Oct–NovTwo weeks from Tokyo to Kyoto along the Sea of Japan coast: five bases, a whole day for every sight, and dinner treated as part of the plan. Fewer places, more nights, no rushing back.
Slow Hokuriku is a 14-night route from Tokyo to Kyoto with five bases: Toyama (4 nights), Kanazawa (3), Awara Onsen (2), Fukui (2) and Obama on the Wakasa coast (3), with a whole day for each sight. It starts on the Kagayaki to Toyama (2h 4m, ¥13,180) and ends on the Thunderbird from Tsuruga to Kyoto (52 min, ¥3,420). The JR legs come to about ¥35,280 in single tickets. The Alpine Route runs only from mid-April to 30 November.
I built this route for people who want to be in Hokuriku, not tick it off. Wake up in the same town three mornings running, find the counter you want to go back to, and still have an hour for a bath before dinner.
The route follows the Hokuriku Shinkansen west, then the coast. Toyama first, for the Kurobe Gorge, the Alpine Route and Toyama Bay; Kanazawa for the gardens, the teahouses and the castle; Awara Onsen for Tōjinbō and the old port of Mikuni; Fukui city for the Dinosaur Museum and Eiheiji; then Obama on the Wakasa coast, where Kyoto's mackerel came from, before the Thunderbird to Kyoto. The first four bases are under 30 minutes apart by train; Obama is about 1h 30m from Fukui.
Every base gets one whole day per sight. The Kurobe Gorge is a day, the Alpine Route is a day, Tōjinbō and Mikuni are a day. Nothing is squeezed into an afternoon between trains, and each base has one evening with nothing booked. If the weather turns, you have room to swap days instead of losing one.
Fares on this page are one-way reserved seats in the standard season, checked in September 2026. Train times are from the 2026 timetables; the Alpine Route, Chitetsu, the Kurobe Gorge Railway, Ainokaze Toyama Railway, Echizen Railway and Keifuku buses are not JR and are paid separately.
The route starts with four nights in Toyama. Both hotels are within five minutes of the station. Every base on the route.
Upper floors of the station building, two minutes from Dentetsu-Toyama for the Alpine Route and from the Shinkansen for the gorge. The easy choice for four nights.
City hotel 5 min on foot from Toyama Station on the Sakurabashi-dōri tram line, with the izakaya of the station area on the way home.
The route changes hotel four times in two weeks. Each move is a short train in the morning, so the day of a move still has a sight or an onsen in it.
| Base | Nights | The whole days | Getting in | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyama 富山 | 4 (nights 1–4) | Kurobe Gorge; Alpine Route; firefly squid and the city | Tokyo → Toyama, Kagayaki 2h 4m | ¥13,180 |
| Kanazawa 金沢 | 3 (nights 5–7) | The castle (half a day); Kenrokuen and the tea district; a free day | Toyama → Kanazawa, Shinkansen 18–23 min | ¥3,390 |
| Awara Onsen あわら温泉 | 2 (nights 8–9) | An onsen afternoon; Tōjinbō and Mikuni-minato | Kanazawa → Awara-Onsen, Shinkansen about 25 min, then bus 8–15 min (¥300) | ¥3,390 |
| Fukui 福井 | 2 (nights 10–11) | Fukui city and the Dinosaur Museum; Eiheiji and the countryside | Awara-yunomachi → Fukui, Echizen Railway 41 min (¥730), or Shinkansen from Awara-Onsen 8 min (¥1,210) | ¥730–¥1,210 |
| Obama 小浜 | 3 (nights 12–14) | Obama town; the fish market and chopsticks; the Wakasa coast | Fukui → Tsuruga 16–17 min, then the JR Obama Line 1h 4m–1h 9m | ¥2,730 + ¥990 |
| Kyoto 京都 | Day 15 | Arrive by lunchtime | Obama → Tsuruga, then the Thunderbird 52 min | ¥990 + ¥3,420 |
Order matters: the mountain days come first because the Alpine Route and the Kurobe Gorge Railway depend on the weather and close after 30 November; Kanazawa's gardens and Fukui's temple work in rain. Fly into Tokyo and out of Kansai. Busy dates: reserved Kagayaki seats sell out 2–3 weeks ahead at Golden Week, Obon, autumn weekends and New Year.
