DISCOVER FUKUI

“Happy Bus” is a convenient bus tour that lets you hop around Fukui Prefecture’s major attractions with ease. A professional bus guide accompanies the tour, introducing Fukui’s charms and the features of …

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui
• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

The temple of Eiheiji was established in 1244 as a temple of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism, by Zen Master Dogen (1200–1253). The temple is located in a deep mountain valley with more than 70 halls and towers. Today, Eiheiji is one of the he…

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

Seidaiji Temple is home to the Echizen Great Buddha, one of the largest seated Buddha statues in Japan. This 17-meter-tall statue was based on the seated Buddha statue in the Longmen Grottoes of Luoyang, China, where Buddhism was first introduced. …

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

Hakusan Heisenji Shrine was originally established in 717, and is best known for its mossy grounds and gardens. Today, Hakusan Heisenji Shrine is beloved as a quiet refuge from the modern world. Along the path to the shrine, moss covers parts of th…

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

Kehi Jingu Shrine has been famous for its “Chomeisui,” or “water of long life,” for roughly 1,300 years. When the shrine was rebuilt in the year 702, a water spring was discovered here. It was considered sacred because the s…

• Wakasa

Located in the quiet mountains of Shoden-cho, Echizen City, Gotanjoji Temple ーof the Soto Zen Buddhist sectー is a temple specializing in ascetic practices where monks devote themselves to daily training.Commonly called "Neko-dera,&…

• Tannan

The ruins of Kitanosho Castle can be found at Shibata Park. Construction of the castle was started in 1575, by the warlord Shibata Katsuie (c. 1523–1583), but it was destroyed in 1583 with Shibata’s defeat. The park also includes a shri…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

The first dojo where Zen Master Dogen practiced upon entering Echizen, boasting a history of approximately 800 years. At the invitation of Lord Hatano Yoshishige in 1243, Zen Master Dogen entered Yoshimine-ji Temple in Shibi District, Echizen, spen…

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

The Omizu-Okuri “Water-Sending” Ritual to Nara's Todaiji Temple is renowned as a sacred ritual of this shrine temple. With the sacred mountain as its backdrop, the main hall (a designated Important Cultural Property), the fines…

• Wakasa

Sakaenoyashiro Shrine is a major shrine located next to the ruins of Fukui Castle. A stone torii gate welcomes visitors to its peaceful grounds. The shrine holds over a dozen events and rituals throughout the year, including a large festival at the…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

Kōgyō-ji Temple was founded in 1406 by Shūgaku Shōnin, the third son of Shōnyo Shōnin, the fifth head priest of Hongan-ji. Its "weeping cherry blossoms in spring" and "ginkgo trees in autumn" are renowned, and the museum "H…

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

Tsurugi Shrine was burned down by Taira no Kiyomori in 1161, but Taira no Shigemori, Kiyomori's eldest son, rebuilt the shrine in 1164. Shigemori is enshrined at the Komatsu Ken'un Shrine within the grounds.Tsurugi Shrine is the second most…

• Tannan

In the Yoshizaki area, where Rennyo, the founder of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, made his missionary base, a new roadside station has opened to serve as a new tourist base while refining the area's natural, cultural, historical, culinary,…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

Okamoto-Otaki Shrine is Japan’s only shrine dedicated to the goddess of paper. Nowadays, it is known for its history, beautiful grounds, and its unusual architecture: a single large, complex roof connects and combines Okamoto and Otaki Shrine…

• Tannan

The summit area of Mount Ochi is said to have once been a sacred mountain site blending Shinto and Buddhist elements. Near the trig point at the peak are the inner sanctuary, the Daishi Hall, the shrine office, Hiyoshi Shrine, the main hall, and th…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui
• Tannan

In 887, Chūnagon Nariyuki, exiled to Echizen (present-day northern Fukui Prefecture), prayed here continuously to clear his name of false charges. Soon after, he was pardoned and returned to the capital. Grateful, he built the shrine hall, which is…

• Tannan

Wakasa Ichinomiya Shrine was established as the main Shinto shrine of Wakasa Province. Wakasa Ichinomiya actually consists of a pair of shrines: Wakasahiko Shrine as the “upper shrine,” and Wakasahime Shrine as the “lower shrine.&…

• Wakasa

Ryusenji Temple, known as a training ground for the Soto Zen sect, features a quiet atmosphere with pine trees lining its approach. Founded in 1367 by Tsuugen Jaku-rei, it served as the family temple for the Honda clan, feudal lords of Fuchu (aroun…

• Tannan

Founded during the Yoro era (717-724) of the Nara period by the great master Taicho, this Tendai sect temple was originally located in Nojiri, Ikeda Town. It was relocated to its present site in Fuchu, Echizen, in 1533 (Tensho 2) by order of the As…

• Tannan

A shrine dedicated to Abe no Seimei, a Heian-period (794-1185) "onmyoji", those technical officers in charge of divination and geomorphology based on the theory of the yin-and-yang five phases. Revered as a guardian against fire for prote…

• Wakasa