Spots in Fukui

Each spot shows when its facts were last checked against official sources.

By prefecture:

HokkaidoHokkaido (60)

TohokuAomori (30)Iwate (30)Miyagi (40)Akita (30)Yamagata (30)Fukushima (30)

KantoIbaraki (30)Tochigi (30)Gunma (30)Saitama (30)Chiba (30)Tokyo (30)Kanagawa (30)

ChubuNiigata (30)Toyama (30)Ishikawa (30)Fukui (30)Yamanashi (30)Nagano (30)Gifu (30)Shizuoka (30)Aichi (30)

KansaiMie (30)Shiga (30)Kyoto (30)Osaka (30)Hyogo (30)Nara (30)Wakayama (30)

ChugokuTottori (30)Shimane (30)Okayama (30)Hiroshima (30)Yamaguchi (30)

ShikokuTokushima (30)Kagawa (30)Ehime (30)Kochi (30)

Kyushu & OkinawaFukuoka (30)Saga (30)Nagasaki (30)Kumamoto (30)Oita (30)Miyazaki (30)Kagoshima (30)Okinawa (30)

Select a square pin to open the spot. Zoom with Ctrl/Cmd + scroll, or two fingers on a phone.

No photo yetKatsuyama, FukuiDinosaur Museum Field StationOpened in July 2014 at Kitadani in Katsuyama, Japan's largest dinosaur-fossil excavation site. It has three zones: an observation area where you can watch excavation up close with a guide explaining the strata, an exhibition hall on fossils found here and the history of the survey, and a fossil-digging area where you split rocks brought from the site. It is visited by tour on a dedicated bus from the Dinosaur Museum.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOno, FukuiEchizen Ono CastleA castle built by Kanamori Nagachika, one of Oda Nobunaga's elite "Akahoro-shu" retainers, completed over four years from 1576. Its nozura-zumi stone walls are a prefectural cultural property, and the present castle was rebuilt in 1968, displaying belongings of successive lords. From late autumn to spring, weather permitting, the whole Ono basin fills with a sea of clouds and the castle alone seems to float, drawing attention as "the castle in the sky"; it is one of the "Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles".Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetEiheiji, FukuiEiheiji TempleA Zen training monastery founded by Zen master Dogen in 1244. More than 70 halls stand in the deep mountain grounds; the seven main halls, the "shichido garan" (Dharma hall, Buddha hall, monks' hall, kitchen, main gate, toilet and bath), are especially important as pure places where monks train. Many monks still carry out strict training every day, and visitors can glimpse their practice.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOno, FukuiFormer Tamura Samurai ResidenceThe residence of the Tamura family, chief retainers of the Ono domain, a city-designated cultural property. The main house, built in 1827, is one of the few samurai houses left in the prefecture. The artificial hill east of the garden is said to be a surviving part of the earthwork Kanamori Nagachika, builder of Echizen Ono Castle, had made along the outer moat against invaders. For a limited period a colourful pinwheel shelf is set up, a popular photo spot.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetFukui, FukuiFukui Castle RuinsBuilt in 1606 by Yuki Hideyasu, second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and first lord of the Fukui domain, it was the seat of the Echizen Matsudaira family for about 270 years and 17 generations. Its 37 m, four-roofed five-storey keep burned in a great fire; today only parts of the stone walls of local Shakudani stone and the moats remain. The Fukui Prefectural Office stands on the site of the main palace, and below the keep base is the well "Fuku-no-i", said to be the origin of the name Fukui.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKatsuyama, FukuiFukui Prefectural Dinosaur MuseumA museum specialising in geology and palaeontology centred on dinosaurs, called one of the world's three great dinosaur museums for its scale and content. Its three zones, "World of Dinosaurs", "Earth Sciences" and "History of Life", show 50 complete dinosaur skeletons, thousands of fossils and huge dioramas, with a moving Tyrannosaurus and a Dino Theater. Hands-on programmes let you clean fossils or try excavation. The silver building has a column-free structure that leaves the exhibition space open.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetEchizen, FukuiGotanjoji Temple (Cat Temple)A Soto Zen temple in a quiet valley in Echizen city, dedicated to monks' training. It is known as the "Cat Temple": it took in cats with nowhere to go, and about 30 cats now live here. There are beckoning-cat fortune slips, cat goshuin books and cat-covered goshuin stamps, and many cat lovers visit. Around the cats' feeding times, 8:00 and about 15:30, are recommended.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKatsuyama, FukuiHeisenji Hakusan ShrineGrounds covered in beautiful green moss, also called "Koke-no-miya" (moss shrine). Said to have been opened by the monk Taicho in 717, it became the Echizen base of Hakusan worship; at its height in the Sengoku period 6,000 sub-temples stood here with 8,000 warrior monks. It burned in 1574, and after the Meiji separation of Shinto and Buddhism it became Hakusan Shrine. Excavations since 1989 found the old remains buried underground, and the whole former precinct is a national historic site, with one of Japan's largest medieval stone-paved roads.