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Fukui

Dinosaurs, Zen, and a coast carved by waves.

Popular keywords#Architecture#Culture & history#Industry, technology & traditional crafts#Protection from misfortune#Museum#Nature & scenic views#Food, markets & local products#Local sightseeing & town walks#Antique & Buddhist art
Totti · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Echizen

Tsurugi Jinja

It holds a National Treasure temple bell. Oda Nobunaga's ancestors are said to have been priests here, and the place name Ota is the origin of the family name.

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Saigen Jiro · CC0 ↗

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Awara, Sakai & FukuiCulture & History, Historic Districts · 22 entriesObamaShrines & Temples, Art & Crafts · 14 entriesFukuiShrines & Temples, Museums · 13 entriesEchizenShrines & Temples, Architecture · 10 entriesTsurugaShrines & Temples, Architecture · 9 entriesEchizenShrines & Temples, Historic Districts · 7 entries
FEATUREFukui now (autumn)Rich foliage surrounds Eiheiji Temple and Lake Kuzuryu.See the feature Yasuhiro Kojima · CC BY-SA 4.0
Enter Dinosaur CountrySee fossils and full skeletons at the renowned Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.Explore Wakasa BayExplore the varied coast and enjoy clear water and freshly landed seafood.Experience Zen at EiheijiWalk through the forested temple complex and encounter Soto Zen traditions.

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JAPAN GUIDE

Things worth knowing about Japan

No worries even on a first trip to Japan. Useful things to know, explained clearly.

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Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?

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Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?

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Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

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REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

Meet the Japan you don't know yet.

It is not only the big cities. The regions are full of charm, and special experiences you can only have in each place are waiting.

Hoko IslandEchizen WareLake Kuzuryu

Value Village

Japan's value, to the world.

Regional culture, tradition, food, sightseeing, nature and people. A directory that delivers the appeal of each to the whole world.

About Value Village
Value VillageLocal Value, Global Reach.
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INSTAGRAM / 6

Official and local Instagram photos

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THINGS TO DO / 6

Things to do in this prefecture

Choose from what you can only do here.

01Enter Dinosaur CountrySee fossils and full skeletons at the renowned Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.See related entries →Palaeotaku · CC BY 4.002Experience Zen at EiheijiWalk through the forested temple complex and encounter Soto Zen traditions.See related entries →Z3144228 · CC BY-SA 4.003Walk Tojinbo CliffsStand above the Sea of Japan on dramatic columnar-jointed cliffs.See related entries →663highland · CC BY-SA 4.004Explore IchijodaniWalk through reconstructed streets and gardens of the Asakura clan town.See related entries →663highland · CC BY 2.505Make Echizen WashiTry traditional papermaking and create a sheet of Echizen washi.See related entries →UFshio · CC BY-SA 4.006Explore Wakasa BayExplore the varied coast and enjoy clear water and freshly landed seafood.See related entries →TR15336300101 · CC BY-SA 4.0

NEED TO KNOW

At a glance

  • AirportNearest: Komatsu Airport (Ishikawa)
  • ShinkansenFukui and Tsuruga stations
  • From TokyoAbout 3 hr by Hokuriku Shinkansen (Tokyo–Fukui)
  • Best seasonAll year (highlights change by season)
  • Local specialtiesEchizen crab · Echizen oroshi soba · Sauce katsudon
  • Typical temperatureSummer: around 27°C / Winter: around 3°C

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BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

What each season brings

LOCAL FOOD / 12

Local food

What people have long eaten in this place. We collect the dishes themselves, not restaurants.

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Heshiko

A fermented food in which salted mackerel is packed in rice bran with salt and chili pepper for about six months. The bran is wiped off and the fish is sliced and eaten lightly grilled; it is also used in ochazuke (rice with tea poured over it) or as a filling for rice balls.

Area：Wakasa area (including the Kono district of Reihoku)

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Oroshi-soba

Soba that is boiled and chilled in water, topped with cold broth, grated daikon, dried bonito flakes and green onion. The strongly pungent Echizen karami daikon is used. There is also a way of serving in which the dashi and the grated daikon are provided separately.

Area：Throughout the prefecture (mainly the Reihoku region)

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

Happa Sushi

Pressed sushi in which salted trout, sliced thin on the diagonal and marinated in vinegar, is wrapped together with vinegared rice and ginger in a tung tree leaf, arranged in a sushi box and pressed under a weight. Because the leaf is oily, the grains of rice do not stick to it and the sushi can be eaten by hand.

