Enjoy the traditions, history, and cuisine of the Kaga area on a 2-day, 1-night trip around Yamashiro Onsen Town and Tsurugi

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.

Stroll around the hot spring town of "Yamashiro Onsen"

The nearest station to Yamashiro Onsen is Kaga Onsen Station. It takes about 25 minutes by bus or just over 10 minutes by car to get to Kosoyu, the center of the hot spring town.
The whole town is lined with large hot spring inns, traditional Japanese restaurants, Japanese sweet shops, tableware shops and souvenir shops, so you might have a hard time deciding where to start. The atmospheric hot spring "Kosouyu" and the "foot bath" in Gensen Park are also popular, making it a bustling spot with visitors.
During the Edo period, a town developed around the public bathhouse "Soyu (now Kosoyu)." This is called "Yunogawa," a name unique to the Hokuriku region, and even today, inns and shops line the area, surrounding the Kosoyu.

Hattori Shrine enshrines Ameno-Hazuchio-no-Mikoto, the god of weaving, and Kukurihime, the deity of Hakusan faith. It is within walking distance from the hot spring town, and you can visit in a quiet and peaceful environment.

"Roppo-yaki" is a tea snack made of six sides of a wheat flour skin baked until fragrant and wrapped in sweet bean paste. Roppo-yaki Souhachi, a specialty shop, has been carrying on the traditional taste for six generations since the Bunsei era (1820s) to the present day. No water is used in the skin, and it is all handmade. The simple and gentle taste is popular among locals.
You can buy them freshly baked, but the individually wrapped takeaway versions have a moist texture and less sweetness, making them delicious in a different way.

The charming streets shine even more beautifully when lit up at night. There are plenty of lighting effects, such as the lighting of stone lanterns, inns, and old public baths. The starry sky is beautiful, and this is a hot spring town where you can enjoy yourself until late into the night.

Yamashiro Onsen, the home of Kutani ware and the Japanese alphabet

Old Soyu

Roppongi Souhachi

Learn about "Kutani ware", a traditional culture that represents Kaga, at the "Kutani ware kiln site exhibition hall"

As its name suggests, Yamashiro Onsen is a hot spring resort, but it is also the place where Kutani ware was produced.
This is a piece of pottery that combines bold brush strokes with a color known as "Five Colors" to create an exquisite painted plate.
Its history began with the discovery of pottery stone in Kutani Village (now the depths of Yamanaka Onsen) in the early Edo period, but it ended about 50 years after the pottery was made. There are various theories as to why this is, but it is not clear.

About 100 years later, production resumed as "Resurrected Kutani." The climbing kiln used at that time can be seen at the "Kutani Ware Kiln Site Exhibition Hall." The Yoshidaya Kiln, which was used to revive Kutani ware before the revival, has been preserved in its excavated state. The shelter that protects this climbing kiln was designed by architect Hiroshi Naito, and the internal structure, made of steel frames, is well worth seeing.
The building next to this is a workshop where you can experience Kutani ware as well as see its exhibits. By experiencing the wheel and painting, you can get up close and personal with Kutani ware and learn about its depth.
In this exhibition hall, about 200 tiles that were used in the VIP family bath of the "Old Yoshinoya Ryokan," which was also associated with Kitaoji Rosanjin, are used for decoration. They are located at your feet, so be sure not to miss them.

When talking about the history of Yamashiro Onsen and Kutani ware, one person who cannot be left out is Kitaoji Rosanjin.
Rosanjin is a man of many faces, including seal engraver, potter, calligrapher and gourmet, but he also stayed in Yamashiro Onsen and learned Kutani ware. He stayed here for about six months, during which time he left behind many signboard carvings for inns in Yamashiro Onsen. He also received instruction in pottery from Suda Seika, and produced many pieces of pottery at the Seika Kiln. Yamashiro Onsen, with its high level of culture, can be said to be the place that recognized and nurtured Rosanjin's talent at an early stage.
The villa where Rosanjin stayed, the former Yoshinoya Inn, is now open to the public as "Rosanjin's Residence Iroha Soan." With its tranquil surroundings and well-maintained gardens, it is a facility where you can spend some relaxing time.

For those who want to learn more about Kutani ware, we also recommend the Ishikawa Prefecture Kutani Ceramics Museum. It is located in the same city, but a little far from the hot spring town.
This is an art museum where you can learn about the history of Kutani ware and view valuable exhibits such as Ko-Kutani ware.
The hotel has a calming atmosphere, and is furnished with designer chairs and other sophisticated furnishings.

