Japan is dual-faceted and truly fascinating. One side of it is known to be progressive and highly technological, and the other side is its historic, charming culture.
If images of snow-capped Mt. Fuji, the historical Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the extremely busy Shibuya crossing, Hachiko’s statue, temples, walking through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, or enjoying a lazy afternoon with a ‘hanami’ under the Sakura trees are what comes to mind when thinking about Japan, rethink your routes as there is another side of Japan’s story that’s worth telling.
So, whether you have already been there but want a different route, or if you’re ticking off Japan on your bucket list for the first time, you may opt for the road less traveled, the Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures.
The sight of the artifacts in a museum and the blooms at the tulip garden, the smell of fresh seafood showcased along the Himi Fish Port, the sound of water at the magnificent Kurobe Dam, the touch of snow at the peak of Mt. Tateyama, the feel of traditional woodcarving, and the taste of authentic yakitori and sake…all these are more than enough proof that, clearly, these prefectures are going to excite your senses. Here is the perfect four-day Toyama and Ishikawa itinerary.
Day 1: Touring Mt. Tateyama, and Kurobe Dam
We flew to Japan recently, arrived in Tokyo, and checked in on another plane that brought us to the city of Toyama, which is located in the Hokuriku region, nestled along the coast of the Sea of Japan. The whiff of the cool breeze embraced and reminded us of the exciting adventures that lie ahead. The first order of the day was a Specialty Sashimi Platter (which comes served with some fish, Spanish mackerel, red seabream, sea bass, and bigfin reef squid) dinner at Gingyo No Hanare Ginchiroli touted to be the best sashimi izakaya in the city. Izakayas are popular stay-drink places where locals and tourists go to unwind after a day’s work while casually eating or drinking, just what other people do in a pub, a bar, or a tavern—only in Japanese izakayas, there is a strict no-shoes-allowed-inside rule.
No trip to Toyama will be complete without setting foot and playing with snow at Mt. Tateyama, a famous mountain tourism route through the Northern Alps that connects Toyama and Nagano, providing these prefectures with a majestic backdrop. Open from April to November, this magical tour to the mountain can be accessed by buses, cable cars, trolley buses, and others—no perilous trekking needed—that traverse the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.
Just the ride up and down the mountain, for instance, is already a unique adventure in itself. You may hop on a train traveling from Toyama to Tateyama, then ride a Tateyama Cable Car to Bijodaira. Following the route to Murodo, Tateyama Highland buses are available and from there, arrive in Daikanbo via Tateyama Electric Bus. Things get more exciting from there as you will reach Kurobedaira by riding the Tateyama Ropeway, and arrive at your last pit stop, Kurobeko via a Kurobe Cable Car.
Savor your time in the snow at Murodo, this route’s peak, where you can take photos, roll over, do playful snowball fights, and take lots of reels and photos to capture this magical day. Don’t miss out on the iconic “snow walls”, a popular spot where you can walk between high walls of snow even in early summer.
This tour is peppered with scenic mountain views, all blanketed in white as the temperature usually hits below freezing point towards the end of the route’s operating season. It is best to dress in layers and wear thick jackets, and have some gloves, hand warmers, scarves, woolen hats, neck warmers, and sunglasses handy to keep you warm and heated. During spring and summer, however, a lush landscape of azure ponds, scenic gardens, and green hiking trails slowly appears at the foot of Mt. Tateyama, showing off a breathtaking view of Toyama prefecture.
Stop over the Kurobe Dam on the east of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route and marvel at Japan’s highest and largest arch dam. Also touted to be one of the largest dams in the world, Kurobe Dam stands 186 meters high with a reservoir capacity of nearly two million square meters. You may relish its grandiose through assigned view decks that offer beautiful vantage points of the structure and its footprint on Kurobe River. Then please your palate by dining at the Kurobe Dam Observatory and Rest House, a restaurant that offers menu items exclusively available here. Must try are its Kurobe Dam Cutlet Curry, a local take on the popular katsu curry, plated to look like the Kurobe Dam, while the curry is modeled as the Kurobe Lake. The Kurobe Dam Observatory and Rest House is one of the tallest points to view the dam, where you can get a great panoramic view of the entire structure.
Culminate the tiresome but extremely memorable first day with a sumptuous dinner at Sobatori and experience authentic yakitori (charcoal-grilled Chicken skewer) which will surely leave you wanting more. The restaurant is also popular for its soba noodles served mostly during lunch time.
