Takaoka and Toyama Travel Video Guide

Takaoka and Toyama Travel Itinerary

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Head northeast from the Gokayama valley and you'll reach the modern coastal cities of Takaoka and, further west, the prefectural capital of Toyama. Neither city is worth stopping over in and you'd do well to press on south along the Japan Sea coast to Kanazawa and the more scenic Noto Hanto peninsula .

The only thing TAKAOKA is famous for is its Daibutsu, a large statue of Buddha, cast in 1933, about ten minutes' walk north of the station, and only worth seeing if you have time to kill while waiting for a train. This might be the case if you're using the JR Johana line which starts in Takaoka and goes part of the way towards Gokayama . You can pick up a map of town from the tourist information booth (daily 10am-6pm; tel 0766/23-6645), beside the ticket gate at the station where the friendly assistant speaks a little English and can make accommodation bookings if you're stuck for somewhere to stay.

Some 17km further west, straddling the mouth of the Jinzo-gawa, is the workaday prefectural capital TOYAMA , a good starting point for excursions along the Alpine Route to Nagano-ken. The city's castle, 1km south of the station, is a replica of the original and houses the missable Museum of Local History (Tues-Sun 9am-4.30pm; Y210); if you have time to spare the best place to head is the Toyama Municipal Folkcraft Village (Tues-Sun 9am-4.30pm; Y630), where eight museums highlighting local arts, crafts and industries are gathered together at the foot of Kureha hills. Beside the museums you'll also find the atmospheric temple Chokei-ji , with its Gohyaku Rakan, terraces of over 500 stone mini-statues of Buddha's disciples. To reach the village, take a bus from stop #14 in front of the Hokuriku Bank Building opposite Toyama Station to Anyobo, and then walk for five minutes.

The tourist information booth (daily 8.30am-8pm; tel 0764/32-9751), beside the central exit at Toyama Station, has a good selection of leaflets on local attractions and English-speaking staff who will help book accommodation. You should also be able to get here a copy of What's Happening , a monthly English newsletter (with parts in Chinese, Portuguese and Russian), put out by the Toyama International Centre (tel 0764/44-2500). Toyama's banks, main post office and shops are all within easy walking distance of the station.

The Toyama Youth Hostel (tel

0764/37-9010; under Y3000) is several kilometres north of the city, beside a pine-fringed beach which would be lovely if not for all the rubbish on the shore. The hostel itself is a pleasant place and serves meals. If you want more convenient accommodation for the city centre, there are plenty of business hotels around Toyama Station; a good option is the Dai-ichi Inn Toyama (tel 0764/42-6611, fax 42-8153; Y10,000-15,000), at the east end of the station, with singles from around Y7000.

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