A stroll around Takaoka
MAP
The town of Takaoka was built around Takaoka Castle Remains (Takaoka Kojo Park), one of a handful in Japan where a moat remains intact. Thanks to this historical value, the castle site was named a historical monument by the government of Japan in 2015. Another must-see is Zuiryuji Temple, the only designated National Treasure in Toyama Prefecture.
The city includes many valuable sights inherited from the Edo and Meiji periods of Japan’s history, including Yamachosuji Street, which features a streetscape of storehouse-style homes built by merchants, and Kanayamachi, the birthplace of Takaoka’s metal-casting tradition. It’s also home to numerous related cultural heritage sites. Other objects of cultural heritage throughout the city convey a sense of Takaoka’s grand history. These include the Fushiki Kitamaebune Museum (the former Akimoto residence)—a shipping agent’s townhouse in the port town of Fushiki, which thrived in the age of the Kitamae trading boats that plied the Sea of Japan, and the Great Buddha of Takaoka, famed for its striking beauty.
Other enjoyable activities in Takaoka include factory tours, hands-on events in which visitors to try their hand with metal casting, mother-of-pearl inlay, and other techniques, and tastes of local specialty cuisine. Takaoka offers an experience available nowhere else.
Access to Takaoka
ACCESS
Takaoka, the major city of western Toyama Prefecture, is easily accessible from the greater Tokyo area since the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed rail line. We invite you to come sightseeing in Toyama Prefecture and the environs. And while you’re in Takaoka, come drop by Takaoka’s handicraft factories and studios.
Visiting the treasured cultural heritage sites that remain here and there in the city and experiencing traditional handicrafts yourself are sure to lead to new discoveries and delightful memories.
