Echizen, Historical city in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.
Description
Echizen sits near the coast of the Sea of Japan in Fukui Prefecture and stretches across mountains and valleys with rice fields, forests, and smaller settlements. The landscape changes with the four seasons, from snow in winter to green hills in summer.
History
The area served as the capital of a province during the Nara period and kept its importance as a center for administration and trade over centuries. In 2005, two neighboring towns merged into a new administrative unit.
Culture
The name Echizen refers to a former province and now marks an area where craftspeople make paper by hand, forge blades, and shape pottery. Workshops open their doors to visitors who can watch these techniques passed down over centuries.
Practical
Trains on the Hokuriku Main Line connect the town with Fukui and Kanazawa, stopping at several stations in the area. Buses serve smaller neighborhoods, while roads through the mountains can have snow in winter.
Did you know?
The area holds over 100 protected cultural properties and archaeological sites, including ruins of old temples and castle remains on hilltops. Visitors often come across stone remnants along walking paths that hint at past eras.
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Gotanjō-ji
4 km
大瀧神社・岡太神社
7.6 km
Echizen-Fuchū Castle
10 m
Gōshō-ji
5.4 km
Mount Hino
6 km
證誠寺
5.7 km
Jōshō-ji
5 km
Komaru Castle
5.6 km
Kako Satoshi Furusato Ehonkan Raku
1.4 kmMurasaki Shikibu Park
1.8 km
Ōshio Hachiman Shrine
6 km
大虫神社
3.8 km
Ōzan Kofun Cluster
4.3 km
Echizen City Library
996 mめがねミュージアム
5.1 km
Bankei-ji
4.5 km
陽願寺 (越前市)
576 m
Ibe iwakura-jinja
2.4 km
Honbo Jin'ya
2.5 kmŌtaki Castle
7.6 km妙泰寺
7.8 km妙勧寺
4.3 kmTakefu Higashi Sports Park
4.9 km
蓮尚寺
556 mMyochi-ji Buddhist temple
857 m府中大橋
1.8 km聞法寺
2.6 kmShinzenkōji Castle
488 mDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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