Area：Kuzuryu River basin (mainly the Eiheiji district)

Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"

MICHI-NO-EKI / 21

Michi-no-Eki roadside stations

RestInformationLocal links

Rest facilities registered by Japan's national government. Each has parking and toilets open 24 hours, and by definition includes a facility that sells local products. This is where the making and the food of this prefecture can actually be bought.

There are 21 stations in this prefecture in all (national registry).

Source: MLIT register of Michi-no-Eki

LOCAL ACCOUNTS / 2

People posting this area

Japanese-language accounts that post about this area.

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CITIES & TOWNS / 14

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Sorted by number of entries. Start from the name of a town.

Awara, Sakai & Fukui 22Obama 14Fukui 13Echizen 10Tsuruga 9Echizen 7Katsuyama 7Wakasa 6Sakai 5Sabae 5Ono 4Eiheiji 3Minamiechizen 1Awara 1

INTERESTS / 12

Find by interest

Only the interests found in this prefecture.

Eiheiji · Z3144228 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Shrines & Temples30 entries

Eiheiji ／ Kehi Jingu

To the list Mikata Five Lakes · Nakai_Chan · CC BY 4.0

Nature & Scenery14 entries

Mikata Five Lakes ／ Oshima

To the list Katsuyama Hakusan · Namazu-tron · Public domain

Historic Districts11 entries

Katsuyama Hakusan ／ Echizen Crab

To the list Echizen Washi · UFshio · CC BY-SA 4.0

Architecture19 entries

Echizen Washi ／ Kumagawa-juku

To the list Ichijodani · 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Museums17 entries

Ichijodani ／ Dinosaur Museum

To the list Fukui Fine Arts Museum · Kimura Buzan · Public domain

Art & Crafts25 entries

Fukui Fine Arts Museum ／ Fukui City Art Museum

To the list Tojinbo · 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0

Contemporary Art3 entries

Tojinbo ／ Lake Mikata and the Varves

To the list Sabae Glasses · Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 4.0

Craft Experiences64 entries

Sabae Glasses ／ Takefu Knife Village

To the list Shibata Shrine · nnh · Public domain

Culture & History20 entries

Shibata Shrine ／ Koya Kokuryu Shrine

To the list Shichido Garan · 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Festivals2 entries

Shichido Garan ／ Omizu Okuri

To the list Fukui Agricultural Experiment Station · Akusiroyo · CC BY-SA 4.0

Food & Markets30 entries

Fukui Agricultural Experiment Station ／ Hoko Island

To the list Echizen Matsushima Aquarium · Tomomori · CC BY-SA 3.0

Experiences20 entries

Echizen Matsushima Aquarium ／ Echizen Coast

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HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of this prefecture

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Shrines & Temples
Eiheiji

Eiheiji

It is still a working training monastery. Dogen taught that not only zazen but cleaning, eating and washing the face are all practice. His Tenzo Kyokun sets out how to think about kitchen work, and its root is the same as the craftsman's work we have been following in this series.

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Museums
Fukui

Ichijodani

A whole Sengoku castle town survived by being buried. Four of its gardens are Special Places of Scenic Beauty.

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SMILE NEWS / 136

Smile news from Japan and the world

Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.

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Fukui

Fukui Dinosaur Museum's sauropod exhibition passes 300,000 visitors

The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum's special exhibition on sauropods, the largest animals ever to walk the land, has welcomed more than 300,000 visitors. Its centerpiece is Xinjiangotitan, a Chinese sauropod whose skeleton, laid out as found, stretches 19 meters; the show runs until November 3.

source: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
Fukui

Sabae's Nishiyama Zoo to show two sets of red panda twins

At Sabae City's Nishiyama Zoo, red panda twins born on June 26 go on public view from October 7, and a pair of female twins born on July 8 from October 17. Nicknames for the July-born pair will be accepted from October 17 to November 8.

source: Nishiyama Zoo, Sabae City
Patagonia National Park, Chile

Women rangers return Darwin's rheas to the wild in Chile

In Chile's Patagonia National Park, a women-led ranger team returned 13 Darwin's rheas to the wild in April 2026. Working with the Rewilding Chile Foundation, they care for the birds around the clock; surveys once estimated only about 11 to 15 remained.

source: Mongabay

INSTAGRAM

Explore on Instagram

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#福井県Fukui Prefecture

SEASONS & EVENTS

Seasons & events

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BEFORE YOU GO

Before you go

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Q1Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?Q2Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?Q3Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

TRAVEL

Transport & stays

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Photos of Fukui

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Totti · CC BY-SA 4.0