Oct–NovA canal-basin park a short walk north of Toyama Station: Tenmon Bridge with its two lookout towers, a Starbucks that won a design award, the Prefectural Museum of Art and Design beside it, and the Fugan Suijo Line boat that sails to Iwase.
The Sweet Illumination 2026 began on 9 October and runs to 28 February 2027, with a special illumination period from 4 December. Tenmon Bridge stays unlit on 1–3 December for maintenance. The Fugan Suijo Line boats were running normally on 27 October; one listing gives 23 November as the last day of the 2026 season.
Kansui Park (富岩運河環水公園) is a free canal-basin park about 9 minutes on foot from the north exit of Toyama Station. It opened on 1 July 1997. The landmark is Tenmon Bridge (天門橋), 58 m long with two lookout towers, and on a clear day you see the Tateyama range from it. The park has a Starbucks that took the top prize in the company’s 2008 store design awards. The Fugan Suijo Line boat leaves from the park for Iwase: 60 minutes, ¥2,500 one way.
The Fugan Canal joined the city to its port, and the park was laid out in the old canal basin, 9.7 hectares of lawns, paths and water. The canal’s Nakajima Lock, a national Important Cultural Property, is downstream; the boats pass through it to reach Iwase. The Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design (TAD) stands beside the park and has a rooftop garden with a view of the mountains.
It is a flexible stop: twenty minutes for a coffee and a walk across the bridge, an evening for the lights, or half a day with the boat. It sits at the other end of the day from the Glass Art Museum and the castle and tram loop, so the two are easy to combine.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entry | Free. The park is open at all hours. |
| From Toyama Station | About 9 minutes on foot from the north exit; guides say 5 to 10. The boat landing is about 13 minutes. |
| Tenmon Bridge | About 58 m long with two lookout towers, each 20.4 m high and three storeys, finished on 4 November 1999. Tateyama is visible on clear days. Lit after dark. |
| Starbucks | The first Starbucks in Japan inside a city park. It took the top prize in the 2008 Starbucks store design awards and is often called the most beautiful in the world. |
| Winter lights | 9 October 2026–28 February 2027; special illumination 4 December–28 February. Tenmon Bridge unlit 1–3 December. Nightly hours are not published. |
| Boat (Fugan Suijo Line) | Kansui Park to Iwase about 60 min, ¥2,500 one way; Iwase to Kansui Park 70 min, ¥2,500; Nakajima Lock round trip 70 min, ¥2,000 including a visit to the lock operation room; 20-minute park loop ¥700. Book online until 14:00 the day before. |
| Season | The boats run from 20 March to 23 November 2026 on one listing; regular timetable 9:45–16:40. |
| Parking | Paid since 13 March 2026. The first and second lots are closed from 22:00 on 30 October to 22:00 on 1 November for the Toyama Marathon. |
All of it is within a few minutes of the basin.
A 58 m footbridge over the basin with a lookout tower at each end, 20.4 m high. From the top you can see the Tateyama range on clear days, most of all in the colder months. The two towers are joined by a “red string telephone” made of fishing line, a favourite with couples. Both the bridge and the park are lit in the evening.
The Starbucks stands by the water and took the top prize in the company’s 2008 store design awards, which is where the “most beautiful Starbucks in the world” line comes from. Its opening hours are not listed on the park’s site, so check the shop. The Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design (TAD) stands beside the park, and its rooftop garden looks over it to the mountains.
The Fugan Suijo Line leaves from the park for Iwase through the Nakajima Lock, a Panama-style lock that lifts the boat about 2.5 m. Course A to Iwase takes about 60 minutes (¥2,500, one way); Course C goes to the lock and back in 70 minutes (¥2,000) and includes a visit to the lock operation room. A 20-minute loop of the basin costs ¥700. Listings for the Iwase course say a tram ticket for the return is included; check when you book. The boat was running normally on 27 October.
The park’s winter lights run from 9 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, with a special illumination from 4 December. Tenmon Bridge is dark on 1–3 December while it is serviced. The photograph shows a January evening over the basin. Tateyama lies to the south-east of the city, so the mountains catch the morning light and the sky over the basin colours in the evening.
The park is on the north side of the station.
Leave by the north exit and walk straight towards the basin. Guides give 5 to 10 minutes to the park and about 13 minutes to the boat landing. Tateyama is the first thing you see on a clear morning.
Going the other way, the boat leaves Iwase for the park, a 70 minute trip. Iwase has its own tram, the Toyama Port Line, and the Iwase guide explains the town.
Parking has cost money since 13 March 2026. For the Toyama Marathon the first and second lots close from 22:00 on 30 October to 22:00 on 1 November.
It is flat and free, so the tips are about timing.
The park is a walk from the station, so any station hotel works.
Upper floors of the station building, a few minutes from the park on foot, which suits an evening walk to see the lights.
Opposite the south exit and one minute from Dentetsu-Toyama. Walk through the station to the park in the morning.
A budget hotel with a proper bath, on the Sakurabashi tram line.
About 9 minutes on foot from the north exit; guides give 5 to 10 minutes. The boat landing is about 13 minutes. Entry to the park is free.
It was the first Starbucks in Japan inside a city park and won the top prize in Starbucks’ 2008 store design awards. It is often called the most beautiful Starbucks in the world.
The Sweet Illumination 2026 runs from 9 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, with a special illumination period from 4 December. Tenmon Bridge is not lit on 1–3 December for maintenance. Nightly hours are not published.
Kansui Park to Iwase takes about 60 minutes and costs ¥2,500 one way; the Nakajima Lock round trip is 70 minutes and ¥2,000; a 20 minute loop is ¥700. It runs from 20 March, and one listing gives 23 November as the last day of 2026. Book online until 14:00 the day before.
Yes, on clear days from the lookout towers of Tenmon Bridge, mostly from October to May. The rooftop garden of the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design next door has a similar view.
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