Echizen Coast & Ōno越前海岸・大野

Built in 1576 by Shibata Katsutoyo and a National Important Cultural Property: the keep, with its stone-tile roof, was rebuilt in 1955 after the 1948 Fukui earthquake. Go before the sweet-shrimp lunch: the castle opens at 8:30 and takes ¥450 (last entry 16:30).

The keep is under a large repair from March 2026 to about November 2027, so you may see it behind scaffolding. It can only be entered on set dates: 1 to 8 November and 12 to 31 December 2026 (partial opening); on other days walk the grounds and see it from outside. Parking is free from 6:30 to 20:00, with 40 places at the castle and 140 in the Hyakuhitsu Keishō-kan lot to the north.

About 1 km of columnar andesite cliffs rising to about 25 m, a national Natural Monument since 1935. Winter is the season for it: December to February brings the biggest waves, and the cliffs face west, so the sun goes down into the Sea of Japan behind the columns. There are no railings on most of the edge and the rock is slippery when wet. Stay well back in wind.

The 30-minute boat to Oshima island costs ¥2,000 and runs 9:00 to 15:30 from 1 November to 31 March. It is closed on Wednesdays, does not sail from 29 December to 31 January, and is cancelled in high waves. Parking: the municipal car park closed in July 2023 for redevelopment, so use the private shop car parks along the approach street (usually free if you buy something; fees vary). The Tōjinbō guide covers the tower, Oshima and the shopping street.

The wild Echizen daffodil (越前水仙) grows on these coastal slopes, and outdoors it normally flowers from early December to early February, depending on the year. Echizen Suisen no Sato Park grows them and shows them indoors all year, so it is worth the stop even before the slopes flower. The park is open 9:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays and from 28 December to 4 January, and charges ¥310; there are 80 parking places.

A coast daffodil festival ran from 17 January to 1 February in 2026. The 2027 dates are not out yet, so check with the Echizen town tourism office before you plan around it.

A lighthouse on the cape, where the coast road runs along the cliff edge above the Sea of Japan. Stop for the view down the coast and a short walk; in winter the wind off the sea is hard and the light is flat and grey, so dress for it. Hidetake (below) is a few minutes on at Tamagawa, so this is also where you can decide on tonight's inn.

A working Zen training monastery, founded in 1244 by Dōgen, with more than 70 buildings linked by covered wooden corridors. Admission is ¥700 and visitors are taken until about 16:00. Stay on the corridors, keep left, and do not photograph the monks. Walk-in zazen runs at 10:00, 13:30 and 15:30 (about 50 minutes) unless cancelled for temple business.

Parking: coin car parks by Hanshaku-bashi near the gate, or Eiheiji-sandō IC on the toll-free Chūbu-Jūkan Expressway, about 5 km away. Arrive for 9:00 and you are ahead of the coaches.

Goma-dōfu (sesame tofu) is the shōjin dish Eiheiji is known for: ground sesame set with kudzu starch into a dense, silky block. Danjo 團助 has made it since 1888 and sells fresh pieces at its main shop: 2 pieces for ¥432 and a sesame pudding for ¥380. It is a shop, not a restaurant, with no set meals. Parking holds 60 cars, and it is 5 minutes by car from the temple.

For a full shōjin meal the easy route is to sleep at Hakujukan at the temple gate, whose kaiseki is shōjin ryōri. Otherwise save your lunch for Ōno.

The 'castle in the sky' on Kameyama, with a keep rebuilt in 1968 on original rough-stone walls. It opens from 9:00 to 17:00 from April to September and 9:00 to 16:00 in October and November, and it is closed from December to March, when you see it from the streets below. The famous cloud sea round the hill is best in November at dawn, and only on a few mornings a season, so do not plan around it.

The Inuyama viewpoint trail is narrow and dangerous in snow and ice; skip it in winter.