We will be taking a walk around the city using public transport. We will be taking you on a journey to enjoy the city while experiencing its history and culture. This time, we will start from Komatsu City and Kaga City, which are known as Minami Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture, and then proceed to Fukui Prefecture, heading south to Fukui City, Sabae City, and Echizen City!
Ai Nishimura
Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.
Travel to Ishikawa and Fukui using Komatsu Airport. After visiting Natadera Temple, you can go to Kaga Onsen Station and enjoy rabbits and gourmet food. The Kaga region tour bus "Can Bus" passes through many tourist spots, so you can enjoy it even without a rental car.
Discover the local delicacy "yakiinari" at Kaga Onsen Station!
For the rest of the journey from Natadera Temple, you will travel on the sightseeing bus "CAN Bus."
This Canbus covers all the faraway spots that you might not be able to get to on your own. There is also a Komatsu Airport line, so you can use it right after you get off the plane. With a Canbus one-day pass, you can cover the entire itinerary on the first day, including to Natadera Temple, where I took a local bus. It's so convenient, and the one-day pass costs only 1,000 yen. There is a guide on board, and it runs on weekdays, so it's very useful.
At Kaga Onsen Station, I found "yaki-inari," perfect for lunch. It's sold as an ekiben inside the station. The soy sauce-based seasoning is not sweet like regular inari sushi, but rather has a fragrant finish. Crispy on the outside and fluffy and juicy on the inside, it's also quite filling with just two! Fukui City is the number one prefecture in terms of fried tofu consumption, but even in this area close to Fukui, it seems that people here often eat a lot of fried tofu. This was a Kaga City delicacy I came across by chance.
If you want to go sightseeing in the Kaga region from Komatsu Airport, take the Can Bus. It operates on weekdays too, and a one-day ticket costs 1,000 yen, allowing you to get on and off as many times as you like. A guide is provided, so you can get an overview of the spots just by riding, and if you tell them the stop you want to go to when you get on, they will tell you, so you can rest assured.
The words "CAN-BUS" are written in large letters. The Mountain Route Line stops at Yamashiro Onsen, Yamanaka Onsen, Natadera Temple, etc. The Sea Route Line continues to the Kitamae-bune Museum, Kaga Fruit Land, and Katayamazu Onsen, and you can use both lines with a one-day ticket.
I found "yaki-inari" at the Kaga Onsen Station shop. It's ekiben style and costs 800 yen.
Two large inari sushi rolls (burdock and chirashi) about the size of the palm of your hand, triangular in shape.
The thick fried tofu was plump and thick. There wasn't much of a sweet broth flavor, and the emphasis was on the savory flavor of the well-grilled tofu. Two pieces were enough to fill me up.
Enjoy a happy time surrounded by a total of 50 rabbits at "Moon Rabbit Village."
Well, the place where we got off the Canvas bus was "Tsukiusagi no Sato". There are about 50 rabbits roaming free, and you can see various kinds of rabbits freely. This is a rabbit museum, with rabbits such as the Netherland Dwarf, the model for Peter Rabbit, and the lop-eared rabbit.
Moreover, admission to Tsuki Usagi no Sato is free! You'll be enchanted by the fluffy fur of the rabbits and lose track of time as you wander around the park. It's a spot that is sure to soothe you. There is also a souvenir shop and a cafe on-site, so you can stop by for a break or wait for the bus without getting bored.
We took the Canbus Sea Route to "Tsukiusagi no Sato". It's quite a distance to get there on our own, so we realized how grateful we were for the Canbus.
This is a facility that is free to enter. It also has souvenir shops and restaurants, so you can stop by for a break during your drive.
There are about 50 rabbits roaming around at all times, and anyone can interact with them. There were many different kinds of rabbits.
If you want to buy food and get closer to the rabbits, shake the food container to make a rattling noise and the rabbits will hop around from nowhere. They look so cute.
Under the guidance of the zookeeper, we tried feeding the animals directly from our hands. They're so fluffy! Apparently there's also cuddle time (for a fee)!
A rare shot of a rabbit and a turtle. Maybe you can take a photo that will become a hit on social media?
A gift is provided with the Can Bus ticket. At Tsuki Usagi no Sato, we received some cute bunny cookies.
Enjoy a stroll through an art spot, hot springs, and parfaits. There are many ways to enjoy yourself at Kaga Katayamazu Onsen Soyu.
We then boarded the Canvas Bus to head to our next destination, Kaga Katayamazu Onsen Soyu, a must-visit for anyone who wants to experience art. The contemporary design of the building was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, who has worked on many architectural art and designs, including the new building of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
At Machi Cafe, a cafe with large windows, terrace seating, and a pure white space, you can enjoy Kaga's hospitality cafe menu, the Kaga Parfait. Unlike parfaits piled high with whipped cream, this is a healthy five-layer parfait centered around vegetables. You can enjoy the original flavor, texture, and natural colors of the vegetables, and it is a one-of-a-kind dessert made with locally produced ingredients. It was a parfait that perfectly matched the moist image of Kaga, and yet you don't feel guilty about eating it (lol).
Other popular menu items at Machi Cafe include the "Italian Machi Burger" with a hot spring egg and the "Kaga Bocha Chiffon Cake." It's nice to have lunch at a cozy cafe!
Katayamazu Onsen is a popular hot spring with salty spring water. Strolling around Lake Shibayama, which is right next to it, seems to be a popular date spot, and many people stroll around it. When the weather is good, it's a scenic spot where you can see the beautiful Hakusan mountain range. If you want to go around the lake, renting a bicycle is a good idea.
Benzaiten and the dragon god are enshrined in the shrine floating on the lagoon.
We took a canvas bus to Katayamazu Onsen. The modern building has an art museum-like atmosphere.
The current Kaga Katayamazu Onsen Soyu was completed in 2012. It was transformed into a modern hot spring by architect Yoshio Taniguchi.
A pleasant and open space! "Machi Cafe" is a cafe attached to a hot spring.
Katayamazu Onsen is a hot spring town built along Lake Shibayamagata. It's great to spend time on the terrace beside the quiet lake-like lagoon! But what I'm looking for here is...
The "Kaga Parfait" is a parfait made entirely from vegetables. You may be wondering, "Is that even delicious?" But it is surprisingly delicious!
Machi Cafe's original "Katayamazu Onsen Salt Cream Parfait" is 880 yen. It is a beautiful parfait made with an abundance of vegetables and fruits, and is colored with natural colors. Everything from the apple sauce soy milk pudding, komatsuna chiffon cake, brown rice puffs, and red carrot sauce is produced in Kaga.
Broccoli ice cream from Hiramatsu Farm, Mont Blanc cream made with Ajihira pumpkin and red kidney beans, vegetable chips, salted egg ice cream, etc. Although it uses cream and milk, it has a light and gentle sweetness that spreads in your mouth. It's very well made!
A mellow Kaga Bancha tea is a great palate cleanser after your parfait.
The tableware is Kutani ware. This parfait set will let you fully experience the charm of Kaga.
Now that we've come all the way here, let's take a walk until the bus time comes. Hot springs bubble up from Lake Shibayama, and the hot springs are sodium springs containing salt and come out from the bottom of the lake.
A hot spring distribution center in the middle of the hot spring town. Its large roof is distinctive.
It is said that a statue of Yakushi Nyorai is enshrined inside the hot spring distribution center.
A building that tells the history of Katayamazu Onsen. The Geisha Inspection Office is a reproduction of the building from when it was a red-light district. It is an eye-catching red building.
There is also a foot bath next to the hot spring distribution center. It is a good idea to warm your feet up once again after walking around the hot spring town.
Read the second part here
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
