Toyama Prefecture: Cultural Heritage, Craftsmanship and Mountain Scenery

Toyama Prefecture offers a wide variety of reasons to visit, from cultural heritage and craftsmanship to regional cuisine and mountain scenery. To plan your trip, you can start by deciding which of these themes interests you most. Cultural highlights include Zuiryuji, Ainokura in Gokayama and Inami; the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route and Shomyo Falls offer a focus on scenery.

Temples, World Heritage and Craftsmanship

Zuiryuji is the only temple in Toyama Prefecture that is also designated a National Treasure. Each spring, a sound and light show highlights the temple complex; dates may vary. If you would like to combine your visit with the show, plan around the event dates.

Ainokura in Gokayama is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The traditional houses there are between 100 and 350 years old. The designation and the wide age range of the houses offer two ways to explore the area: its World Heritage status and its historic buildings.

Inami is a town in Toyama Prefecture known for its woodcarving and has been recognized as a Japanese cultural heritage site. On Yokamachi Dori, you can watch woodcarving workshops at work or try carving wood yourself under the guidance of a master craftsperson. At the Gokayama Washi Paper Making Experience Hall, you can make washi paper—another way to get hands-on with traditional crafts.

Glass and Regional Cuisine

The Toyama Glass Art Museum is located in Toyama Kirari, a multipurpose building with a library, designed by Kengo Kuma. The sixth floor is home to the Glass Art Garden, an installation by glass artist Dale Chihuly. At the Toyama Glass Studio, you can watch glassblowers at work and make your own mouth-blown glass object or paperweight. The museum and studio offer different ways to experience glass art: an installation at the museum and a look at the craft of working with glass.

The Hotaruika Museum in Namerikawa is dedicated to the firefly squid, which is important to the local fishing industry and is a popular part of regional cuisine. The museum restaurant serves squid dishes, including whole fried squid and squid pizza. The menu may change; check what is currently available before visiting.

The Trout Sushi Museum showcases the techniques of experienced sushi masters and the traditional process of making Toyama trout sushi. Together with the Hotaruika Museum, it highlights different aspects of regional food culture: the making of a traditional sushi specialty at one museum, and the firefly squid as part of the fishing industry and cuisine at the other.

Mountain Route, Snow Corridor and Waterfall

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route stretches across Toyama and Nagano prefectures and passes through the Northern Japanese Alps. In the Murodo Snow Corridor, the snow walls can reach up to 20 meters high. Visitors can walk alongside them and take photos; access depends on the operating season.

Shomyo Falls has a 350-meter cascade and is Japan’s tallest waterfall. A well-maintained path leads from the Shomyodaira parking lot to the foot of the waterfall in about 30 minutes. Seasonal snow and weather affect access.

The Kurobe Gorge Trolley Train offers another perspective along the route: it travels 20.1 kilometers upstream from Unazuki Station to Keyakidaira. There are hot springs and viewpoints at the four stations along the route. Service may vary by season. The mountain destinations described here range from a path to the foot of a waterfall and a snow corridor to a railway with several stations.

When choosing a hotel, you can start with the places you plan to visit: first decide which sights and activities matter to you, then choose a hotel location to suit your itinerary. Also take the seasonal conditions at the mountain destinations mentioned above into account when planning.

Discover more destinations: Tonami, Kurobe, Nanto, Nakaniikawa District, Himi, Nakaniikawa District, Tateyama, Asahi, Uozu, Toyama, Takaoka.

For an overview of the wider region: Japan.