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetFukui, FukuiHokoshima RockA columnar rock about 50 m high, eroded by the rough waves of the Sea of Japan, on the Echizen coast about 5 km along Route 305 from Takasu beach toward Koshino. A promenade has been built, pines grow on the cliff top and a Jizo statue stands there. By day it is busy with swimmers and rock anglers, and in the evening a beautiful sunset sinks into the Sea of Japan.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetFukui, FukuiIchijodani Asakura Family Historic RuinsThe remains of a castle town about 10 km southeast of Fukui city, from which five generations of the Asakura clan ruled Echizen for about 100 years in the Sengoku period. Samurai houses, temples, townhouses, craftsmen's houses and even roads were excavated almost intact. The site is a national Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty, and the finds are Important Cultural Properties; part of the townscape has been reconstructed.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetFukui, FukuiIchijodani Reconstructed TownscapeThe remains of the castle town where the Asakura clan ruled Echizen for about 100 years over five generations in the Sengoku period, excavated almost intact and reconstructed. You can go inside the reconstructed samurai houses and townhouses to see exhibits and glimpse daily life of the time. The site is a Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty, and the finds are Important Cultural Properties, a triple designation rare in Japan.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKatsuyama, FukuiKatsuyama Dino ParkA walk-through amusement facility in the Katsuyama Dinosaur Forest: a 1.7 ha adventure attraction about 600 m long, where a total of 87 life-size dinosaur robots that move and roar welcome you.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetIkeda, FukuiKazurabashi Vine Bridge (Ikeda)A rare vine suspension bridge, 44 m long, 1.8 m wide and 12 m high, over the Asuwa River gorge, thrilling with its swaying. At the waterwheel plaza by the bridge, Somei-yoshino cherries bloom around mid-April, "Gyoiko" cherries in early May and rhododendrons in mid-May, and the gorge is coloured by autumn leaves from late October to early November.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetWakasa, FukuiKumagawa-juku Post Town (Saba Kaido)An important post town on the road from Wakasa to Kyoto, which kept growing from 1589. The sites of the magistrate's office, checkpoint and storehouse remain, and old water channels run along the road. It is a nationally selected Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and in 2015 the Saba Kaido including Kumagawa-juku was recognised as Japan Heritage.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOno, FukuiLake KuzuryuAn artificial lake created by building a rock-fill dam of piled rocks. The "Yume no Kakehashi" bridge, built as a test case for the Seto-Ohashi Bridge, blends into the mountain scenery and the wide dam lake. Rich nature shows its beauty in every season.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetSakai, FukuiMaruoka CastleA castle built in 1576 by Shibata Katsutoyo, nephew of Shibata Katsuie. Its keep, a national Important Cultural Property, is an independent lookout-type keep with two roofs outside and three floors inside. The stone walls are of the old "nozura-zumi" style, rough with many gaps but said to drain well and not collapse in heavy rain. In spring about 400 Somei-yoshino cherry trees, chosen among Japan's 100 best cherry blossom spots, bloom around the castle, also called Kasumigajo.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMihama, FukuiMikata Five LakesThe general name for five lakes across Mihama and Wakasa: Mikata, Suigetsu, Suga, Kugushi and Hiruga. Their water and depth differ, so each looks a different shade of blue, giving them the name "five-coloured lakes". The differences are clear from the 11.2 km Rainbow Line road, with views of the five lakes and the Sea of Japan. The lakes were registered as a Ramsar wetland in November 2005, and their sustainable fishing culture became a Japanese Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2019.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetFukui, FukuiMiyanoshita Cosmos FieldFukui's greatest cosmos field, where about 100 million cosmos bloom on a site more than four times the size of Tokyo Dome. They usually start to bloom in late September and are at their best by mid-October.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetSakai, FukuiMuseum of Japan's Shortest LettersA museum introducing past winning entries of the "Ippitsu Keijo" Japan's Shortest Letter Contest. The highlight of the permanent gallery, "FUMI NO TAKI", is a video display where 4,400 past winning letters appear one after another. From the 2nd-floor castle viewing room you can watch videos of Maruoka Castle through the seasons.