DISCOVER FUKUI

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

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

Ski Jam Katsuyama is one of Western Japan's largest ski resorts, located on Hōonji Mountain in Katsuyama City. Opened in 1993, it features 13 varied courses for beginners, intermediates, and advanced skiers, along with a well-equipped rest hous…

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

The Tojinbo Cliffs are a kilometer-long stretch of the coastline of northern Fukui. These tall cliffs are made up of countless natural columns of stone created 12 to 13 million years ago by volcanic activity—a rare phenomenon found in only tw…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

The majestic beauty of the coastline with its towering cliffs and unusual rock formationsDesignated as a national park, the Echizen Coast stretches from Tojinbo Cliffs in the north to Suizu in Tsuruga in the south. Centered around Cape Echizen at i…

• Tannan

Awara Onsen is Fukui’s largest hot spring resort town, with many hot spring inns of all sizes. Awara Onsen has been welcoming many guests since its opening in 1881, and is so elegant that it is called "the inner parlor of Kansai&quo…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

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

Echizen Pottery Village is a collection of facilities where visitors can learn about, and experience, Echizen Pottery. Visit the Fukui Prefectural Museum of Ceramics, explore a park full of modern sculptures, or shape your own Echizen Pottery out o…

• Tannan

Echizen City boasts Japan's largest share as a producer of high-quality handmade washi paper. Particularly, the five villages known as the Echizen Washi Village—Oizu, Otaki, Iwamoto, Shinzai, and Sadatomo—are collectively called the…

• Tannan

The ruins of Fukui Castle are located a few hundred meters from Fukui Station, now surrounding the Fukui Prefectural Office building. Fuku-no-I, an old well said to be the origin of the name “Fukui,” can be found in the northwest corner…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

The Five Lakes of Mikata—Mikata, Suigetsu, Sugako, Kugushiko, and Hiruga—are all clustered together into a small area of southern Fukui, but all distinct from one another. Each one has a different depth and a different level of salt in …

• Wakasa

The island of Oshima is just off the coast of northern Fukui, near the Tojinbo Cliffs. With an elevation of 27 meters and a circumference of 2 kilometers, it is the largest islet on the Echizen Coast. For many centuries, this small, densely foreste…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

This massive wall in Shimokurodani, Ono City, was constructed for avalanche protection. It stands 15.5 meters tall and stretches 300 meters in length. Because avalanches once claimed many lives in this area, murals depicting wishes for eternal safe…

• 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

Wakasa-wada Beach, near the southwestern tip of Fukui, is a popular summer destination for its soft white sand and shallow, clear blue water. The beach offers peace of mind, as well, with lifeguards on duty during swimming season. This was the firs…

• Wakasa

SOY JOY Park offers fun for everyone from beginners to experts, featuring three lanes with varied-sized features suited to different skill levels. The big kicker in front of the restaurant is also popular. The upper Romance Area boasts an ungroomed…

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

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

Fukui Station serves as a common arrival point to the prefecture via the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Outside the west gate of the station is Dinosaur Plaza, celebrating the many dinosaurs found in this prefecture. The plaza features three life-size dinosa…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

Lake Kuzuryu was created in the mountains of eastern Fukui in 1968, when a hydroelectric dam was built on the Kuzuryu River. The lake is several kilometers long and as much as 355 meters wide in places, and the 266-meter-long Hakogase Bridge offers…

• Eiheiji, Okuetsu

Uriwarinotaki falls is located near Obama, known for a delicious natural spring that produces cold water all year round—consistently 13°C, even in summer. Unlike most famous waterfalls, it is wide and low to the ground, spreading out into…

• Wakasa