUKUI
Eihei-ji Temple
Head temple of the Soto sect founded by Zen monk Dogen, assembling monks entering priesthood from all over the country. It assembles many features worthy of appreciation such as corridors scattered with delicate engravings and painted ceilings.
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
One of the three biggest dinosaur museums in the world. 43 whole body dinosaur skeletons, full-impact reconstruction models as well as fossils are exhibited in an extensive space.
Place of Scenic Beauty, Yokokan Garden
This garden used to be the second home of the Matsudaira Clan, the ruling feudal lords of Fukui. The strolling garden with a central pond and the Sukiya-zukuri style buildings around it are worth seeing. It is one of the gardens representative of the mid-Edo Period and, being a superb garden with a present layout which has remained unchanged from the original drawings, it was designated as one of the country's places of scenic beauty.
Tojinbo Sightseeing Pleasure Boat
The Tojinbo wall of rocks consisting of pyroxene andesite columnar joints stretches across continously for more than 1 km. Visitors can get on a pleasure cruise and admire rocks with characteristic peculiar shapes such as the beehive rock, the lion rock or the candle rock.
