Fukui · Things to do
Things to Do in Fukui: 17 Places with Hours, Prices and Access
17 things to do · checked October 23, 2026
17 things to do in Fukui, from Fukui city outward
Hours, prices and access checked against each place's own page on October 23, 2026. They change; check before you go.
1Fukui Station East Exit Dinosaur Square福井駅東口 恐竜広場（ダイナソースクエア）
Station plaza with dinosaur models · Fukui Station
Fukui City set up dinosaur models around the east exit of JR Fukui Station for the Hokuriku Shinkansen opening in March 2024. The centrepiece is a parent and child Triceratops: the parent is a life-size robot 4.0 m tall (7.6 m with its rock base) and 8.1 m long, and the child can be touched. The rooftop plaza of the Fukui City Tourist Exchange Center has nine more dinosaur models and sits level with the Shinkansen platform.
- Access
- At the east exit of JR Fukui Station. The child dinosaurs in the "Dinosaur Playground" stand by the passage between the Fukui City Tourist Exchange Center and the Echizen Railway Fukui Station building.
- Hours
- The parent Triceratops moves 9:00–21:00 and can be heard on the hour and half hour; it is lit from sunset to 23:00. It is stopped in winter because of snow, and at other times for bad weather or maintenance
- Price
- Free
2Yokokan Garden養浩館庭園
Edo-period garden · Fukui city
A garden laid out in the Edo period as a villa of the Matsudaira lords of the Fukui domain, designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1982. A large pond is surrounded by the garden and a sukiya-style building that seems to float on it; visitors can sit in the rooms and look out at the garden.
- Access
- From Fukui Station: Echizen Railway to Shin-Fukui, then about 10 minutes on foot; or Keifuku Bus route 20 from Fukui Station West Exit bus terminal stand 2 to Yokokan-guchi Edo-kamimachi, then about 3 minutes on foot. About 5 minutes by taxi. The Fukui City History Museum is next door.
- Hours
- 1 March–5 November 9:00–19:00; 6 November–end of February 9:00–17:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). Autumn light-up 1–29 November 2026 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 17:00–20:30 (last entry 20:00)
- Closed on
- 28 December–4 January. On 29–31 October 2026 the buildings are closed and only the garden is open, free of charge
- Price
- ¥220; combined ticket with the Fukui City History Museum ¥350. Junior high school age and under, and 70 and over, free
3Fukui City History Museum福井市立郷土歴史博物館
History museum · Fukui city
The city's history museum, next to Yokokan Garden on its west side. The regular exhibition covers the permanent galleries, a gallery of Matsudaira family records and a gallery of the museum's collection; a period-costume corner and events in the lobby are free.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from JR Fukui Station. Address: 3-12-1 Hoei, Fukui.
- Hours
- 9:00–19:00; 6 November–end of February 9:00–17:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
- Closed on
- No regular closing day. Closed for maintenance and exhibition changes, including 30 October, 24–27 November and 14–15 December 2026, and 28 December 2026–4 January 2027
- Price
- Regular exhibition ¥220; combined ticket with Yokokan Garden ¥350. Junior high school age and under, and 70 and over, free. Special exhibitions priced separately
4Ichijodani Asakura Family Site一乗谷朝倉氏遺跡
Castle-town ruins · Ichijodani
The ruins of the castle town from which five generations of the Asakura family ruled from 1471 to 1573, a national historic site and one of the largest castle-town ruins in Japan. About 200 m of street has been rebuilt with houses and roads, four of the gardens are national Special Places of Scenic Beauty, and an observation platform completed in 2012 looks over the whole valley.
- Access
- JR Etsumi-Hoku Line from Fukui Station to Ichijodani Station (about 15 minutes), or Keifuku Bus route 62 from Fukui Station West Exit stop 5 (about 25 minutes). These are the museum's directions; the museum is 3 minutes on foot from Ichijodani Station.
5Ichijodani Asakura Family Site Museum福井県立一乗谷朝倉氏遺跡博物館
History museum · Ichijodani
The prefectural museum for the Ichijodani ruins, with exhibits drawn from the excavations, which began in 1967. A shared sightseeing ticket covering the museum and the rebuilt street is sold; the museum's page does not give its price.