Day 2: Museum and Park-hopping, sake tasting and cup-carving
Start second day by basking in the stunning Fugan Canal Kansui Park, a green oasis at the heart of Toyama City. This picturesque park houses several attractions, including the Tenmon Bridge (considered the park’s symbol) that features observation towers on both ends, the Fountain, and Waterfall Plaza, showcasing a water curtain and spring fountain that come alive at certain hours. During its season, the Sakura (cherry blossoms) add to the park’s charm. There is even an al fresco Theater where concerts are held occasionally, and performances, fireworks displays can be watched amidst the backdrop of a small canal. During nighttime, the park gets illuminated with dazzling lights, turning it into something more enchanted. If you wish to explore the vicinity further, the Fugan Water Line boat ride will take you around the canal for sightseeing. One of the must-do activities is the relaxing one-hour ride inside Nakajima Lock, a water elevator that connects Kansui Park and Iwase.
Check out the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design (TAD) situated just beside the park, the world’s first museum that bridges art and design. Its exquisite collection includes a variety of art paintings and one-of-a-kind chairs made by local and foreign artists. TAD, which was originally completed in 1980 as The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama was relocated and newly constructed in 2017, offers activities and programs at the atelier, including the hands-on Origami-making and other educational activities that will delight both children and adults. Its glass walls and rooftop provide visitors with a full-on 360-degree view of the Tateyama Mountain Range and the whole Kansui Park.
Underlining the seamless connection between people, art, and design, TAD houses a restaurant and café called BiBiBi & JURULi where art and food perfectly meld. It has an impressive menu and the dishes of which are all inspired by works of art. The Toyama’s Color ‘Composition’ Plate, for instance, is a unique masterpiece of a platter with the ingredients of which are sourced from producers in all 15 municipalities of Toyama Prefecture, while the tableware are handcrafted by local craftsmen.
The restaurant promotes “art and eat” concept and apart from its delicious fare, colorful dishes and dessert. When we visited, there were shirts with drawings and paintings of artistic children on display.
Stroll along the cobblestoned streets of Inami in Toyama and your senses will immediately recognize the sound of carving tools and the distinct smell of wood. Then you realize that you just walked right into Japan’s largest town of wood carvings. You may also chance upon a line of woodcarving stores, confectionery, souvenir shops, and cafes. You will be allowed to watch artisans, sculptures, and wood carvers do what they do best. In fact, they offer a beginner’s workshop and teach you how to carve your own sake cup, complete with your name on it and you can bring your sake cup home as a personally handcrafted souvenir.
As you pass by Wakakoma Sake Brewery, use your sake cup in tasting several local and freshly brewed sake (which surprisingly, wood enhances the taste of sake). Raise your glass—or in this case, your sake cup—for the craftsmen who are painstakingly preserving the woodcarving culture. Shout “kanpai!” knowing in your heart that woodcarving is not a lost art, after all, in Japan.
A quiet dinner at seaside accommodation Iso Hanabi, known for its beautiful view of seashore and mountain peaks, is the perfect way to end the day. You will be served with seasonal seafood and delicacies like Sashimi, other grilled dishes, and fresh fruits. Iso Hanabi also offers Onsen (Japanese hot spring baths) and a chance to wear the Yukata, a traditional Japanese clothing that is lightweight with simple and muted designs. Tighten it with an obi (belt) to look like Kenshin of Samurai X, then you have a full Japanese experience.
Day 3: Himi Banya-Gai, Gokayama Gassho-Zukuri Village, papermaking, and Tulip garden
At 8:30 in the morning, the Himi Fishing Port’s outside market opens and comes alive, bustling with fish vendors, traders, and locals seeking their share of the day’s freshest catch. Located in a scenic coastal area with a panoramic view of the Tateyama mountain range over Toyama Bay and Karashima Island off the coast of Himi City, the Himi Banya-Gai (named after fishermen’s huts called banya) is also frequented by tourists who wish to experience Japan’s vibrant fish market scene.
The facility is home to 30 specialty shops that sell live, fresh, and frozen seafood plus a rich variety of gourmet delights that showcase Himi’s culinary reputation, including Himi beef, Himi curry, and the popular local dish, Himi udon. Delight in the array of local specialties such as freshly caught, hand-cut sushi, specialty dried fish, local ingredients, and unique fish called Himi-kanburi and Himi-iwashi, plus an anthology of souvenirs.
Embark on a peaceful and serene journey once you step into the Gokayama Gassho-Zukuri Village, a preserved historical landscape in Gokayama, featuring the primitive Gassho-hut an original form of gassho-zukuri—which directly means “hands in prayer”—these gassho-style houses and temples are built from wooden beams and gassho. It is also quite interesting that you can see that not a single nail was used in making the roof.
Unlike the Philippine nipa hut, gassho houses are bigger (most are three to four-storey houses) with slanted roofs that can hold and release heavy snowfall during the nippy season. Not surprisingly, this quaint and charming village has been conferred with the world’s rare title of “UNESCO Inhabited World Heritage Site” on December 9, 1995, as the Gokayama locals still live in the village and preserve their gassho-zukuri buildings and culture. In addition to its beautiful scenery, the old Village has souvenir shops, restaurants, guest houses, and even a museum built with Gassho-zukuri.
