Echizen Town is packed with the charm of Japan! Tourist spots in Echizen Town as seen by foreigners

In July 2024, the number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a single-month record of 3,292,500.

The number of foreigners visiting Japan rises each year. Japan offers seasonal nature, traditional crafts, and cuisine that many foreigners find appealing.

Many more visitors are likely to come to experience Japanese culture in the future.

With mountains and sea, Echizen Town is a treasure trove for tourists. It especially offers many attractions that interest foreign visitors.

This time, we interviewed travelers from overseas about the places in Echizen Town they would like to visit.

We spread out a map of Echizen Town and, while checking online, each person planned their own Echizen sightseeing route.

They want to eat delicious food and enjoy nature

First is an American backpacker. This is his second trip to Japan. He travels around Asia while working as an online English teacher.

What he wants to do in Japan is eat great food and enjoy nature.

Places he picked to enjoy nature include

Kochomon (Kochomon Gate)
Hindani Waterfall (Hindani no Taki)
Ochi-yama Observation Deck

He selected spots that caught his eye in photos. He likes hiking, so Mount Ochi would appeal to him.

For meals, he wants something affordable but authentic Japanese.

Umi no Sachi Shokudou Echizen
Echizen is a great choice for reasonably priced seafood. Many visitors want sashimi and sushi when they come to Japan, and seasonal flavors are worth trying.

He also loves hot springs. He paused at a beautiful photo with an ocean view.

Echizen Onsen Open-Air Bath “Sea of Japan”
On a backpacking budget now, he can’t splurge, but if he had more money he would try diving. A rental car is essential to tour Echizen Town; he also admires the idea of touring by motorcycle.

All of these are experiences available in Echizen Town. It’s rare to find so many things to enjoy in one town.

Checking places to go on Google Maps
He finds travel spots using Google Maps.

He opens Google Maps and chooses places from pins with photos. He uses actual reviews and price ranges to decide.

He rarely opens tourist pamphlets. Echizen Town’s brochure is clear and photo-rich and useful, but he relies on Google Maps and reads reviews carefully.

He didn’t expect it would be so convenient to use while traveling.
He wants to enjoy varied landscapes

A cyclist from France is traveling Japan by bike from Hokkaido to Kyushu, enjoying different natural scenes.
He said the landscapes with mountains and fields remind him of France, and he likes that Japan has both mountains and sea.

Echizen Pottery Village’s Enan Kiln
He’s interested in traditional Japanese crafts, so the pottery village appealed to him.

He prefers quiet countryside spots to crowded places. He wants to visit shrines and temples and enjoy hiking.

He also said buying vegetables at a local farmers’ market is fun.

Basically, he prefers places with few tourists

Many foreigners prefer places with almost no tourists to busy cities like Tokyo or Kyoto.

A French chef came to Japan wanting to join Takefu Knife Village.

He came to Japan seeking nature and quiet places rather than crowded tourist spots.

He said he is more interested in a worn, ordinary shrine that feels like real life than a picturesque shrine for photos. It makes him feel a living culture.

He recommended spots like Kotohirayama-gu, which are uncrowded and worth seeing.

He was intrigued by Yukyuu Roman no Mori (Eternal Romance Forest)
The waterwheel there caught his eye, and he liked the thatched-roof lodging.

Traditional crafts are famously popular when people think of Japan. He was keen to try pottery workshops.

He also loves nature. He thought walking from town to the shoreline would be enjoyable—people seem to love walking.

He most wanted to try Echizen crab. He hoped to return during the crab season to taste this luxury.

They want to experience real Japan
We also spoke with young travelers spending long periods in Japan.

A girl from the Netherlands

Nashikodaira Senmaida Daffodil Garden
She was interested in the daffodil fields. She liked flower landscapes and wanted to see waterfalls and other rich natural scenery.

She was very interested in pottery workshops and hot springs.

A young man from Germany said he wanted to experience seasonal events. Echizen Town has many traditional festivals, so any season should offer something to enjoy.

Both said they want to experience for themselves whether Japanese life, culture, and daily routines they’ve heard about are truly real.

Nashikodaira Senmaida Daffodil Garden
Location: Nashikodaira, Echizen Town, Nyu District, Fukui Prefecture

Echizen Town is easy to recommend to foreigners

Talking with five foreigners made clear that Echizen Town is a highly recommendable place. Many common points emerged.

They want to enjoy rich nature
They are interested in traditional crafts
They prefer places with few tourists
Everyone agreed they prefer authentic daily life and walking through mountain-framed Japanese scenery over major tourist sites.

Echizen Town offers mountains and sea and many places where visitors can stroll and enjoy nature at a relaxed pace.

There are many easy-to-recommend spots, for hiking and for coastal walks, which surprised us as we explained them.

The most popular spot is Echizen Pottery Village

The chance to try Echizen-yaki pottery is a major draw. Experiencing traditional Japanese crafts interests almost everyone.

Echizen-yaki offers many types of experiences, so visitors can choose according to their travel plans.

Visiting during pottery festivals and events can also be fun.

There are many other attractive spots to explore.

Next time, we will actually visit the Echizen Town spots that caught the interest of foreign visitors.