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[Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture] Hokuriku Shinkansen opens between Kanazawa and Tsuruga on March 16, 2024! 9 spots where you can enjoy a retro walk in Tsuruga
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Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, known as a railway and port town, is a popular tourist spot where you can enjoy railway heritage tourism, Japan Heritage sites, and seafood from the Sea of Japan. The Hokuriku Shinkansen finally opened in Fukui Prefecture on March 16, 2024. It can be accessed from Tokyo without changing trains. In this article, we will introduce sightseeing in the retro townscape, which is also popular for its photogenic nature. *The spots introduced in this article are open as usua...
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On March 16, 2024, the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened between Kanazawa Station and Tsuruga Station. Tsuruga Station will be the terminus from both the Tokyo and Kansai areas, and is attracting a lot of attention. Tsuruga is a city of railways and ports, and the Shinkansen opened in the town where the first railway ran on the Sea of Japan side, so it is popular among people other than railway fans. There are many tourist spots scattered around, and after the opening of the mountain-side Japan Heritage Old Hokuriku Line Tunnels Heritage Group, the direct train "Europe-Asia International Express" ran to Tsuruga Port, which developed into one of the leading international ports on the Sea of Japan side. We will continue to offer route buses and tour plans, such as new tourist routes of Japan Heritage on the sea side along the Tsuruga Port Line. Come and go on a trip with exciting experiences beyond your imagination.
- Table of Contents
- Access to Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture
- Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture - A Place Full of Retro Charm
- ①Tsuruga Railway Museum
- ② Former Tsuruga Port Station lamp shed
- 3. Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse
- ④Port of Humanity Museum
- ⑤Tsuruga Museum Street
- ⑥Tsuruga City Museum
- Along with the retro townscape, here are some must-see tourist spots!
- ⑦Minato Tsuruga Yama Hall
- ⑧Kehi Shrine
- 9. Nakamichi Genzo Tea Shop: A long-established Japanese tea specialty store
- For plans where you can make matcha and enjoy sweets made with matcha, please click here.
- Highly recommended for train enthusiasts! A rare experience!
- For an introduction to Tsuruga's recommended gourmet foods, please click here.
- In spring, you can also enjoy some very romantic festivals!
Access to Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture
Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, known as a railway and port city, is scheduled to finally extend the Hokuriku Shinkansen on March 16, 2024, after which it will be possible to access Tsuruga from Tokyo without changing trains. For details on how to get to Tsuruga from Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Kanazawa, please see the following article.
Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture - A Place Full of Retro Charm
Tsuruga is located in the central-southern part of Fukui Prefecture and has been a key port for maritime traffic with the continent since ancient times. It was the first town on the Sea of Japan coast to have a railway running through it, and is a Japanese heritage site called "Railway Beyond the Sea: A Miracle of Railways Connecting the World." It is full of tourist spots such as the Railway Museum, red brick warehouses and other buildings overflowing with retro romance, as well as beautiful shrines and temples. Furthermore, facing the Sea of Japan, you can enjoy fresh seafood.
You can enjoy touring retro buildings, mainly in the Kanegasaki area adjacent to Tsuruga Port!
①Tsuruga Railway Museum
The railway line opened in Japan about 150 years ago. Tsuruga was the first city on the Japan Sea coast to have a railway laid over it, and it has developed alongside the railway and port as a key transportation hub. Materials that reveal this history are on display here.
Tsuruga Railway Museum
914-0079 1-25 Minato-cho, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture
A museum that recreates the former Tsuruga Port Station. Displays materials and train models introducing the history of Tsuruga's railways.
Reproducing the departure and arrival station of the "Europe-Asia International Connecting Train," the shortest route to Europe in the past.
Tsuruga, a town that has grown together with railways
Railways opened in Japan about 150 years ago. Tsuruga was the first town on the Sea of Japan side to have a railway built, and the first full-scale AC electrification in Japan was completed in 1955, and the Hokuriku Tunnel, the largest tunnel in Japan at the time and the fifth largest in the world, opened in 1966. , Tsuruga used to be a transportation hub on the Sea of Japan side, with railways and ports.