Kutani Pottery Kiln Exhibition Hall

Iroha Soan, the former residence of Rosanjin

Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Pottery Museum

Enjoy the winter delicacy of Yamashiro, "Kano crab," with Kaga crab rice at "Kappo Kaga"

When you think of winter gourmet food in the Hokuriku region, the first thing that comes to mind is crab.
In the Kaga area, restaurants offer a variety of inventive crab dishes called "Kaga Crab Rice," and here in Yamashiro Onsen, you can try this dish at Kappo Kaga.

The "Hitsumabushi-style stone-grilled crab rice" is hot until the very end. By pouring the rich crab broth over it at the end, you can enjoy the rich flavor of the crab. It uses a whole bowl of crab meat, crab miso, and crab shells, and the crunchy crab roe pickled in soy sauce adds a nice accent.
Other dishes on offer include five seasonal appetizers, Kaga Bocha tea, and a cute smiling boiled egg called "Nakamura-kun." Nakamura-kun was named after the third-generation head chef, Nakamura Ami, because he looks just like him. The towel on his head is handmade, making it a photogenic and unique item.

In response to tourists who say "When you think of Hokuriku, you think of crab," the restaurant invented the crab rice dish, which uses the latest technology to freeze and preserve the "Kanon crab" landed at Hashidate Fishing Port, so that it can be enjoyed even outside of crab season using the restaurant's special cooking methods. Now, many local customers visit the restaurant and order the dish, making it a menu that can be enjoyed all year round.

Founded 40 years ago, this restaurant is the oldest in Yamashiro Onsen and is proud of its crab rice. Why not try it as a memory of your trip to the Hokuriku region?

Kaga

Enjoy a quiet moment at Yakuoin Onsenji Temple, the birthplace of the Japanese alphabet "aiueo"

What is the "Aiueo no Sato" that is touted in Yamashiro Onsen, a hot spring with many faces?
In fact, this is the place where the Japanese alphabet, "aiueo, ka kaki ku ke ko...", is said to have been created.
Yakuoin Onsenji Temple was built by Gyoki to protect the hot springs when Yamashiro Onsen was discovered in the Nara period. It is said that Myokaku Shonin entered the temple after this.
Based on the Sanskrit language that Myokaku learned, he wrote down the Japanese 50 sounds, a combination of vowels and consonants, in his own book "Han'on-sakuho" (1093). There is a monument in the hot spring town, and it certainly does have the letters "aiueo" written on it. However, instead of the current "akasatanarahamawa" order, it is in the "akayasatanarahamawa" order.
A Yamashiro Onsen riddle-solving game based on the "Aiueo" alphabet is also being held. You can explore the hot spring town while solving the quiz.

A staircase leads up the mountain from Yakuoin Onsenji Temple.
This place is called "Aiueo Path" and has small ceramic panels with the Japanese alphabet, Korean Hangul characters, and Roman letters inscribed on them. These continue to the Gorinto (stupa) dedicated to the priest Myokaku, and you can take a leisurely stroll here.
We spent a quiet time surrounded by the history of Yamashiro Onsen and the tranquil nature.

Yakuoin Onsenji Temple

Yamashiro Onsen Puzzle Game

The gentle flavors of the Kaga parfait at Hazuchio Teahouse will have you feeling refreshed

When you get tired from walking around the city, you want to soothe your body with something sweet. At such times, try the "Kaga Parfait," a glass filled with Kaga specialties.
We stop by Hattori Shrine in the hot spring town and enjoy sweets at Haduchio Teahouse, a cafe with a hearth located inside Haduchio Rakudo, named after Amenohazuchio no Mikoto, the deity enshrined at the shrine.

The Kaga Parfait is a sweet treat offered at six stores in Kaga City; it is an "all-Kaga" dessert, consisting of a five-layer parfait made with Kaga ingredients served in a Kutani ware dish and garnished with Kaga Bocha tea.
Hazuchio Tea Shop serves a luxurious parfait that is layered with Kaga Bancha jelly, fresh cream with Kaga raw honey, purple sweet potato chiffon cake, Hiramatsu Farm soft serve ice cream, and Kaga rice puffed rice, and on the top tier is a colorful assortment of homemade soft-boiled eggs, red bean paste from a local Japanese confectionery shop, Mont Blanc cake made with seasonal vegetables, cookies, tuiles, and rice crackers.
The sauce is made using the traditional sweet Sukesaka candy, allowing you to feel the traditions, history, and food culture of Kaga in every corner.

The Kaga parfait at Hazuchio Teahouse is topped with the sacred bird "Yatagarasu" that appeared when Gyoki decided to open this hot spring resort, making it a dessert worthy of Yamashiro Onsen. The not-too-sweet Kaga Bocha jelly was fresh and healthy, making it an adult parfait.
This colorful parfait is packed with the charm of Kaga and is sure to be a memorable taste of Yamashiro Onsen.

Hazuchio Tea Shop