Why you should visit Hokuriku
This central Japanese region has some of the country’s most spectacular landscapes, from towering mountains to beautiful bays. This natural abundance translates into rich and varied local cuisine, as well as generations-old crafts like wood carving. Hokuriku is also well-connected, with a Shinkansen line to Tokyo and rapid trains down to Kyoto and Osaka.
The best time to visit Hokuriku
Spring: The season brings delicate pink cherry blossoms in bloom across the region. Marvel at the 65-foot walls of the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route’s snow corridor. Savor fresh sushi on the Belle Montagnes et Mer train while enjoying views of the snow-capped Tateyama mountain range over the waters of Toyama Bay.
Summer: Avoid the humidity by hiking in the cool heights of mountainous Hakusan, Myoko-Togakushi Renzan, and Chubu-Sangaku National Parks. Sunbathe and swim at sandy beaches like Uchinada and Tanihama. Join the fun at traditional summer festivals—like the lively and varied Wajima Taisai and Kanazawa Hyakumangoku—and move to the drumbeats of Sadogashima’s Earth Celebration. View world-class art in the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale, which sees contemporary art pieces displayed throughout the countryside for weeks.
Fall: Indulge in harvest-season chestnuts, persimmons, and akiagari, the first of the year’s sake. Ride the Kurobe Gorge Railway or take the cable car up Mount Tanigawa to admire the fiery-colored leaves. Use the bright, clear days to explore Hokuriku’s craft districts and historic quarters, such as Toyama’s Iwase neighborhood and the wood-carving town of Inami.
Winter: Seek out pristine powder snow for winter sports, whether at ski resorts like Mt. Naeba Ski Resort and Tateyama Sanroku Ski Resort or in the backcountry of the Japan Alps. Sink into a steaming hot spring bath as the snow falls around you. Warm yourself with a cup of sweet amazake at a winter festival, perhaps the Echizen Ono Winter Story Festival with its charming snow lanterns and fireworks, or the snow sculptures and fiery torchlit ski display of Unazuki Onsen Snow Carnival. Admire steep thatched gassho-zukuri houses covered in snow in Gokayama.
Travel inland to visit the Hokuriku region and see charming villages like Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, where the gasshō-zukuri-style houses have steep thatched roofs to withstand the heavy winter snowfall. Photograph by Wirestock, Inc., Alamy Stock Photo
(Related: The essential guide to visiting Kyushu, Japan.)
Hokuriku fast facts
Population: Around 5 million
Largest city: Niigata
Size: Made up of four prefectures (Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata), Hokuriku covers around 9,700 square miles
Currency: Japanese yen; ¥152 = US $1 (currency converter)
Government: Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. Emperor Naruhito became head of state in 2019.
Airports: Komatsu (KMQ) in Ishikawa is best for the south of the region. Toyama (TOY) and Niigata (KIJ) are more convenient for the north.
Time zones: Like the rest of Japan, Hokuriku is on Japan Standard Time (JST).
Lay of the land
Fukui: The most southerly prefecture in Hokuriku, Fukui is now easier to access than ever. There are express trains from Osaka and Kyoto, and in 2024, the Hokuriku Shinkansen line was extended, connecting Tokyo and Tsuruga in three hours. Aside from its charming cities—the laidback port of Tsuruga, the preserved historic streets of Obama, and the samurai town of Fukui—the prefecture has impressive natural scenery.
In Wakasa-Wan Quasi-National Park, for instance, visitors can walk along the indented ria coastline, swim near the white-sand beach of Kehi no Matsubara, and go bird-watching at the Mikata Five Lakes.
Further north, the hexagonal pillars of the Tojinbo cliffs create one of Japan’s most dramatic coastal vistas. Inland, don’t miss Eihei-ji (the “temple of eternal peace”), a 13th-century Buddhist monastery in the mountains east of Fukui city, where the Soto Zen sect was founded.