Hotels near Tsuruga Railway Museum
② Former Tsuruga Port Station lamp shed
Built around 1882, it is different from modern concrete block or slate construction, with its carefully stacked bricks and arched openings that give it a unique charm.
Former Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Hut
914-0072 1-19 Kanegasaki-cho, Fukui Prefecture
A lamp hut that still conveys the bustle of those days.
Tsuruga Port Station was originally called Kanegasaki Station. From the end of the Meiji period to the beginning of the Showa period, the Europe-Asia international train operated here and was a bustling place. Lamp sheds were once common at major train stations as oil depots to store the cantera fuel used to light trains. However, as the light source changed to electric lights, their use disappeared, and they rapidly disappeared due to station expansion and renovation.
It was built around 1882 (Meiji 15), and unlike modern concrete block or slate structures, the carefully stacked bricks and arches at the openings have a unique charm. The brick has small square letters engraved here and there. This is like a signature of the craftsman who made the brick.
3. Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse
This brick building has 100 years of history. It was renovated in 2015 and reborn as a new tourist facility where you can enjoy history, culture, and food, featuring a diorama of Tsuruga's railways and ports, and an attractive restaurant unique to Tsuruga.
Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse
914-0072 4-1 Kanegasakicho, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture
Modern warehouse built in 1905 by the Standard Oil Company
When it was built, it was used as an oil storage facility, and until a few years ago, it was also used as a kelp storage facility. In 2015, a ``railroad and port diorama'' that recreates Tsuruga's townscape from the late Meiji period to the early Showa period, combining historical facts and entertainment, and ``an attractive restaurant unique to Tsuruga'' were installed, and the building is a place that combines history and culture. It has been reborn as a new tourist facility where you can enjoy food. In addition to this brick warehouse, there is also a group of active warehouses with a retro Showa atmosphere on the side of "Kirameki Minatokan".
Hotels near Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse
④Port of Humanity Museum
Focusing on the historical facts of the Polish orphans and Jewish refugees who overcame numerous hardships to arrive in Tsuruga, the exhibition introduces testimonies and anecdotes from Tsuruga residents at the time, as well as heartwarming exchanges with those involved that continue to this day, conveying the importance of life and the preciousness of peace.
Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum
914-0072 23-1 Kanegasakicho, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture
A museum that conveys the historical facts of Tsuruga Port to future generations
Tsuruga Port served as a hub for transportation with Europe from the Meiji period to the early Showa period, and is the only port in Japan where Polish orphans landed in the 1920s, and Jewish refugees with ``visas for life'' landed in the 1940s.
The museum ``Tsuruga Museum, Port of Humanity'' focuses on the historical facts of Polish orphans and Jewish refugees who overcame numerous hardships to arrive in Tsuruga, as well as testimonies and episodes from Tsuruga citizens at the time, as well as relationships with those involved that continue to this day. We introduce heartwarming exchanges and convey the importance of life and the preciousness of peace.
The exterior of the building is a reproduction of the one that actually existed at Tsuruga Port from the Taisho period to the early Showa period, and exhibits include a theater and animation that introduce the history of the port of humanity.
Hotels near Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum
If you walk a little further, you can enjoy other retro townscapes.
⑤Tsuruga Museum Street
Tsuruga flourished as a port town. The area around the port facing the sea is dotted with buildings that retain their old-fashioned atmosphere, as well as historic shrines and temples. Why not try looking for your favorites in the cute retro townhouse shops?
Tsuruga Museum Street
914-0062 7-8 Aioimachi, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture
A charming street lined with nostalgic buildings
Tsuruga Museum Street is a street where historical buildings such as the Tsuruga City Museum (former Owada Bank headquarters) and a sake brewery remain. There are cafes that serve natural food menus using organic and pesticide-free vegetables, and stores that sell pottery and miscellaneous goods from overseas.
Hotels near Tsuruga Museum Street
⑥Tsuruga City Museum
This museum occupies the Western-style building of the former Owada Bank. It exhibits materials related to Tsuruga City's archaeology, history, arts and crafts, as well as materials related to the Tsuruga air raids and war damage.
