The Japan Alps and the North Chubu Coast

Escape from Japan's cities to this central alpine region for snow-topped mountains, coastal cliffs, open-air hot springs, and superb hiking and skiing. Many traditional villages are virtually untouched by development. Towns within the North Chubu region (Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, Niigata, Nagano, and Gifu prefectures) have largely maintained their distinctive architecture. In Ogi-machi and Hida Minzoku Mura, sturdy wooden houses with thatched roofs have open-hearth fireplaces. Famous temples such as Fukui's Zen Eihei-ji, Nagano's Zenko-ji, and Kanazawa's Nichiren Myoryu-ji (locally called Ninja-dera-temple of the Ninja), are symbols of the region's religious history.

Traditional arts are celebrated at annual events like Sado-ga-shima's three-day Earth Celebration with Taiko group Kodo and the more solemn okesa (folk dances), and the riotous Seihakusai festival in Nanao on Noto Peninsula. Before the Tokaido highway was built along the Pacific coast and the Chuo train line was connected to Nagoya and Niigata, this region was extremely isolated, which led to the development of highly skilled craftsmanship. Japanese ceramics, pottery, art, and scrolls are exhibited at folklore museums, and you can watch craftspeople dye linens, paint silk for kimonos, carve wood, and hand-lacquer objects in workshops.

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