Closed Mondays.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on the JR Etsumi-Hoku Line from Fukui Station to Ichijodani Station, then 3 minutes on foot. Or Keifuku Bus route 62 (Ichijodani Togo Line) from Fukui Station West Exit stop 5, about 25 minutes. Address: 8-10 Abakanakajima-cho, Fukui.
- Hours
- 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed on
- Mondays and the New Year holidays; other closures are announced on the museum's site
- Price
- Permanent exhibition: general ¥700, high school ¥400, elementary and junior high ¥200, 70 and over ¥350. Special exhibitions priced separately
6Daihonzan Eiheiji大本山永平寺
Zen temple · Eiheiji
An active Soto Zen training monastery founded by Zen Master Dogen in 1244, deep in the mountains east of Fukui city; JNTO says more than a hundred monks practise there. Visitors walk the wooden corridors and may not step into the gardens or photograph the monks.
About 30 minutes by Eiheiji Liner bus from Fukui Station.
- Access
- Keifuku Bus "Eiheiji Liner" express from Fukui Station East Exit stand 1, daily, about 30 minutes to the temple gate. Seats are first come, first served and cannot be reserved. Keifuku routes 86/87 also run from Awara-Onsen Station. The temple has no visitor parking; use the lots in the village.
- Hours
- 8:30–16:30; may change with the monastic schedule
- Closed on
- 1 January
- Price
- Adults ¥700; elementary and junior high school students ¥300; 7 and under free
7Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum福井県立恐竜博物館
Dinosaur museum · Katsuyama
A silver, egg-shaped museum in the hills of Katsuyama, near Japan's largest dinosaur excavation site. The Dinosaur World hall has skeletons of 50 dinosaurs, including the locally found Fukuiraptor and Fukuisaurus, and a window onto the lab where technicians clean fossils. Entry needs an advance reservation; JNTO says special exhibitions are usually held from July to November.
Advance reservation needed.
- Access
- Echizen Railway from Fukui Station to Katsuyama Station (about 1 hour), then the direct bus (about 15 minutes) or a taxi. From Tokyo, JNTO gives about 3 hours by Hokuriku Shinkansen to Fukui; from Osaka, about 1.5 hours by Thunderbird to Tsuruga, then about 20 minutes by Shinkansen to Fukui.
- Hours
- 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), as listed by JNTO
- Closed on
- Second and fourth Wednesdays, and 31 December–1 January, as listed by JNTO
8Maruoka Castle丸岡城
Castle · Maruoka
Built from 1576 by Shibata Katsutoyo on Oda Nobunaga's orders, Maruoka's keep is the only original keep left in the Hokuriku region and one of 12 in Japan, a national Important Cultural Property. It collapsed in the 1948 Fukui earthquake and was rebuilt in 1955 reusing more than 70% of its main timbers. The stairs inside are 65 and 67 degrees steep, with ropes to hold.
- Access
- Hapi-Line Fukui from Fukui Station to Maruoka Station (about 12 minutes), then Keifuku Bus (about 15 minutes) to the Maruoka-jo stop. Keifuku Bus also runs from Fukui Station West Exit (routes 31, 32, 36, 39) and from Awara-Onsen Station (about 20 minutes). About 10 minutes by car from Maruoka IC.
- Hours
- 8:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
- Price
- Adults ¥450; elementary and junior high ¥150. The ticket also covers the Maruoka history and folk museum and the Ippitsu Keijo letter museum
9Tojinbo東尋坊
Sea cliffs · Mikuni
Columns of rock formed from lava run for about 1 km along the coast, and JNTO gives the cliffs a height of about 25 m; they are a designated Natural Monument and Place of Scenic Beauty. A sightseeing boat circles Tojinbo and Oshima in about 30 minutes, and Tojinbo Tower stands above the cliffs.