Ishikawa: Ishikawa’s capital, Kanazawa, is a cultural hub, with museums including the peaceful D.T. Suzuki Museum and the innovative 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. In addition to a well-preserved samurai district (Nagamachi), the city has two active geisha districts (Nishi Chaya and Higashi Chaya) and one of Japan’s most famous gardens (Kenroku-en).
Kaga Onsen (a cluster of hot spring towns) is replete with temples, sake breweries, and hiking trails—and of course, natural hot spring baths. Hakusan, one of Japan’s three holiest peaks, is further inland. In the center of Hakusan National Park, the 8,865-foot dormant volcano is crisscrossed with hiking trails, with the climbing season running from June through October.
North of Kanazawa is the Noto Peninsula, known for its rural scenery, craggy coastline, and slow pace of life. A major earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024 severely affected the northern half of the peninsula, but sights in the south are still open.
(Related: The essential guide to visiting Tohoku, Japan.)
Toyama: Toyama City has great museums like the elegant Toyama Glass Art Museum and open-air Municipal Folkcraft Village, plus Iwase, a beautifully maintained historical district. Its preservation was community-led, and the area now has several restaurants with Michelin stars or bib gourmands, including Cave Yunoki with its elevated French cuisine, and the masterful soba (buckwheat) specialist Kuchiiwa. Their produce comes largely from the fertile plains between the Tateyama mountains and Toyama Bay, which are dotted with sankyoson or “scattered villages” where the traditional farmhouses are widely spaced out, surrounded by protective trees, creating a uniquely beautiful rural landscape.
Further west is Inami, an important wood-carving town. Its artisans are some of the only remaining masters of their crafts. Head inland for the charming villages of Gokayama, where the gassho-zukuri houses have steeply pitched thatched roofs to withstand the heavy winter snowfall.
You can head into the towering peaks of the Tateyama mountains via the scenic Kurobe Gorge Railway in the northeast, or the cable cars, funiculars, and buses of the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route to the west.
In the fall, ride the Kurobe Gorge Railway or take the cable car up Mount Tanigawa to admire the fiery foliage like this couple sitting at the Unazuki train station overlooking the Kurobe Gorge in Toyama, Japan. Photograph by Tuckraider, Shutterstock
Niigata: Niigata is best known for two things: snow and sake. It’s a major winter sports destination, with some of Japan’s best ski resorts and most reliable powder. The clear mountain streams and delicious rice are perfect for making sake, and Niigata has more breweries than any other prefecture—around ninety. Taste local varieties at breweries, at bars, from specialist vending machines, or even poured by geisha in Niigata city.
The Echigo-Matsudai rice terraces near Tokamachi are serenely beautiful, especially on a misty spring morning when the rising sun reflects in the flooded terraces. In early summer, the pure waters near Joetsu attract fireflies, celebrated in the Nigami Firefly Festival.
Craggy Sadogashima was a penal colony for centuries as well as an island of exile for political elites (once even an emperor) and artistic troublemakers. These high-status exiles left a rich cultural legacy, from beautiful temples to artistic traditions like noh theater, which is a traditional Japanese dance-drama that combines acting, music, and song to tell stories. The island has more venues for noh on Sado than anywhere else in Japan. In the 1970s, students of taiko founded the now world-famous Kodo Drummers here.
(Related: The essential guide to visiting Chugoku and Shikoku, Japan.)
Where to stay in Hokuriku
Rakudo-An: Visitors get the chance to stay in one of Toyama’s sankyoson, a settlement scattered across a large plain. There are fascinating mingei (folk crafts) and contemporary art pieces throughout the 120-year-old farmhouse’s three rooms, Italian restaurant, and boutique.
Hakujukan: Attached to Eihei-ji in Fukui, Hakujukan provides guests with a temple-stay experience without the 4 a.m. start. Enjoy elegant shojin-ryori (plant-based Buddhist cuisine) and comfortable, calming surroundings. Guests can join the monks in zazen (guided meditation) and morning services if desired.
Hananoki: One of the most atmospheric places to stay on Sadogashima, Hananoki is a traditional inn in a 150-year-old house in Shukunegi. Most rooms are in individual villas in the lush gardens, and meals highlighting local and seasonal produce are served by the open hearth in the main building.
