10 MUST-VISIT DESTINATIONS in central JAPAN (Chubu Region)

This is where it all started.

Central Japan will always have a special location in my heart since this is the very first region I went to years ago. This is where I experienced my very first snowfall (and snowstorm). This is where my love for Japan took root. as well as you understand what they say, you will never fail to remember your very first love.

I couldn’t have picked a much better location to check out first. There is so much to see as well as do here. central Japan, likewise called Chubu region, is composed of nine prefectures: Aichi, Gifu, Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Nagano, Niigata, Fukui, Ishikawa, as well as Toyama. The last four are considered part of the Hokuruki subregion.

Crumpled with mountains, central Japan boasts the towering Japanese Alps as well as install Fuji. It likewise has a long history, preserved as well as showcased in its various heritage spots including old merchant street of Takayama, the old town of Hida Furukawa, the chaya districts of Kanazawa, as well as the UNESCO world Heritage sites Shirakawa-go as well as Gokayama.

Yet, the region is still widely regarded as an off-the-beaten-path destination. Sandwiched by much much more prominent Kansai as well as Kanto regions, central Japan is frequently overlooked. however if you are searching for interesting, refreshing traveler attractions, right here are some of places to add to your Japan itinerary!

WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?

Shirakawa-go
Takayama
Hida Furukawa
Fukui
Kanazawa
Takaoka
Gokayama
Toyama
Gero
Gifu City
Getting There as well as getting Around
More suggestions on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:

Shirakawa-go

Shirakawa-go in Ono district in Gifu Prefecture is declared a UNESCO world Heritage site in 1995 for the centuries-old gassho-zukuri farmhouses. Ogimachi is Shirakawa-go’s largest village as well as poster image. This picturesque village has this perpetual charm that draws regional as well as foreign tourists alike.

Shirakawa-go in Winter. (vichie81 | Shutterstock)
Photos by mark Roa (@gotmarked)
There are still over a hundred farmhouses — some are turned into museums, while others are still inhabited. one of the most popular gassho-zukuri houses is the Wada House, an essential national cultural Property. The admission charge is ¥300.

Our team had been right here four times — twice in winter, when in spring, as well as when in autumn. Each season provides a different vibe however similarly spectacular scenery, particularly when saw from the observatory. You can reach the observatory on foot (about 20 minutes) or by shuttle bus service (10 minutes) for ¥200 per person. The bus stop is near the Wada House, as well as the bus departs every 20 minutes.

Also near the shuttle bus stop is Irori Restaurant, where you can try the conventional Japanese meal with the well-known Hida beef on Hoba leaf as well as freshwater rainbow trout.

Nearest Station: JR Takamaya Station

How to get There: go to Takayama Nohi Bus center as well as purchase your bus ticket. The fare is ¥2,600 as well as the travel time is 50 minutes. The very first bus departure is at 7:50 AM as well as the last is at 7:00 PM. Please be there 20-30 minutes before the departure time.

✅ much more INFO: SHIRAKAWA-GO travel GUIDE

Takayama

Located in the mountainous region of Gifu Prefecture, the city is aptly named Takayama, which actually implies “tall mountain”. To differentiate it from other places in Japan with the same name, this one in Gifu is likewise called Hida-Takayama, referring to the old Hida Province. because it is located near the northern Japanese Alps, Takayama is house to one of Japan’s 100 well-known mountains — install Hotakadake.

Its relatively remote place gave rise to its peculiar culture, which developed through centuries of isolation. The Takayama festival is one of Japan’s three many gorgeous festivals. It happens twice a year in April (spring) as well as October (autumn) as well as features gorgeous floats.

You will discover much more about their heritage from several museums as well as historical sites in the city like the Takayama Jinya, Matsuri no Mori, Yatai Kaikan, Hida people Village, Higashiyama temple Area, as well as Sanmachi (old town). The old town takes you back to the Edo period with its well-preserved wooden merchant houses.

At present, the old streets are lined with souvenir shops as well as sake breweries. speaking of sake breweries, Takayama has seven! since of its chilly climate, clean water, as well as good-quality rice, the city produces some of Japan’s best sake. one of the oldest breweries is Funasaka sake Brewery with 200 years of experience for sake brewing.

Takayama is likewise the option base for tourists going to Shirakawa-go. If you like to experience onsen (hot spring bath) as well as still have additional money to burn, you may want to check hotel Associa Takayama Resort. They offer not only public onsen however likewisepersonal ones. This is one of the options if you are not comfortable being naked with strangers however still want to experience an onsen bath.