Hokuriku has a density of fine dining that most visitors never hear about. The MICHELIN Guide Hokuriku 2021 Special Edition gave Toyama Prefecture 20 starred restaurants (4 with two stars, 16 with one), double the previous edition, and Kanazawa's Ryōri Komatsu 料理小松 was the first three-star restaurant in Hokuriku.
One short street in Iwase 東岩瀬, Toyama City's old Kitamae-ship port, holds four restaurants from that guide: Oryōri Fujii 御料理ふじ居 (two stars), Cave Yunoki (one star), sushi GEJO (Michelin Plate) and Piatto Suzuki Cinque (Bib Gourmand), with Masuda Shuzō, the Masuizumi 満寿泉 brewery, on the same street. It is 25 minutes from Toyama Station on the light rail (¥220), and the route gives it a whole evening.
The everyday food is the bigger reason to stay. Toyama City spent more on sushi per household than any other Japanese city in 2024 (¥23,185). I eat at yakitori counters, izakaya and sushi bars all over Hokuriku, and to me Tokyo food is a 5 out of 10 next to a random place in Toyama at 10. People who loved "the food in Japan" usually mean Tokyo; after a week here, the bar moves.
Each base has its own table. Toyama Bay's firefly squid, shiroebi and winter yellowtail; Kanazawa's Kaga cuisine and Omicho Market; Awara's stalls and ryokan kaiseki; Mikuni's sweet shrimp and Echizen crab (from 6 November); Fukui's oroshi soba; and Wakasa's grilled mackerel, heshiko and farmed tiger fugu. Two of the region's best meals come with a room: Auberge Homachi in Mikuni is on this route, and L'évo in Toga is a detour from Toyama (see Toyama hotels).
Toyama is the base for the mountain days: the Alpine Route starts at Dentetsu-Toyama beside the station, and Kurobe-Unazukionsen is 12 minutes away. One hotel for four nights. More in Toyama as a base.
| Day | The day | Trains | Dinner | Slow hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive and walk: Toyama city, Kansui Park on the Fugan Canal, the Matsukawa River and the free rooftop garden at TAD for the Tateyama range. Nothing booked | Tokyo 07:20 Kagayaki 503 → Toyama 09:24 (2h 4m, ¥13,180) | A Toyama Bay sushi counter in Sogawa or Ichibanchō. The best take no walk-ins: have the hotel phone a day ahead | Kansui Park and the canal at dusk |
| 2 | Kurobe Gorge Railway 黒部峡谷鉄道: Unazuki 10:44 → Keyakidaira 12:03, back on the 13:10. Keyakidaira return ¥4,960. Runs 20 April – 30 November in 2026; to Keyakidaira from 1 October | Toyama → Kurobe-Unazukionsen, Hakutaka 12 min (¥2,990), then Chitetsu to Unazuki-Onsen 26 min (¥740) | An izakaya back in Toyama for the day's bay fish; in spring, firefly squid with vinegared miso | A bath in Unazuki Onsen before the train back |
| 3 | Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route 立山黒部アルペンルート to Murodō (2,450 m): the snow walls to late June, flowers in summer, colour from late September. Queues peak 13:00–15:00, so go early. Allow 8–10 hours | Dentetsu-Toyama → Tateyama, Chitetsu about 1h. Dentetsu-Toyama to Murodō and back ¥10,220 | Yakitori and a beer near the station: after a mountain day, keep it easy | The path round Mikurigaike pond at Murodō |
| 4 | Hotaruika Museum ほたるいかミュージアム in Namerikawa (¥820; live squid show 20 March – 31 May), then the Toyama Glass Art Museum 富山市ガラス美術館 (Kengo Kuma, ¥200, closed 1st and 3rd Wednesdays) and the light rail to Iwase 岩瀬 | Ainokaze Toyama Railway to Namerikawa, about 15 min (about ¥390); tram in town ¥220; light rail to Iwasehama 25 min (¥220) | Iwase's fine-dining street: Oryōri Fujii (two stars), Cave Yunoki (one star), sushi GEJO or Piatto Suzuki Cinque. Book weeks ahead | A tasting at Masuda Shuzō, the Masuizumi brewery, on the same street |
The firefly squid boat: in spring the sightseeing boat leaves Namerikawa at 2:00 (gather 1:30) for the fixed nets, about 90 minutes, ¥8,000, 40 people, booked online from January. Trains do not run at that hour: stay near Namerikawa or pre-book a taxi from Toyama (about ¥4,000 each way). It sails in about half of all nights; if it is cancelled you get free entry to the museum. Weather: swap days 2 and 3 if the Murodō forecast is poor; the gorge is lower and more sheltered.
