Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [237]
An Australian-Japanese couple runs the seaside inn-restaurant-bakery Flatt’s by the Sea (Minshuku Flatto; 62-1900; www.flatts.jp; r per person with 2 meals ¥8500; Thu-Tue). It has just a few tables, serving Italian-Japanese cuisine, and the three 10-mat minshuku rooms have bang-on water views from across the street. For nonguests, meals are by reservation only, or just visit Flatt’s bakery and cafe (closed Wednesday and Thursday) for basics or adventurous creations like chorizo rolls. It’s near the inner elbow of Noto, in the town of Hanami.
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HAKUSAN NATIONAL PARK
For travellers with a thirst for exercise and time on their hands, this national park straddles four prefectures: Ishikawa, Fukui, Toyama and Gifu. The park has several peaks above 2500m; the tallest is Hakusan (2702m), a sacred mountain that, along with Mt Fuji, has been worshipped since ancient times. In summer, hiking and scrambling uphill to catch mountain sunrises are the main activities, while in winter skiing and onsen bathing take over.
For information, phone Hakusan Murodō Reservation Centre (; 076-273-1001) or Shiramine Town Hall (; 076-259-2011) in Japanese.
The alpine section of the park is crisscrossed with trails, offering treks of up to 25km. For hikers who are well equipped and in no hurry, there is a 26km trek to Ogimachi in Shōkawa Valley.
Those looking to hike on and around the peaks are required to stay overnight, mostly in giant dorms at either Murodō Centre (dm with 2 meals ¥7700; 1 May-15 Oct) or Nanryū Sansō (; Nanryū Mountain Lodge;076-259-2022; dm with 2 meals ¥7600, camp sites ¥300, tent rental ¥2200, 5-person cabins ¥12,000; Jul-Sep). Getting to either of these requires a hike of 3½ to five hours, and when the lodges are full, each person gets about one tatami mat’s worth of sleeping space. Camping is prohibited in the park except at Nanryū Sansō camping ground; there are several camping grounds outside the park. That doesn’t stop the park from swarming with visitors, however. Reservations are recommended at least one week in advance.
The closest access point is Bettōdeai. From here it’s 6km to Murodō (about 4½ hours’ walk) and 5km to Nanryū (3½ hours). Ichirino, Chūgū Onsen, Shiramine and Ichinose have minshuku, ryokan and camping. Rates per person start from around ¥300 for camp sites, or around ¥7500 for inns with two meals.
Getting There & Away
This is not easily done, even during the peak summer period. The main mode of transport is the Hokutetsu Kankō (076-237-5115) bus from Kanazawa Station to Bettōdeai. From late June to mid-October, up to three buses operate daily (¥2000, two hours). Return fares include a coupon for a stay at Murodō Centre (¥10,600).
If you’re driving from the Shōkawa Valley, you can take the spectacular toll road, Hakusan Super-Rindō (cars ¥3150).
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FUKUI-KEN
FUKUI
0776 / pop 268,000
Thanks to a drubbing in WWII and an earthquake in 1948, Fukui, the prefectural capital, doesn’t bubble over with big-name attractions like other Hokuriku towns, yet this friendly, down-to-earth city makes a useful sightseeing base.
Fukui Tourist Information Centre (20-5348; 8.30am-7pm) dispenses English information and maps from beside the ticket gate at Fukui Station. If you are planning to visit both Eihei-ji (right) and Tōjinbō (opposite), enquire here about a Free Pass (¥2000), offering unlimited bus transport to these destinations for two days.
In the city, just north of the station, are the business district and the walls and moats of what was once Fukui castle, which now house the prefectural government (kenchō, ). About 300m further on, Yōkōkan (; 21-2906; adult/child ¥210/100; 9am-7pm Mar-early Nov, to 5pm early Nov-Feb) is the reconstructed villa of Fukui’s Edo-period daimyō Matsudaira clan; its stroll garden was recently rated one of Japan’s top three in a gardening journal. Between 19 and 21 May, Fukui celebrates the Mikuni Matsuri with a parade of giant warrior dolls.
Hotel Route Inn Fukui-Ekimae (; 30-2130;