Tsuruga City Museum
991-0062 7-8 Aioicho, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture
Important Cultural Property Former Owada Bank Main Branch Main Building
Retro exterior and entire building history of Tsuruga
This building utilizes the Owada Bank head office, which was built in 1928 by the second generation Sōshichi Owada. Equipped with Hokuriku's first elevator, restaurant, guest room, and meeting hall, it can be said to be an advanced building for Tsuruga at the time. It has been designated as a national important cultural property, and you can feel the vestiges of the bank that was popular among citizens in its stately structure and Western-style decorations, as well as the underground space and auditorium on the third floor. Masu.
Hotels near Tsuruga City Museum
Along with the retro townscape, here are some must-see tourist spots!
⑦Minato Tsuruga Yama Hall
This facility stores and exhibits the magnificent floats that are paraded during the Tsuruga Festival.
Minato Tsuruga Dashi Hall
914-0062 7-6 Aioimachi, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture
Famous for Tsuruga's biggest event "Tsuruga Festival"
It houses six magnificent and magnificent floats that parade during the Tsuruga Festival, and three of them are on display. In addition to exhibiting areas such as warrior dolls, real armor and helmets, and Noh masks, there is also a permanent exhibition area called ``Yoshitsugu Otani, Lord of Tsuruga Castle.'' You can also watch the impressive float parade using a video projector and slides.
Hotels near Minato Tsuruga Dashi Hall
⑧Kehi Shrine
It is a prestigious shrine known as "Echizen Ichinomiya" and "the guardian deity of the Hokuriku region." The large wooden torii gate is one of the "Three Great Wooden Torii Gates of Japan," alongside Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima and Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara, and is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
Kehi Shrine
11-68 Akebonocho, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture 914-0075
Founded in 702 AD, Kehi Jingu Shrine in Tsuruga City is one of the three major torii gates in Japan and welcomes you with its 11-meter-tall torii designated as an important cultural property. It is also famous as a power spot, and there are many places full of energy in the precincts of the shrine.
Hotels near Kehi Shrine
A perfect place to take a break after visiting Kehi Shrine!
9. Nakamichi Genzo Tea Shop: A long-established Japanese tea specialty store
![[Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture] Hokuriku Shinkansen opens between Kanazawa and Tsuruga on March 16, 2024! 9 spots where you can enjoy a retro walk in Tsuruga](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2024/01/18-162634.webp)
![[Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture] Hokuriku Shinkansen opens between Kanazawa and Tsuruga on March 16, 2024! 9 spots where you can enjoy a retro walk in Tsuruga](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2024/01/18-162633.webp)
![[Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture] Hokuriku Shinkansen opens between Kanazawa and Tsuruga on March 16, 2024! 9 spots where you can enjoy a retro walk in Tsuruga](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2024/01/18-162632.webp)
A shop where you can enjoy Japanese tea. It's just a two-minute walk from Kehi Shrine, so be sure to check it out.
For plans where you can make matcha and enjoy sweets made with matcha, please click here.
Highly recommended for train enthusiasts! A rare experience!
Take a romantic trip full of history and retro atmosphere, including railway heritage tourism and Japan Heritage sites!
You can go for a day trip or stay overnight and enjoy sightseeing. There are many local Tsuruga delicacies to try, so
We recommend enjoying it together!
For an introduction to Tsuruga's recommended gourmet foods, please click here.
In spring, you can also enjoy some very romantic festivals!
On March 16, 2024, the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened between Kanazawa Station and Tsuruga Station. Tsuruga Station will be the terminus from both the Tokyo and Kansai areas, and is attracting a lot of attention. Tsuruga is a city of railways and ports, and the Shinkansen opened in the town where the first railway ran on the Sea of Japan side, so it is popular among people other than railway fans. There are many tourist spots scattered around, and after the opening of the mountain-side Japan Heritage Old Hokuriku Line Tunnels Heritage Group, the direct train "Europe-Asia International Express" ran to Tsuruga Port, which developed into one of the leading international ports on the Sea of Japan side. We will continue to offer route buses and tour plans, such as new tourist routes of Japan Heritage on the sea side along the Tsuruga Port Line. Come and go on a trip with exciting experiences beyond your imagination.
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