Echizen, Historical city in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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