About Fukui – Japan’s best prefecture!
Fukui is a prefecture situated in the central west part of the main island of Honshu, Japan. It is part of the Hokuriku region, which also includes Ishikawa and Toyama. Like much of Honshu, Fukui experiences hot, humid summers, cold winters with heavy snow, and pleasantly warm spring and autumn months, with a short rainy season around June.
Little reason to linger?
Fukui is not renowned as a tourist destination. Indeed, according to The Rough Guide there is ‘little reason to linger’ here. But anyone who has spent time in Fukui knows that there are hundreds of reasons to linger! The variety and beauty of the landscapes and the very generous and friendly nature of the Fukui locals make it a very pleasant place to live and visit.
Bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west, the Fukui coastline consists of sandy beaches and rocky, rugged cliffs. In the south you’ll find quiet bays edged by lush forested mountains and small fishing towns. In the east of Fukui, the mountains of Ono and Katsuyama provide excellent skiing and snowboarding terrain in winter, and hiking in autumn and spring.
The Real Japan
As few foreign visitors pass through Fukui, the prefecture remains very much untouched and uncrowded by commercial tourism, meaning that Fukui retains a genuine traditional Japanese character that has perhaps been lost in other more famous regions.
Aside from its natural beauty, Fukui also boasts one of the most beautiful temples in Japan – Eiheiji. A large wooden structure, nestled in the mountains, Eiheiji is a working temple which even offers overnight stays where you can experience the testing daily routine of the monks.
Though considered a rural backwater by much of the Japanese, Fukui’s central location within Honshu allows easy and quick access via the train to Osaka, Nagoya, Kanazawa and Tokyo, which is only 3 hours away via the shinkansen – Japan’s famous bullet train.
The baka inaka Fukui t-shirts pay tribute to the rural quirkiness of Fukui that anyone who spends time in the prefecture comes to know and love.
To learn more about life in Fukui visit FJET.org.
Read the book: For Fukui’s Sake: Two years in rural Japan to learn more about life in Fukui prefecture.
