One year on since the Japanese speed rail arrived in Fukui prefecture, the latter has been building on its growing tourism ecosystem with new subsidies and tours for international visitors.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended 125km along the Sea of Japan coast from Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture to Tsuruga, Fukui prefecture in March 2024, improving travel access and shortening travel time from Tokyo to about three hours.
Since the line opened, visitors to Fukui have increased by about one million year-on-year, with overnight stays by international tourists reaching 90,000, up 37.2 per cent year-on-year, according to the prefectural government.
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, one of the prefecture’s top attractions, reported a 26 per cent increase in visitors from March 2024 to February 2025.
Still, with growth in overnight stays by inbound tourists below the national average,…