- Access
- Echizen Railway from Fukui Station to Mikuni Station (about 50 minutes), then Keifuku Bus to the Tojinbo stop (about 10 minutes) and about 5 minutes on foot. Buses also run from Mikuni-minato and Awara-yunomachi stations. There is no direct bus from Fukui Station. About 45 minutes by car from Fukui Station.
- Hours
- Cliffs open at all hours. Sightseeing boat 9:00–16:00 (November–March 9:00–15:30), suspended in rough weather. Tojinbo Tower 9:00–17:00 (winter 9:00–16:30)
- Price
- Cliffs free; parking ¥500 per car (¥1,000 on 11 August). Boat adults ¥2,000, children ¥1,000. Tower adults ¥500, children ¥300
10Oshima Island雄島
Island and shrine walk · Mikuni
A small island of 13-million-year-old lava, about 2 km round, off the coast from Tojinbo and long revered as an island of the sea god. A vermilion bridge leads to it; Ominato Shrine sits at the top of a steep flight of stone steps, and a 1.2 km path loops the island in about 40 minutes.
About 40 minutes on foot from Tojinbo.
- Access
- About 40 minutes on foot from Tojinbo along the 2.7 km Araiso walking path, or about 5 minutes by car.
- Price
- Free
11Mikuni Minato三国湊
Old port town · Mikuni
A port town that grew rich on the Kitamae-bune trade between Osaka and Hokkaido in the Edo and Meiji periods. Old buildings include the 19th-century Kishina family house and the 1920 Morita Bank head office, the prefecture's oldest reinforced-concrete building. The Mikuni Festival at Mikuni Shrine runs 19–21 May every year.
- Access
- Echizen Railway Mikuni Awara Line from Fukui Station to Mikuni (about 50 minutes).
- Hours
- Town open at all hours. Volunteer guides 9:00–17:00, ¥1,500 per tour (phone 0776-82-8552)
- Closed on
- Volunteer guides do not run 29 December–3 January
12Awara Onsenあわら温泉
Hot spring town · Awara Onsen
A hot spring town in northern Fukui, found in 1883 when a farmer digging an irrigation channel struck 80-degree water. Ryokan line the streets around Awara-yunomachi Station on the Echizen Railway.
- Access
- Hokuriku Shinkansen to Awara-Onsen Station: fastest about 2 hours 51 minutes from Tokyo on the Kagayaki, or about 30 minutes from Tsuruga. The hot spring town is about 10 minutes by car from Awara-Onsen Station. Or Echizen Railway Mikuni Awara Line from Fukui Station to Awara-yunomachi (about 40 minutes).
13Echizen crab season越前がに 漁期
Seasonal food · Fukui coast
Fukui Prefecture says fishing for Echizen crab (male snow crab) opens at midnight on 6 November every year and runs until 20 March, and the female seiko crab is caught from 6 November to 31 December. Since 1997 each Echizen crab has a yellow tag attached before auction as its mark.
6 November to 20 March (male); to 31 December (female).
- Access
- A season, not one place. Awara Onsen ryokan and the Mikuni port area are on this page.
- Hours
- Male Echizen crab 6 November–20 March; female seiko crab 6 November–31 December
14Kehi Jingu氣比神宮
Shinto shrine · Tsuruga
Tsuruga's main shrine, enshrining seven deities since 702. Its great torii is a national Important Cultural Property and one of Japan's three great wooden torii, and the shrine was added to the Scenic Sites of Oku no Hosomichi in 2016.
- Access
- About 15 minutes on foot from JR Tsuruga Station, or about 5 minutes by city community bus to Kehi-jingu-mae. Free parking for 100 cars. Address: 11-68 Akebono-cho, Tsuruga.
- Hours
- Gates April–September 5:00–17:00; October–March 6:00–17:00. Amulets and goshuin 8:45–16:45
15Kehi no Matsubara気比の松原
Pine grove and beach · Tsuruga
A grove of red and black pines about 1 km long and about 340,000 m² behind a white sand beach, a national Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's three great pine groves with Miho no Matsubara and Niji no Matsubara. Walking courses take about 15 to 40 minutes; the beach is a swimming beach in summer.
