Takaoka高岡

The finest example of early Edo-period Zen Buddhist architecture in Toyama. A Soto Zen temple founded in 1645 by Maeda Toshitsune to pray for the repose of his elder brother, the lord who founded Takaoka.

Three structures are National Treasures: the Main Hall (Butsuden, 1655) with its unusual Chinese-style roof, the massive two-story Sanmon Gate (1820), and the Lecture Hall (Hatto, 1655). The clean, geometric Zen aesthetic is entirely different from Kyoto’s ornate temples, a must-visit for anyone interested in Japanese religious architecture.

A 15.85-metre bronze Amida Nyorai, completed in 1933 after 26 years of work, and one of Japan’s three Great Buddhas alongside Nara and Kamakura. The 1933 rebuild used copper specifically to avoid fire, symbolic of Takaoka’s metallurgy after multiple wooden predecessors burned.

The poet Akiko Yosano declared “this is more handsome than the Kamakura Daibutsu.” The wooden head of the previous statue is enshrined within the modern one. You can enter the base via a circular Buddhist painting gallery.

The cobblestoned heart of Takaoka’s 400-year metal-casting industry. Look for the samanoko vertical wooden lattices, a Kanayamachi-only architectural detail, and the cast-metal heart-shaped decorations hidden in the cobblestones.

Stop at the Takaoka City Metal Casting Museum (¥300), the Meiji-era merchant house turned copperware shop Kōryō Kinjudō with works by Living National Treasures, and Rizaburō Studio where you can try traditional metal casting and make your own sake cup or small dish.

Takaoka is the birthplace of Fujiko F. Fujio (1933–1996), creator of Doraemon, Perman, and Chinpui. Don’t miss:

Doraemon Walking Road in Wing Wing Takaoka Square, twelve bronze statues of the characters lining a small path, forming a circle as if dancing at the end. The Doraemon Post at the station gives mail a special Doraemon postmark. Otogi-no-Mori Park on the city edge recreates “the vacant lot” from the manga. The Fujiko F. Fujio Hometown Art Gallery inside the Municipal Art Gallery shows original manuscripts. The Manyo Line tram runs a Doraemon-decorated train on select days.