Taste of Hokuriku
With its deep bays, fertile farmland, and snow-covered mountains, Hokuriku has an abundance of local produce and boasts a delicious and highly seasonal regional cuisine.
Echizen crab. Fukui’s prized Echizen snow crabs (in season November through March) are usually just boiled and lightly salted, bringing out the naturally rich flavor.
Kanazawa oden. Kanazawa takes Japan’s much-loved oden hotpot to another level with additions like kani-men (stuffed snow crab shell) and kurumafu (wheat gluten).
Dried persimmons. Hokuriku’s fall persimmons are preserved differently in different places. Try Ishikawa korogaki and Toyama hoshigaki.
Buri shabu-shabu. One of the most popular ways to eat yellowtail (caught October through February) is as shabu-shabu—dipping thin slices into a simmering tabletop pot of light broth.
Toyama Black. This famous ramen is named after its dark broth, colored by soy sauce. It’s usually topped with chashu (pork belly) and green onions.
Hegi soba. Niigata’s hegi soba noodles are made from ground buckwheat and funori seaweed, giving them a smooth, elastic texture. Hegi refers to the wooden tray on which they’re served.
Sake. Hokuriku has dozens of excellent nihonshu (sake) breweries. Niigata is one of Japan’s primary sake-producing regions, and 80 percent of Toyama’s rice is grown for brewing. The national average is 20 percent.
Getting around
Most of the area’s trains are covered by the Japan Rail (JR) Pass, or one of its regional alternatives like the Hokuriku Arch Pass.
By Shinkansen: The Shinkansen (bullet train) is the easiest way to access the region from Tokyo. The line from the capital branches at Takasaki, with the Joetsu line continuing to Niigata via Nagaoka and the Hokuriku line to Tsuruga via Joetsu, Toyama, Kanazawa, Kaga Onsen, and Fukui.
By train: You can also take non-shinkansen trains from Tokyo (though this takes significantly longer), and from Kansai-area cities like Osaka and Kyoto. Trains are the simplest way to access the Noto Peninsula, some towns around Kaga Onsen and Hakusan, the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, and the Kurobe Gorge Railway.
By bus: Gokayama, Inami, and Eihei-ji are best accessed by bus. Buses also connect the Kaga Onsen towns.
By boat: Regular ferries leave Niigata for Ryotsu, on Sadogashima’s eastern coast. Take the ferry from Naoetsu (late April through mid-November) to visit Ogi in the south. It’s a short train journey from Joetsu-Myoko on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line.
Know before you go
Hours: Hokuriku is better set up for early mornings than late nights. If you stay in a ryokan, don’t be surprised if the last breakfast slot is around 9 a.m. and dinner is around 7 p.m. Most shops, museums, and other sights only close on Mondays, except for national holidays.
Tipping: As elsewhere in Japan, you shouldn’t tip in Hokuriku.
LGBTQ+: There is a general cultural avoidance of PDA regardless of sexuality, but no one will bat an eye at, for instance, two people of the same gender sharing a room or a private bath. Kanazawa is the center of the LGBTQ+ community in the region. Kanazawa Rainbow Pride is now well-established and Nijinoma acts as a queer cultural center.
How to visit the region sustainably
Just by going to Hokuriku, you’re combating the growing problem of overtourism in certain Japanese regions. In 2023, only zero-point-four percent of tourists visited Niigata, one-point-one percent visited Toyama, two-point-five percent visited Ishikawa, and zero-point-two percent visited Fukui.
Increase your positive impact by staying in locally owned accommodations and visiting independent shops and restaurants. Taking part in craft workshops is one way to contribute meaningfully to the continuation of these rich artistic traditions.
It will take a while for the northern Noto Peninsula to be ready to host tourists again after the 2024 earthquake, but you can still support recovery efforts by visiting the south.
Rebecca Hallett is a UK-based travel writer, speaker, and Japan specialist with credits across guidebooks, magazines, podcasts, and newspapers.