DISCOVER FUKUI

The Hokkoku Highway stretches approximately 520 km from Kyoto through Otsu, Hikone, and Lake Biwa into Fukui Prefecture, passing through Imajo, Nanjo, Echizen City (formerly Takefu City), Sabae City, and Fukui City, continuing on to Kanazawa, Toyama, and Niigata. As a major thoroughfare traversing Echizen, traffic became frequent, leading to the development of post stations within the town: Wakimoto, Sabanami, Yuo, and Imajo. The Honjin Nakayama family at Wakimoto-juku were hereditary head stewards of the Fukui domain; their gate structure, still standing today, evokes memories of the past. Imasho-juku developed as a crucial post town in the prefecture, where all routes converged: the Hokurikudo (West Omi Route) crossing Kinome Pass and the Hokkokukaido (East Omi Route) crossing Tochinoki Pass. It still retains its old-world charm and exudes a simple, rustic appeal.