Kanazawa is the one busy town on this route, and only at the big sights in the middle of the day. Three nights let you see Kenrokuen and Higashi Chaya at the quiet ends of the day, and keep one day for the market and the lanes. The hour-by-hour version is the Kanazawa itinerary.
| Day | The day | Trains | Dinner | Slow hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Bags to the hotel, then half a day at Kanazawa Castle Park 金沢城公園: the Ishikawa-mon Gate (1788), the reconstructed Hishi-yagura and Gojikken Nagaya (¥320), the Gyokusen-immaru Garden and the stone walls. Some areas are closed for earthquake repairs | Toyama → Kanazawa, Shinkansen 18–23 min (¥3,390) | Kaga cuisine: jibuni 治部煮, the duck stew of the Maeda court, as part of a course at Kappo Tsuruko or at Omicho Shokudō (since 1930) | Kazuemachi 主計町 at dusk, when the lanterns come on along the Asano River |
| 6 | Kenrokuen 兼六園 at opening, then Higashi Chaya ひがし茶屋街: Shima 志摩, the only fully preserved Edo chaya open to the public, and Kaikaro | On foot, or the Castle Town Loop Bus (¥220) | A sushi counter or kappō in Korinbō and Katamachi. For the occasion: Ryōri Komatsu, Hokuriku's first three-star restaurant | Matcha and wagashi in a chaya after 16:00, when the lanes empty |
| 7 | The free day: a kaisendon at Omicho Market 近江町市場 from 7:00 (Iki-iki-tei, closed Thursdays), then the Nagamachi samurai lanes, the 21st Century Museum or the craft workshops | On foot | Nodoguro, sweet shrimp and, from 6 November, snow crab. See Kanazawa food | Nothing booked. That is the point of the third night |
Mondays: most Kanazawa museums close, so keep Monday for the castle or the garden. Kenrokuen and Higashi Chaya fill from late morning to mid-afternoon in sakura and autumn weeks; before 10:00 and after 16:00 they are calm.
Awara Onsen is a town of ryokan fed by 74 hot-spring sources, one stop before Fukui on the Shinkansen, and the Keifuku bus from the ryokan runs on to Tōjinbō and Mikuni. Two nights here are the rest in the middle of the trip.