While you’re at it, dine in Yohachi, a restaurant built in gassho-zukuri architecture, and enjoy the atmosphere likened to a traditional Japanese home. The restaurant offers its signature tempura and soba noodles and other Gokayama’s specialties, giving tourists a taste and feel of rural Japan.
If you are a crafter, you will most probably love to linger at the Gokayama Washi no Sato or the Gokayama Japanese Paper Village! Making washi (Japanese paper) is one of Japan’s most loved crafts that dates back to thousands of years.
A visit to this charming village will not only give you an opportunity to watch the craftsmen make paper, but also a chance to make washi yourselves, and bring home your handcrafted souvenir home.
This village proves that although people today rarely write letters on paper anymore, washi can be used for lanterns, post cards and gift boxes, a testimony that papermaking is still very much alive.
Take a walk inside Tulip Shikisaikan (Tonami Tulip Gallery), a botanical garden and museum that mainly features rows and rows of 300 multi-colored varieties of tulips—such as the huruusagi variety—that bloom all-year round.
Inside this garden-museum is the Wonder Garden which includes the Tulip Palace at the center, where tulips are placed in a splendid 360-degree circular display. In the Palette Garden, tulips are set in mirrors that results to an astonishing kaleidoscope effect.
Further into the Tulip Gallery is the Under Farm where you can learn everything about tulips—their history, nature, growth stages and how to grow them. Savor the delicious Tulip ice cream, and pick up some souvenirs.
Finally, if you want traditional Japanese cuisine, the Farmhouse Restaurant Okado is the perfect choice. This restaurant serves dishes with recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation in Tonami in a traditional Tonami house building called Azumadachi.
Their Okado Somen noodles and other unique dishes like Maruyama, a fried tofu with various fillings, did not disappoint. If you can imagine enjoying these delicious dishes while marveling at the magnificent Tateyama Mountain range and tulip fields, then you got yourself one unforgettable dining experience.
Day 4: Kenrokuen Garden, Higashi Chaya-gai, and Tokyo, Shinagawa
The Kenrokuen Garden is a special place of scenic beauty, it is also one of the famous and most celebrated gardens of Japan. It is the center of Kanazawa tourist city with historical sightseeing spots. The weather could be chilly while the sun shines at the same time, making it the most ideal time to enjoy the colors of the flowering trees and nature.
The natural look of the garden changes with each season as the trees are mostly covered in snow during Winter, leaves turn gold during Fall, lush greenery emergesin Summer, and expect the gorgeous cherry blossoms in Spring. Originally considered the outer garden of the Kanazawa Castle, the Kenrokuen Garden was opened to the public in 1874.
The term Kenrokuen literally translates as “garden of the six sublimities”—which are spaciousness, seclusion, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water and broad views—and according to landscape theory are the six essential characteristics of a perfect garden. Because of its sublime beauty, there are a lot of areas for that perfect shot. Even some locals do their prenuptial photoshoot around the garden and noticeably, a lot of tourists visit the garden.
In Higashi Chaya-gai (higashi-chaya district), there are streets with traditional wooden buildings and fascinating teahouses that represent Kanazawa culture. This old townscape has been selected as a National Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
History has it that these chaya (teahouses) were originally frequented by wealthy customers who would, in turn, be entertained by traditional music, dances, drinks, and geishas.
Now, most tourists simply rent traditional female Kimonos and have their photos taken around the townscapes, giving them a little experience of what life was like in Japan decades ago.
While in Kanasawa, opt to dine at Barrier Restaurant’s black floor or what they call the ‘calm space’ and quietly savor the soup stocks and every seasonal ingredient that went into the dish.
Ssoup stocks and seasonal ingredients. Foods are served in vermilion Sanpo (three Treasures) table and blissfully relish into a variety of Japanese food. Discover how this restaurant interior design is reminiscent of the past and reflective of the present, a fusion of antiquity and modernism, of the yin and yang that complements perfectly with each other.
In Barrier, you might sense the periphery where the past ends and the present begins, but all boundaries are bridged with the food and the whole dining experience.
Snap into the present and return to Tokyo, Shinagawa. Looking back, the four-day itinerary has been filled with magic, adventure, lessons, learning experiences, and realizations. And as you take your flight back home, you now understand why Japan is beautiful in all its facets. Over thousands of years, it has seamlessly melded history and modern comfort. It is technologically advanced in many aspects but everything—including its enchanting culture and old-world charm—is still steeped in conventional practice.
The country is more than just its tourist spots and scenic beauty. It is all about places and experiences where tradition and technology meets tranquility. Japan is indeed an enigma. However, it is not something to be solved…but only to be savored.
For more information about this special route, check out JNTO’s website https://www.japan.travel/en/ph/.
The four-day Toyama and Ishikawa tour was made possible by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), PRXM, and wondertrunk&co.