- Access
- From JR Tsuruga Station: community bus Matsubara Line to Kehi no Matsubara (about 12–18 minutes), or the Gurutto Tsuruga loop bus to Matsubara Kaigan (about 15 minutes). About 10 minutes by taxi; about 15 minutes by car from Tsuruga IC.
- Price
- Free; parking free except in the swimming season
16Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse敦賀赤レンガ倉庫
Historic warehouse and diorama · Tsuruga
Brick warehouses built more than 110 years ago at Tsuruga port. The north wing holds a 27 m by 7.5 m diorama of Tsuruga in the early 1900s, when the port linked Japan and Europe. The building also has restaurants.
Closed Wednesdays.
- Access
- Gurutto Tsuruga loop bus from JR Tsuruga Station west exit to the Akarenga Soko stop.
- Hours
- Building 9:30–22:00; north wing (diorama) 9:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00)
- Closed on
- Wednesdays (Thursday if Wednesday is a holiday); 30 December–2 January
- Price
- Diorama: general ¥400; elementary school and under ¥200
17Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum人道の港 敦賀ムゼウム
History museum · Tsuruga
A museum about the Polish orphans who landed at Tsuruga in the 1920s and the Jewish refugees carrying "visas for life" who landed there in the 1940s; the museum says Tsuruga was the only Japanese port where both groups came ashore.
Closed Wednesdays.
- Access
- Gurutto Tsuruga loop bus from JR Tsuruga Station west exit stand 3 to Kanegasaki Ryokuchi (Tsuruga Muzeum), then about 3 minutes on foot. About 40 minutes on foot or about 10 minutes by taxi from the station.
- Hours
- 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Temporarily closed 2 November 2026, with longer hours on 3 November
- Closed on
- Wednesdays (the next day if Wednesday is a holiday) and the New Year holidays
- Price
- Adults ¥500; elementary school and under ¥300; under 4 free
Good to know
Plan around four rail points. The Hokuriku Shinkansen, extended from Kanazawa to Tsuruga on 16 March 2024, stops at Awara-Onsen, Fukui, Echizen-Takefu and Tsuruga. From Fukui Station, the Echizen Railway runs to Katsuyama for the Dinosaur Museum (about 1 hour) and to Mikuni for Tojinbo (about 50 minutes), the Eiheiji Liner bus reaches Eiheiji in about 30 minutes, and the JR Etsumi-Hoku Line reaches Ichijodani in about 15 minutes. There is no direct bus from Fukui Station to Tojinbo.
The Dinosaur Museum needs an advance reservation. On 23 October 2026 its own site showed only a server-maintenance notice saying the museum is open as usual, so the hours and closed days on its card are JNTO's; the fee could not be read and is left off. Closed days elsewhere: the Ichijodani museum on Mondays, the two Tsuruga museums on Wednesdays, and Eiheiji only on 1 January.
Dates this season: Yokokan Garden's buildings are closed 29–31 October 2026 (the garden is open free), and its autumn light-up runs 1–29 November on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Echizen crab fishing opens on 6 November. The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum is closed on 2 November. Facts were checked on 23 October 2026.
Fukui city, Eiheiji and Katsuyama, the Sakai coast, or Tsuruga
How each area is reached, what it costs to get in and when it closes. Adult prices; where a place does not publish a fee, the cell says so.