Nearest Station: JR Takayama Station

How to get There: From JR Nagoya Station, get on a restricted reveal broad view Hida train to JR Takayama Station. The fare is ¥3,410 plus seat fee. The travel time is roughly 2.5 hours.

✅ much more INFO: TAKAYAMA travel GUIDE

Hida Furukawa

Hida Furukawa is located north of Takayama, which can be reached in about 15 minutes by train. This small town in Hida, Gifu is reminiscent of the 15th-century old castle town with its canal-lined streets that function conventional wooden storehouses.

The many popular canal is the carp-filled Setogawa Canal that separates the white-walled storehouses as well as the dark-walled conventional wooden houses. during winter season season though, the carp are transferred to a warm pond as well as will swim in the canal once again in spring. The number of carp swimming in the canal is said to have reached over a thousand!

Other landmarks are the festival square where the Furukawa festival is held in April, the Hida Furukawa festival exhibition Hall, the Hida Crafts Museum, the huge 700-year-old ginkgo tree, the red Imamiya Bridge, Mishima candle shop (over 200 years old), as well as the three temples (Enkouji, Honkouji, as well as Shinshuji). aside from the Furukawa Festival, other events are the Fox wedding festival in September as well as the check out to three Temples in January.

The newest attractions that draw tourists to Furukawa are the locations featured in the Japanese animation film, Kimi no Nawa (Your Name): JR Hida-Furukawa Station, Hida City Library, as well as Ajidokoro Furukawa among others.

Nearest Station: JR Hida-Furukawa Station

How to get There: From JR Takayama Station, take the train to JR Hida-Furukawa Station. The fare is ¥240 as well as the travel time is 15 minutes.

Fukui

Fukui City is the funding of Fukui Prefecture. It is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan as well as on the east by the Ryohaku Mountains. From the city center, you can quickly gain access to traveler attractions.

For those who want to experience conventional Japanese hot spring baths, Awara city has the onsen village providing different types of hot spring bath experience — outdoor, indoor, public as well as private. You can likewise avail of Awara’s public foot bath. just a stone’s throw away from the foot bath is the regional preferred food alley — Yukemuri Yokocho.

For the dinosaur enthusiast, get the Jurassic Park vibe at Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, one the best in the world. Being the largest in Japan with over 40 dinosaur skeletons on display, it has recognized itself as the center of dinosaur research in Japan. The museum is located in Katsuyama City, where the largest dinosaur excavation site can be found. The entire Katsuyama city is really part of the Dinosaur Valley Fukui Katsuyama Geopark where 5 dinosaur species were excavated — Fukuiraptor, Fukuisaurus, Fukuititan, Koshisaurus, as well as Fukuivenator. The entrance charge is ¥730.

Sakai is house to the kilometer-long basalt cliffs facing the Sea of Japan called Tojinbo. through time, the strong waves sculpted what has now ended up being a traveler attraction in the area. You can appreciate the beautiful view from the 55-meter high observation deck or on a sightseeing cruiser that takes you around the area.

Nearest Stations: JR Awara Onsen station as well as JR Fukui Station

How to get There: From JR Shin-Osaka Station, take the restricted reveal Thunderbird to JR Fukui station (¥3,410 + seat fee) or JR Awara Onsen station (¥3,740 + seat fee). The travel time is 1.5-2 hours.

Kanazawa

Kanazawa is the funding of Ishikawa Prefecture. This is one more site where you can experience being transported back to the Edo period while strolling around the historic sites like the Kanazawa Castle Park as well as the three tea home districts where geisha culture likewise thrives.

These three are Kazue-machi Chaya, Nishi (West) Chaya, as well as Higashi (East) Chaya. The most significant among the three is Higashi Chaya. The old streets are lined with souvenir shops as well as food places — Hakuza Hikarigura (gold leaf shop), Hakuichi (gold leaf soft ice cream), as well as of course, tea houses.

Other than the tea houses, there are Nagamachi Samurai district as well as Ninjadera. Kanazawa Castle Park boasts different masonry techniques through the castle’s surrounding stone walls. If you are a tea enthusiast, try the casual tea ceremony at Gyokusenan near the Gyokusen-inmaru garden inside the castle park. You will be served matcha eco-friendly tea as well as conventional Japanese sweets.

Photos by mark Roa
Have a unwinding stroll around the large Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s three fantastic Gardens. It is located just across the Kanazawa Castle Park. some of the well-known landmarks inside the garden include the Kotojitoro lantern, the natural fountain, Yugaotei, as well as the Karasakinomatsu yearn trees to name a few.