| Day | The day | Trains | Dinner | Slow hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | A ryokan afternoon in Awara Onsen. If check-in is later, the public bath Centopia Awara (¥600, closed 3rd Tuesday) | Kanazawa → Awara-Onsen, Shinkansen about 25 min (¥3,390), then Keifuku bus to Awara-yunomachi 8–15 min (¥300) | Ryokan kaiseki, or Yukemuri Yokochō 湯けむり横丁: ten counter stalls with yakitori, sushi, fugu and Fukui pork skewers | The free hinoki footbath Ashiyu 芦湯 by Awara-yunomachi Station, 07:00–23:00 |
| 9 | Morning in Mikuni-minato 三国湊: Kitamae-dōri's latticed houses, the free Former Morita Bank, uguisu mochi from a shop founded in 1719. Afternoon at Tōjinbō 東尋坊: the cliff top and the 30-minute boat (¥2,000) | Keifuku bus Awara-yunomachi → Tōjinbō 29 min (¥570); Tōjinbō ↔ Mikuni Station 10 min (¥280) | Lunch of sweet shrimp and sea urchin bowls at Uoshirō (¥880–¥2,420); dinner at the ryokan, or at Homachi if this is your splurge night | Sunset over the columns at Tōjinbō. Check the last bus back, or sleep in Mikuni |
Avoid Wednesdays here: the Tōjinbō boat and several Mikuni museums and sweet shops close; the Morita Bank closes on Mondays. The splurge: Auberge Homachi's free shuttle meets the Shinkansen at Awara-Onsen (pick-ups 13:40 and 15:40, book by 17:00 the day before), so it can replace either Awara night.
Fukui city is the rail hub for both inland sights: the Echizen Railway to Katsuyama and the Eiheiji Liner both leave from the station. I'd call Fukui the most underrated prefecture in Hokuriku; two days is the least I would give it.
| Day | The day | Trains | Dinner | Slow hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum 福井県立恐竜博物館 (¥1,000, timed entry, closed 2nd and 4th Wednesdays), then back to the robot dinosaurs at Fukui Station and the Fukui Castle ruins | Awara-yunomachi → Fukui, Echizen Railway 41 min (¥730); Fukui → Katsuyama 54 min (¥820) plus bus | Oroshi soba with grated daikon, sauce katsu-don and Echizen sake; Echizen crab from 6 November | Yōkōkan Garden 養浩館庭園, the Matsudaira lords' pond garden, 15 minutes' walk from the station |
| 11 | Eiheiji 永平寺 (¥700), the Sōtō Zen head temple founded in 1244, with the 10:00 drop-in zazen; then the countryside at Ichijōdani 一乗谷, the Asakura clan's excavated town (museum ¥700, closed Mondays) | Eiheiji Liner from Fukui Station East, about 30 min (¥1,000 from 1 Oct 2026); JR Kuzuryū Line to Ichijōdani 15 min | Crab or soba in Fukui, or shōjin vegetarian kaiseki if you sleep at the temple gate | The cedar-lined corridors of Eiheiji after zazen |
Buy the museum slot first, then the Echizen Railway Dinosaur set ticket (¥1,700, rail plus Katsuyama buses). Neither the JR Pass nor the Arch Pass covers Echizen Railway or Keifuku buses. Leaf-season weekends (late October to mid-November) fill the Eiheiji Liner, which is first come, first served.
Wakasa is the ria coast of western Fukui, which fed the imperial court for 1,300 years; its salted mackerel went to Kyoto on foot along the Saba-kaidō 鯖街道. Obama sits in the middle of the JR Obama Line, one slow single-track line from Tsuruga. Give it one to three days; this plan gives it three.
