10/04/2026 / Last updated : 10/04/2026 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Hakusan Shirakawago White Road 　白山白川郷ホワイトロード

Nov. 2nd. 2025 Michi no eki Hida-Hakusan A peaceful night at michi no eki hida-Hakusan. We have stayed here probably 3 times and, now twice, someone has set up a tent in a parking area. This time under the roof of the handicapped parking. I feel a fool not using such space on wet nights but I just can’t do it. Hakusan Shirakawago White Road Today we plan to drive the White Road. This is a toll road currently, 1,700 yen, that links Gifu to Ishikawa ken. The toll is high but the route is long and very spectacular and in this kouyo season (autumn leaves) well worth the expenditure. […]

15/09/2024 / Last updated : 15/09/2024 d.d Hokuriku region

Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins and Kumakawa juku　一乗谷朝倉氏遺跡、熊川宿

April 12th. 2024 Michi no eki Zen no Sato is ok for an overnight but not I imagine at weekends or high season. Ichijodani Asakura clan ruins Yesterday was geological time but today is more 17th Century Japan as we set off for Ichijodani Asakura clan ruins. This is a spot of great historical importance. The site was at one time an important town of some 10,000 inhabitants and the seat of the powerful Asakura warlords for 103 years from the mid 15th century. Though they was evidently not as powerful as Oda Nobunaga who laid the place to waste. All that remains are the foundation stones of numerous buildings […]

05/09/2024 / Last updated : 05/09/2024 d.d Hokuriku region

Dinosaur Day in Fukui　福井県勝山

April 11th. 2024 Michi no eki Katsuyama is a very practical spot for an overnight stay. The parking is flat and extensive. The facilities are very modern and clean and there are ample rubbish bins. Despite the dinosaur models, it is a characterless place, but it does have views of very distant, still snowy mountains. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum　福井県立恐竜博物館 We set off for the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. This is an excellent spot for dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages and for anyone with a remote interest in how life on Earth evolved over millennia. The museum has changed since our first visit in 2017. It has clearly become more popular. […]

29/07/2019 / Last updated : 17/05/2026 d.d Temple / Shrine

Eiheiji Temple in Fukui 　永平寺

October 2017, Post typhoon, the morning is bright with watery sunshine and a lot of fast moving, ragged cloud. We set off for Eiheiji Temple arriving about 10.30. On the road there is a lot of debris from the Sugi and other trees. People are out clearing up everywhere. We note more serious typhoon damage here and there, mainly vinyl houses and advertising signs but, occasionally, bigger problems where roof tiles have been lost. Eiheiji Temple The temple is large, with numerous buildings connected by covered passages and stairs but, as it nestles in a narrow mountain valley, it is necessarily compact. There is a spacious, tatami floored hall with […]