Hungry? check out the restaurants at Omicho Market, nicknamed “Kanazawa’s kitchen”. Over a hundred shops sell fresh create as well as seafood here. other attractions in Kanazawa are 21st Century museum of contemporary Art as well as D.T. Suzuki Museum.

Nearest Station: JR Kanazawa station

How to get There: From JR Shin-Osaka Station, take the restricted reveal Thunderbird train to JR Kanazawa Station. The fare is ¥4,840 plus seat fee. The travel time is about 2.5 hours.

✅ much more INFO: things TO do in KANAZAWA

Takaoka

Takaoka is located in Toyama Prefecture. It’s an old castle town that boasts two of its thriving old merchant as well as craftsman districts — Yamachosuji as well as Kanayamachi.

The city is known for its metal casting market that is said to create many of Japan’s bronzeware as well as metal works. Kanayamachi is the house of numerous well-preserved conventional wooden houses as well as the heart of Takaoka’s metal casting industry. one of the most recognized casting places in Kanayamachi is the Risaburo Foundry, which specializes in twin-type casting that dates back to the Meiji Period. We were able to take part in its metal casting workshop which lets us select as well as make our own sake cup, chopstick rest or paperweight.

Takaoka is likewise one of the jump-off points for one more UNESCO world Heritage site — Gokayama. The village features gassho-zukuri farmhouses, just like Shirakawa-go, however it’s much more remote as well as less crowded.

Nearest Station: JR Shin-Takaoka Station

How to get There: From JR Kanazawa Station, take the Shinkansen Hakutaka train to JR Shin-Takaoka Station. The fare is ¥680 plus seat fee. The travel time is about 15 minutes. If you are coming from Nagoya, you will many likely do a train transfer at JR Kanazawa station to JR Shin-Takaoka Station.

Gokayama

Another UNESCO world Heritage site in the Chubu region is Gokayama, an area in Nanto City in Toyama Prefecture. It likewise features the same gassho-zukuri farmhouses that you will see in Shirakawa-go, only less in number. If Shirakawa-go has Ogimachi, Gokayama has Suganuma as well as Ainokura. compared to Shirakawa-go, Gokayama is quieter, much more rustic, as well as has fewer crowds.

Nearest Station: JR Johana station as well as JR Takayama Station

How to get There: From Nagoya, you requirement to do two train transfers at JR Kanazawa station as well as JR Shin-Takaoka station to reach JR Johana Station. then from there, take the bus to Ainokura. Kaetsuno Bus operates between Shin-Takaoka station as well as Ainokura (and can go as far as Shirakawa-go). The total fare is around ¥8,000 as well as travel time is about 5 hours. one more choice requires a side trip to Shirakawa-go. Take the restricted reveal broad view Hida to JR Takayama station as well as then take the bus to Shirakawa-go. From Ogimachi, take the Kaetsuno Bus to Ainokura or Suganuma. The total fare is roughly ¥6,000 as well as travel time is around 4 hours.

Toyama

Alpine route – Yukino-otani “Snow Walls”
Toyama City is the funding of Toyama Prefecture, located on the western coastline of the Chubu region on Japan’s Honshu island. It’s a coastal city that faces the Toyama Bay on the north. It used to be a castle town with Toyama Castle as its central figure. aside from the castle, some of the attractions right here include the Hills of 500 Buddhas, Toyama street Museum, Toyama people Village, as well as Toyama Glass museum among others.

Kansui Park is a large waterside park that has a bridge that likewise serves as an observation deck where you can view the mountains as well as the surrounding areas. For hikers as well as nature-lovers, Toyama is the typical jump-off point for those who would like to tackle the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

Nearest Station: JR Toyama Station

How to get There: From JR Kanazawa Station, take the Shinkansen Tsurugi train to JR Toyama Station. The fare is ¥990 plus seat fee. The travel time is about 20 minutes. If you are coming from Nagoya, you will many likely do a train transfer at JR Kanazawa station to JR Shin-Takaoka Station.

Gero

Gero City in Gifu is situated between Takayama as well as Nagoya, making it a fantastic stopover when traveling between these two points. blessed with lush forests as well as mountains, the city offers a visual feast while you stroll around the area. With the hide River as well as maze River sustaining the land as well as its proximity to Mt. Ontake, the second highest volcano in Japan, it’s not unexpected that this unassuming city became well-known for its hot spring baths.

A