Top Things to do in Hokuriku
10 Free Things to do in Hokuriku That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Hokuriku, Japan including Noto Peninsula, Chirihama Nagisa Driveway, Yuki no Otani (Snow Wall), Ainokura Gassho Community, Suganuma Gassho Community, Shirayama Hime Shrine, Hakusan Shrine (Heisenji-Hakusan Shrine), Gokayama, Fugan Unga Kansui Park, Kanazawa Station.
Restaurants in Hokuriku
1. Noto Peninsula
2. Chirihama Nagisa Driveway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 575 reviews
The Chirihama Nagisa Driveway is a 8 km long beach located between Imahama Houdatsu-Shimizu-cho Sakui-gun and Chirihama-cho Sakui-shi in Ishikawa prefecture.
Reviewed By JohnA299 - Hong Kong, China
The rain was bucketing down when my wife and I took the exit to the Chirihama Beach Drive. With the rain coming in sheets and the surf heavy, driving on the beach was a completely magical experience. I had expected that the beach drive would be prohibited during heavy weather, but it was not — we enjoyed solitude on the beach as we passed the thundering waves and listened to the rain on the roof of our car. I let the tires wade in the seawater on the strand. Just so beautiful and something a visitor to should never miss!
3. Yuki no Otani (Snow Wall)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 223 reviews
Yuki no Otani (Snow Wall) is the highlight of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route in spring. "Yuki no Otani" would be open from middle of April to late of June and you can walk along the walls during the festival. This snow wall is located in Murodo where is 2,450m above the sea level and it reaches about 20m some times. Of course, this is the best photo spot!! ※Please note this event would be cancelled if the weather is bad.
Reviewed By shlomit100 - Nagano, Japan
Spectacular during April - May. Very impressive. Was there during the corona season, so very few people. I was there before, much less enjoyable with lots of tourists around...
4. Ainokura Gassho Community
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 291 reviews
Reviewed By sarahl588 - Brisbane, Australia
I read about Ainokura in Lonely Planet and from that point on I made sure that I had to go out to visit there. I stayed in Toyama, not far from the train station, hired a car for the day and drove out to Ainokura. It was so worth it! It's such a beautiful village and was a beautiful way to experience traditional Japanese hospitality and living. It really is a must! It's like you've stepped back in time into a fairytale. Make sure you visit the Gokayama tourist information centre and Murakami House before you make the drive to Ainokura. When you're at the visitor centre make sure you put a sticker on the map of where you're from, my family were the first visitors from Samoa to place a sticker there.
5. Suganuma Gassho Community
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 209 reviews
Reviewed By FoodTraveler_Huang - Bangkok, Thailand
The first stop you can consider to drop by before going to Shirakawago . If you stay in Kanazawa, first take JR to Shin Takaoka station. Then , take the Kaetsunou bus terminal no.8 to Suganuma and also take the same bus to Shirakawago. This route considers less crowded than the bus in Takayama. Come a bit early like 9am so that you won’t see many people. February is good timing to get full snow.
6. Shirayama Hime Shrine
7. Hakusan Shrine (Heisenji-Hakusan Shrine)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 121 reviews
Reviewed By Hoegaarden987 - Brossard, Canada
Hakusan (literally, the white mountain in Japanese) is a ~2700 m tall mountain extending between Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui and Gifu prefectures. It has been a sacred mountain for many in the area, leading to the many Hakusan Shrines in the region and around Japan that believe the mountain to house a god. The Heisenji-Hakusan Shrine is one such shrine located near Katsuyama city in the Fukui prefecture. The Shrine has beautiful lawns of moss throughout its campus, and is well known along with the famous Saiho-ji in Kyoto for its moss gardens. It was raining that day, and the rain made the moss lawn even more beautiful. There were several individual visitors, and we saw two or three groups, but the shrine itself was very quiet. We first strolled through the moss lawns and took the main road to the main hall and gave our prayers. There are two other smaller halls next to the main hall, and the three halls signify the three peaks of Hakusan. We then took another road up the hill to the Sannnomiya, another hall higher up in the mountain. There were moss lawns along the road as well, and the air was very refreshing. All three of us were completely awed by the beauty and the sacred environment. To get to the shrine, we took a local train from Fukui station to Katsuyama station. There are local buses to the shrine, but unfortunately, the wait was more than an hour after our arrival at Katsuyama that day. As such, we took a taxi from the Katsuyama station, which cost us about 1800 yen. On the way back, we took the bus back to Katsuyama station, which was a mini-van, and the cost was 200 yen per person. It turned out that this Shrine was opened by Taichou in 717, and so it was exactly 1300 years from its opening. Nevertheless, there were very few signs that marked this anniversary, and the area was very calm, just like the shrine itself.
8. Gokayama
9. Fugan Unga Kansui Park
10. Kanazawa Station
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,671 reviews
Reviewed By DGandJudy - Ann Arbor, United States
The new Kanazawa station, built for the coming of the Shinkansen bullet trains in 2014, is great - has every amenity you could want, and is small enough to be easily negotiated. Be sure to stop by the Tourist Information Center, staffed by knowledgeable and friendly Good Will Guides volunteers, before setting out into the city. The east entrance (shown in the picture) is a striking combination of the old and new, with the traditional wooden torii gate juxtaposed in front of the ultramodern station building; the water clock (behind the photographer) is a fun place for photos.
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