| Day | The day | Trains | Dinner | Slow hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Lunch of hama-yaki saba 浜焼き鯖 in the Izumi-chō arcade, the start of the Saba-kaidō; the free Saba-kaidō Museum (closed Tuesdays); the 14:00 Sotomo sea-cave boat (¥2,500 + ¥100, March to November) | Fukui → Tsuruga, Shinkansen 16–17 min (¥2,730); Obama Line 11:18 → Obama 12:24 (¥990) | Wakasa fugu (October to March) or guji tilefish (April to September). Sekumiya is known for fugu and crab dinners | A harbour walk from the Fisherman's Wharf |
| 13 | Obama: the Fish Centre from 07:00 (closed Wednesdays), polish your own Wakasa-nuri chopsticks at Hashi no Furusato-kan (¥1,100, closed Thursdays, phone by 15:00), Myōtsū-ji 明通寺 (National Treasure hall and pagoda, ¥500) and the Onyu shrines by e-bike | E-bikes from Higashi-Obama Station, ¥500 up to 2h | Half board at your inn: in Wakasa the best fugu and crab is served at auberges and minshuku. See Wakasa food | The veranda at Goshoen 護松園 in Nishizu, with no pillar in the way of the garden (closed Wednesdays and Thursdays) |
| 14 | Pick one: Kumagawa-juku 熊川宿, the Saba-kaidō post town, with Uriwari Falls; the Mikata Five Lakes and the Varve Museum; or, in July and August, Wakasa Wada Beach | Obama → Kaminaka 13 min (¥240), then bus 11–15 min to Kumagawa; or Obama → Wakasa-Wada 21 min (¥330) | Heshiko へしこ, mackerel cured a year in rice bran, and yopparai saba sashimi. Or the last-night splurge at Wakasa Kajitsu | Sunset at Wakasa Wada, one of Japan's 100 best sunsets |
| 15 | Kyoto by lunchtime | Obama 09:34 → Tsuruga 10:37 (¥990), then the Thunderbird to Kyoto, 52 min (¥3,420, all reserved) | Kyoto | Or go the slow way: the JR bus over the old Saba-kaidō via Kumagawa-juku to Ōmi-Imazu and the Kosei Line to Kyoto, about 2h (¥2,340) |
Plan around the gap: on weekdays no Obama Line train leaves Tsuruga between 07:48 and 11:18, so leave Fukui mid-morning for the 11:18. Pay in cash or paper: ICOCA works only at Tsuruga and Higashi-Maizuru on this line. Closed days: Wednesday shuts the Fish Centre and the Food Culture Museum; Thursday the chopstick showroom. Timetables and the bus from Kyoto are on Getting to Wakasa.
The Hokuriku Arch Pass costs ¥35,000 for 7 consecutive days. This route spreads its trains over 15 days, so no 7-day window comes close to paying for it: the busiest week, days 1 to 7, costs ¥22,550 in single tickets.
| Day | JR leg | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo → Toyama, Kagayaki | 2h 4m | ¥13,180 |
| 2 | Toyama ↔ Kurobe-Unazukionsen, return | 12 min each way | ¥5,980 |
| 5 | Toyama → Kanazawa | 18–23 min | ¥3,390 |
| 8 | Kanazawa → Awara-Onsen | about 25 min | ¥3,390 |
| 10 | Awara-Onsen → Fukui (or Echizen Railway ¥730, not JR) | 8 min | ¥1,210 |
| 12 | Fukui → Tsuruga, then Tsuruga → Obama | 16–17 min + 1h 4m–1h 9m | ¥2,730 + ¥990 |
| 15 | Obama → Tsuruga, then Thunderbird to Kyoto | 1h 4m–1h 9m + 52 min | ¥990 + ¥3,420 |
| Total | All JR legs, single tickets | 15 days | ¥35,280 |
Why the pass loses: it costs ¥35,000 for 7 consecutive days, and the most any 7 days of this route spends on JR is ¥22,550 (days 1–7). When a pass could still pay: if you squeeze the travel into one week, as in the one-week version below (about ¥33,300 in singles, so the pass costs about ¥1,700 more but adds the Haruka to Kansai Airport and any extra JR day trip), or if you add JR day trips in the first week, such as Hakuba from Toyama (¥4,200 each way, on the Arch Pass). The pass is sold only to foreign passport holders entering Japan as Temporary Visitors. A 7-day JR Pass (¥50,000 at a JR station, ¥53,000 prebooked from 1 October 2026) does not pay on this route.
Not JR, whatever you hold: the Alpine Route (Dentetsu-Toyama to Murodō and back ¥10,220), the Kurobe Gorge Railway (Keyakidaira return ¥4,960), Chitetsu to Unazuki-Onsen (¥740 each way), Echizen Railway, Keifuku buses and the Eiheiji Liner. On this route they add about ¥24,000 per person, before boats and entry fees.
