RegionOutline guide

Fukui (prefecture)

Prefecture of Japan

Photo: 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani), CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Fukui Prefecture (福井県) is the southernmost prefecture in the Hokuriku (北陸) part of the Chubu area of Honshu, Japan.

Where to eat, drink and stay

Eat1 place

Akiyoshi
There are many branches of the locally-owned yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) restaurant throughout Fukui. All branches have a picture menu, and most have an English one. Look for a red lantern sign at the entrance, and a line of business men eating and drinking at the counter.
Hours
There are many branches of the locally-owned yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) restaurant throughout Fukui (including near most JR stations). All branches have a picture menu, and most have an English one, if you ask (or they notice that you're not Japanese). Look for a red lantern sign at the entrance, and a line of business men eating and drinking at the counter.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By car
Fukui is accessible via the Hokuriku Tollway by car from all parts of Chubu, and several different bus lines make stops at Tsuruga and Fukui City from places like the new Chubu International Airport…

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Getting around

Fukui has the largest rate of car ownership in all of Japan, which is necessary because public transport is not well developed. Still, it is possible to access most areas by train or bus.

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Airports and nearby hotels

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Komatsu Airport / JASDF Komatsu Air Base

Kanazawa · International · KMQ

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Cities

Fukui

Fukui (福井市 Fukui-shi) is the capital city of Fukui Prefecture. In 2017, it had a population of 264,000 people.

Echizen City

Echizen (越前) is a city in Fukui Prefecture.

Obama

Obama (小浜市 Obama-shi) is a city in Fukui Prefecture.

Ono

Ōno (大野市 Ōno-shi), also called Echizen Ōno (越前大野, capped with old province name), is a historic castle town in Fukui prefecture, Japan, known as the 'little Kyoto' of Echizen province. About one fifth of Fukui Prefecture lies within its borders.

Tsuruga

Tsuruga (敦賀市 Tsuruga-shi) is a city in Fukui Prefecture.

Sakai

Sakai City (坂井市 Sakai-shi) is in Fukui Prefecture.

Sabae

Sabae (鯖江市, Sabae-shi) is in Fukui Prefecture.

Katsuyama

Katsuyama (勝山市 Katsuyama-shi) is a city in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, famous for its dinosaur museum, ski slopes, and large temple.

Show all 10

Eiheiji

Eiheiji (永平寺) is a small town in Fukui Prefecture famous for its impressive temple bearing the same name.

Hakusan National Park

Hakusan National Park (白山国立公園 Hakusan Kokuritsu Kōen) is in Chubu of Japan, spanning Ishikawa, Gifu, Fukui and Toyama prefectures.

Read before you go to Fukui (prefecture)

Articles and travel topics about Fukui (prefecture) and Japan.

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Full travel guide

Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.

UnderstandFukui is directly across the Sea of Japan from the Korean Peninsula. Its harbors are frequented by Russian and Korean cargo vessels.

TalkThe dialect spoken in Fukui is widely different between south and north.

Get inThe Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo stops at Fukui and terminates at Tsuruga, which is also served by the Hokuriku Rail Line from Osaka and Kyoto.

Get aroundFukui has the largest rate of car ownership in all of Japan, which is necessary because public transport is not well developed. Still, it is possible to access most areas by train or bus.

See

DoThe prefecture has many great beaches and historical sites.

EatFukui is well known for its beef from the Wakasa area of Western Fukui Prefecture, its echizen-gani (crabs) which are prized for their guts, called kani-miso, and for oroshi soba buckwheat noodles with grated radish.

DrinkWater in Fukui comes from mountain springs. Some say the rice is the best in Japan, but people in a dozen other prefectures make the same claim.

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Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Fukui (prefecture)" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Fukui Prefecture", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani), CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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