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTsuruga, FukuiNihonkai Sakana-machi Fish MarketA market lined with souvenir shops selling popular seafood and many other goods, and restaurants serving seafood, visited every day by many people from inside and outside the prefecture.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetEchizen, FukuiOkamoto and Otaki ShrinesA shrine enshrining the paper goddess "Kawakami Gozen", with a hall said to have "the most complex roof in Japan", a national Important Cultural Property. About 1,500 years ago, legend says, a beautiful princess appeared upstream on the Okamoto River and taught villagers to make paper with the clear water; they revered her as "Kawakami Gozen" and built the shrine. The present hall dates from 1843.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetSakai, FukuiOshima IslandThe largest island off the Echizen coast, 27 m high and 2 km around, long revered by local people as an island of the gods. Cross the 224 m vermilion bridge and climb 78 stone steps to reach a forest of yabu-nikkei and tabu trees full of legend. You can walk the island at any time (24 hours).Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMihama, FukuiRainbow Line Summit ParkA park at the top of the Rainbow Line, an 11.24 km road across Mihama and Wakasa. From the first car park you ride a lift or cable car up to the summit park, with a 360-degree panorama over the scenic Mikata Five Lakes and Wakasa Bay. You can enjoy the view from five terraces, including a foot bath and a sofa terrace.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetIkeda, FukuiRyusogataki FallsA waterfall about 60 m high, chosen as one of "Japan's 100 waterfalls" in 1990. Looking up from right beside it after going down the steps is spectacular, and it is also charming in the autumn-leaf season. Legends say a monk named Ryuso lived here carving sacred images, and that a dragon living in the deep basin sometimes climbed the falls to ascend to heaven. The car park is about 200 m downstream.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetSakai, FukuiShibamasa WorldA large leisure land of 560,000 m2 overlooking the Sea of Japan. The hands-on "Dinosaur Forest" area opened in 2024, "Kids Paradise" is an all-weather three-storey indoor amusement park, and in summer a pool with about 50 kinds of slides opens, lit up at night. There are also a campsite and ground golf.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetFukui, FukuiShibata Shrine (Kitanosho Castle Ruins)Shibata Katsuie, given 490,000 koku by Oda Nobunaga, is said to have spent years building his residence, Kitanosho Castle; the Spanish missionary Luis Frois marvelled at its nine-storey keep. In 1583, attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army, Katsuie set fire to the castle himself and died with his wife Oichi, Nobunaga's sister, and his family; the castle lasted only 8 years. Shibata Shrine now stands on the site, enshrining Katsuie and Oichi, with statues of them and Oichi's three daughters; the Kitanosho Castle Ruins museum keeps relics of the castle.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetSakai, FukuiTojinbo CliffsCliffs in Sakai city formed by columnar jointing stretching about 1 km. Columnar jointing on this scale is rare anywhere in the world, and Tojinbo is counted among the "three great scenic wonders of the world". Standing at the edge of the cliffs makes your legs go weak. You can walk the area at any time, and there are a shopping street, Tojinbo Tower and sightseeing boats.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetWakasa, FukuiUriwari Falls (Wakasa Uriwari Meisui Park)"Uriwari Falls", one of Japan's 100 best waters, named because the water is so cold it could split a melon. The surrounding forest, with light filtering through trees and moss on the rocks, is magical, and the park has 10,000 hydrangeas, cherries and maples for the seasons.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetWakasa, FukuiWakasa Mikata Jomon MuseumA museum on Jomon culture centred on finds from the Torihama shell mound in Wakasa. In a building modelled on the belly of a clay figurine, it shows a dugout canoe, Jomon pottery, stone tools, wooden objects, seeds and bones; the Jomon plaza outside has reconstructed pit dwellings. A combined ticket with the neighbouring Varve Museum is available.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetFukui, FukuiYokokan GardenA Japanese stroll garden with shoin-style buildings around a large pond, 10 minutes on foot from Fukui Station. Originally a villa of the Matsudaira lords of the Fukui domain, built from the early to late Edo period and called "Osensui Yashiki", it was named Yokokan by Matsudaira Shungaku in 1884. The buildings burned in the Fukui air raid; after designation as a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1982 it was restored from an 1823 plan and opened in 1993. It regularly ranks high in the Journal of Japanese Gardening's rankings.Official check: 26 Sept 2026