For the two-week route, buy single tickets on Eki-net or e5489 as you go. For the one-week version, the Arch Pass costs about the same as single tickets and adds the airport trains.
Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka via Toyama, Kanazawa and Fukui, Shinkansen reserved seats and the Obama Line included. Is it worth it?
See on Klook ↗Only if Hokuriku is one part of a longer trip round Japan. Pass comparison
See on Klook ↗If two weeks will not fit, cut whole bases short rather than cramming days. Both versions keep Toyama's four days, because the mountains are what you cannot get elsewhere. For 3, 5 and 7-day plans with a Tokyo return, see the Hokuriku itinerary. For a 7, 10 or 14-day loop that ends with the Nozomi back to Tokyo, see the Golden Triangle.
| Base | Nights | Keep | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyama | 4 | All four days | Nothing |
| Kanazawa | 2 | The castle; Kenrokuen and Higashi Chaya | The free day |
| Awara Onsen | 2 | The onsen afternoon; Tōjinbō and Mikuni | Nothing |
| Fukui | 1 | Eiheiji or the Dinosaur Museum | The other one |
| Obama | 1 | Grilled mackerel, the Sotomo boat, the chopsticks | The coast day |
| Base | Nights | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Toyama | 3 | Arrival day in the city and a sushi dinner; the Kurobe Gorge; the Alpine Route (or Himi and Unazuki Onsen in winter) |
| Kanazawa | 2 | The castle on arrival; Kenrokuen and Higashi Chaya |
| Awara Onsen | 1 | Tōjinbō and Mikuni, then a ryokan night |
| Kyoto | Day 7 | Awara-Onsen → Tsuruga by Shinkansen, Thunderbird to Kyoto (52 min) |
Rail cost: ten nights uses the same JR legs as two weeks (about ¥35,280), still spread over more than 7 days, so buy singles. The week costs about ¥33,300 in singles (¥13,180 + ¥5,980 + ¥3,390 + ¥3,390, then about ¥3,940 to Tsuruga via Fukui and ¥3,420 to Kyoto), close enough that the Arch Pass is the easier buy.
Hokuriku needs about two weeks for a whole day at each sight: 14 nights covers Toyama, Kanazawa, Awara Onsen, Fukui and the Wakasa coast, ending in Kyoto. Five days is the minimum for Toyama, the Alpine Route, the Kurobe Gorge and Kanazawa, and a week reaches Fukui. The mountain lines close after 30 November 2026. My advice: stay longer in fewer places. See the 3, 5 and 7-day plans.
A Hokuriku trip can end in Kyoto: the Hokuriku Shinkansen runs to Tsuruga, where the Thunderbird reaches Kyoto in 52 minutes (¥3,420, all reserved). From Obama on the Wakasa coast, the Obama Line to Tsuruga takes 1h 4m to 1h 9m (¥990). The slow alternative is the JR bus over the old Saba-kaidō via Kumagawa-juku and the Kosei Line, about 2h (¥2,340). Allow 8 to 10 minutes to change at Tsuruga.
Two weeks in Hokuriku is not too long, in my view, if you change base as you go: this route moves four times, the first four bases are under 30 minutes apart by train, and every sight gets a whole day. Toyama alone has the Alpine Route, the Kurobe Gorge and Toyama Bay, and Fukui could fill a week. If you only want Kanazawa's big sights, 3 days is enough.
Obama is the best base in Wakasa: it sits in the middle of the JR Obama Line, 1h 4m to 1h 9m from Tsuruga (¥990), with the fish market, the Sotomo boats and grilled mackerel within walking distance. Wakasa Kajitsu (from ¥36,300 per person with dinner) runs a free shuttle from Obama Station at 14:30, and Sekumiya is the traditional ryokan in town. For rail day trips only, Tsuruga works. See Wakasa hotels.