| Area | Getting there | Entry (adult) | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fukui city: station dinosaurs, Yokokan Garden, History Museum, Ichijodani | Dinosaurs at the station east exit · Yokokan about 10 min on foot from Shin-Fukui (Echizen Railway) · Ichijodani about 15 min by JR Etsumi-Hoku Line | Dinosaurs free · Yokokan ¥220 · History Museum ¥220 (combined ¥350) · Ichijodani museum ¥700 | Robot 9:00–21:00 · Yokokan and museum to 19:00, from 6 Nov to 17:00 · Ichijodani museum 9:00–17:00 |
| Eiheiji and Katsuyama: Eiheiji, Dinosaur Museum | Eiheiji Liner bus about 30 min · Echizen Railway to Katsuyama about 1 h, then bus about 15 min | Eiheiji ¥700 · Dinosaur Museum fee not readable on 23 Oct 2026 | Eiheiji 8:30–16:30 · Dinosaur Museum 9:00–17:00 (JNTO) |
| Sakai coast and Awara: Tojinbo, Oshima, Mikuni, Maruoka Castle, Awara Onsen | Echizen Railway to Mikuni about 50 min, then bus about 10 min · Maruoka Castle about 20 min by bus from Awara-Onsen Station | Tojinbo and Oshima free · boat ¥2,000 · Maruoka Castle ¥450 | Tojinbo at all hours · boat 9:00–16:00 (Nov–Mar to 15:30) · Maruoka 8:30–17:00 |
| Tsuruga: Kehi Jingu, Kehi no Matsubara, Red Brick Warehouse, Tsuruga Museum | Kehi Jingu about 15 min on foot from Tsuruga Station · loop or community bus to the others | Pine grove free · diorama ¥400 · museum ¥500 · shrine fee not stated | Shrine gates to 17:00 · diorama 9:30–17:30 · museum 9:00–17:00 |
By kind of trip
Dinosaurs
The Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama needs a reservation and closes on the second and fourth Wednesdays (JNTO). The models at the Fukui Station east exit are free, and the parent Triceratops moves 9:00–21:00 except in winter.
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum · Fukui Station East Exit Dinosaur Square
One day in and around Fukui city
Ichijodani is about 15 minutes by train from Fukui Station and its museum closes at 17:00 and on Mondays. Yokokan Garden and the History Museum next door stay open to 19:00 until 5 November.
Ichijodani Asakura Family Site · Ichijodani Asakura Family Site Museum · Yokokan Garden · Fukui City History Museum
The coast and the sunset side
Tojinbo, Oshima and Mikuni Minato are all reached from Mikuni Station on the Echizen Railway. The Tojinbo boat stops at 16:00 (15:30 from November to March); the cliffs themselves have no closing time.
Hot springs and crab season
Awara-Onsen is a Shinkansen stop. Echizen crab fishing runs from 6 November to 20 March, and the female seiko crab only to 31 December.
A stop in Tsuruga
Tsuruga is where the Shinkansen meets the Thunderbird from Osaka. Kehi Jingu is about 15 minutes on foot from the station; the Red Brick Warehouse and the Tsuruga Museum close on Wednesdays.
Kehi Jingu · Kehi no Matsubara · Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse · Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum
Questions
Do I need a reservation for the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum?
Yes. JNTO says reservations are required and lists the hours as 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed on the second and fourth Wednesdays and 31 December–1 January. The museum's own site links to online tickets, but on 23 October 2026 it showed a server-maintenance notice, saying the museum itself is open as usual.
How do I get to Tojinbo from Fukui Station?
Take the Echizen Railway to Mikuni Station (about 50 minutes), then a Keifuku Bus to the Tojinbo stop (about 10 minutes) and walk about 5 minutes. Keifuku Bus says there is no bus from Fukui Station to Tojinbo. Buses also run from Awara-yunomachi Station.
When is Echizen crab season?
Fukui Prefecture says fishing opens at midnight on 6 November every year and runs to 20 March. The female seiko crab is caught from 6 November to 31 December. Each Echizen crab carries a yellow tag, used since 1997.
Which Hokuriku Shinkansen stations are in Fukui?
Awara-Onsen, Fukui, Echizen-Takefu and Tsuruga, on the extension from Kanazawa that opened on 16 March 2024. The government's KIZUNA site gives Tokyo to Tsuruga as fast as 3 hours 8 minutes; the Awara tourism association gives Tokyo to Awara-Onsen as fast as 2 hours 51 minutes.
How do I get to Eiheiji?
The Keifuku Bus Eiheiji Liner runs daily from Fukui Station East Exit stand 1 to the temple gate in about 30 minutes; seats are first come, first served. Eiheiji is open 8:30–16:30 and costs ¥700 for adults.