Tradition in Echizen: Old-Fashioned Lifestyles and Countryside Artisans
Recommended Length: 2 Days
The Echizen region of central Fukui has a centuries-old reputation for artisanal excellence. Many generations of artisans here produced hand-made crafts here—and today, visitors can try making them, too.
Highlights
- Make your own one-of-a-kind pair of glasses
- Decorate lacquered wood items, or even apply the lacquer yourself
- Stay overnight in a charming thatched-roof house in the mountains
- See thousand-year-old pottery, then shape clay or paint on decorations
- Create a work of art, or a practical souvenir, out of washi paper
Day 1
Arrive at Sabae Station
Megane Museum (Glasses Museum)
Fukui produces over 90% of all eyeglass frames made in Japan. Learn about the 200+ steps involved in making a pair of glasses, and try making your own frames by hand. The museum features a shop with over 3,000 glasses frames to choose from, made by some 50 companies based in Fukui.
Echizen Lacquerware Hall
Discover the long history of the Echizen region’s lacquerware industry, with informational panels about the production process. Workshops give visitors a chance to decorate their own lacquerware, or even try lacquering plain wood. The museum shop offers a vast selection, with lacquered wood items of all types for sale.
Check In at Yukyu Roman no Mori
Experience old-fashioned Japanese countryside life with an overnight stay in a thatched-roof house. Warm up by a wood fire in the open hearth during the colder months. In summer, cook dinner outside at the nearby Barbecue House. Simply relax and enjoy life at your own pace, surrounded by nature.
Day 2
Check Out of Yukyu Roman no Mori
Fukui Prefectural Museum of Ceramics (Echizen Pottery Village)
Start the day by exploring a collection of Echizen Pottery that stretches back roughly a thousand years. Then, try making Echizen Pottery yourself at the nearby Fukui Prefectural Museum of Ceramics. Multiple workshops are available, including shaping clay using an electric pottery wheel or by hand, or painting finished pottery.
Daikon-ya Soba
For lunch, visit this soba noodle shop just a short walk away. Soba noodles made with 100% buckwheat flour are a classic local favorite in Fukui, and this restaurant serves them both hot and cold. Choose from thin-cut noodles or Fukui-style wide-cut noodles, and plenty of different toppings.
Papyrus House (Echizen Washi Village)
Make one-of-a-kind washi paper items using traditional techniques. Choose from various sizes, from six coasters to a single large placemat, and decorate your hand-made paper with dried flowers and colored dyes. Papyrus House also has a shop offering various local paper products, including everyday paper items like note pads, and unusual items not ordinarily made of paper.