The Hokuriku Arch Pass (¥35,000) is not worth it for this two-week route: it runs for 7 consecutive days, and the JR legs of the busiest week (Tokyo to Toyama, the Kurobe day and on to Kanazawa) cost ¥22,550 in single tickets. The whole 14-night route costs about ¥35,280 in singles, spread over 15 days. The pass pays when the travel fits in one week, as in the one-week version to Kyoto.
The best season for a slow Hokuriku trip is mid-April to May or October to November, when the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is open (15 April to 30 November in 2026). Spring adds the snow walls, sakura and firefly squid; autumn adds the leaf trail from the Alps to Kenrokuen and Echizen crab from 6 November. For the Wakasa beaches, come in July or August; for skiing and crab, in winter.
Hokuriku is one of Japan's best regions for food: the MICHELIN Guide Hokuriku 2021 Special Edition gave Toyama Prefecture 20 starred restaurants, and one short street in Iwase, Toyama's old port, has four restaurants from that guide. Toyama City spent more on sushi per household than any other Japanese city in 2024 (¥23,185). Kanazawa's Ryōri Komatsu was Hokuriku's first three-star restaurant. Crab season opens on 6 November.
This slow Hokuriku route works in winter with two swaps: the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is closed from 1 December to mid-April and the Kurobe Gorge Railway after 30 November, so replace them with a night in Unazuki Onsen and a day in Himi for kan-buri yellowtail. Echizen crab runs from 6 November to 20 March and Wakasa fugu from October to March. Hakuba is 2h 51m from Toyama via Itoigawa (¥4,200).
The night I would splurge on is Auberge Homachi in Mikuni, Fukui: sixteen suites in nine restored Edo and Meiji townhouses, French dinner on Fukui produce, and Tōjinbō 10 minutes away by car (from ¥38,000 per person with two meals). In Awara Onsen, Beniya Kofuyuden holds Fukui's only MICHELIN Key. On the Wakasa coast, Wakasa Kajitsu starts at ¥36,300 per person with dinner. See Homachi.
In order along the route: Toyama, Kanazawa, Awara Onsen, Fukui and Obama. Stay near the station in Toyama and Fukui, where the mornings start on trains; in Awara and Obama, stay where dinner is the point.
Upper floors of the station building, two minutes from Dentetsu-Toyama for the Alpine Route and from the Shinkansen for the gorge. The easy choice for four nights.
City hotel 5 min on foot from Toyama Station on the Sakurabashi-dōri tram line, with the izakaya of the station area on the way home.
15 min walk to Higashi Chaya, 5 min to Kenrokuen. Taisho-roman classical interior, in-city natural hot spring and in-house Kaga ryōri: the right base for three slow days.
A 40+ item breakfast buffet with Kanazawa curry and jibuni, and the Korinbō and Katamachi counters on the doorstep for the evenings.
Large upscale ryokan where many rooms have their own open-air bath. Crab kaiseki plans from November.
The night to make the trip: sixteen suites in nine restored Edo and Meiji townhouses, French dinner overseen by a Michelin-starred chef, and the old port to yourself after dark. Free shuttle from Awara-Onsen Station.
International hotel two minutes from the Shinkansen gates and the robot dinosaurs. Echizen Railway to Katsuyama and the Eiheiji Liner leave from next door.
Japanese-style hotel with natural hot-spring baths, opened February 2026. Tatami corridors, late-night noodles, easy walk to the station.
Thirteen rooms on a calm inlet with an infinity bath over Wakasa Bay: guji in summer, farmed tiger fugu in winter. Free shuttle from Obama Station at 14:30.
Obama's long-established ryokan, known for winter Wakasa fugu and crab dinners. The practical traditional stay within reach of the station.
Tell us your dates and what you want from two weeks, and we will fit the bases, the restaurant bookings and the splurge night round the season. We plan Hokuriku trips and guide small groups on weekends and national holidays.
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