Why it’s time to discover Japan’s ‘other’ Golden Route

This quiet corner, just three hours from Tokyo, is now more accessible than ever. Go now, before the crowds notice

You’ll likely have heard and read much about Japan’s overtourism crisis: lake towns erecting screens to block popular views; the harassment of geisha forcing the closure of parts of Kyoto; officials introducing fees to climb Mount Fuji. But don’t be fooled – there are two sides to this story.
True, Japan has already seen a record 17.78 million visitors in the first half of this year – almost double the number who visited in 2023. And yet the majority of the country remains undiscovered by the masses.
Stick to well-trodden paths, further overburdening classic itineraries like the Golden Route (a first-timer’s favourite, which takes in the heaving sights of Mount Fuji, Osaka and Kyoto), and you’ll feel the crush. Branch out, however, and you’ll find there are still plenty of charming, untrammelled regions to be explored – easily reached by Japan’s fleet of high-speed trains, the sleekly splendid shinkansen.
Take the neighbouring coastal prefectures of Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui, for example: rich seams of culture, tradition and quintessential Japanese charm, still almost entirely overlooked by foreign tourists.
Since 2015, the Hokuriku Shinkansen has linked Tokyo with Toyama City and Ishikawa’s Kanazawa (Kyoto’s closest rival for charm and geisha culture).
In March this year, the route was extended further still, southwest along the coastline of Fukui prefecture to the city of Tsuruga, from where it’s an easy three hours back to Tokyo, via the turquoise-tiered castle of Nagoya and Honshu’s central south coast.
The extended line means that these three outlying regions can now be combined to create a magnificent week-long loop through the heart of lesser-known central Japan, and all without straying more than 200 miles from the capital.
So, which holds greater appeal: the well-walked tourist path via overcrowded Fuji and closed-off Kyoto, or a thrilling dive into an authentic Japan that few tourists have yet seen? There’s no contest. Golden Route, eat your heart out.
Board the bullet train at Tokyo Station, and in two and a half hours you’ll have crossed the midriff of Japan’s main island, Honshu, and arrived in coastal Toyama. The region sprawls inland from a huge horseshoe bay across a large floodplain – dotted with grand, black-eaved houses, each one surrounded by rice paddies – then climbs slowly up towards the Northern Alps.
It’s especially famous for its fish – yellowtail, in particular – so start your visit at Himi Fishing Port and Fish Market, where there’s a lively auction of the fresh catch early in the morning, and a locally loved little restaurant hidden away on the second floor (the sashimi here is as fresh and delicious as you’ll ever find).
Thus fuelled, the prefecture is your oyster. Capital Toyama City is a fine example of second-tier urban life (there are some fine department stores and a few excellent izakayas – the Japanese version of a pub), though it’s the region’s smaller cities that best showcase what sets it apart.
In Takaoka, for example, futuristic tin factory Nousaku shows visitors how its products are made (you can even cast your own sake cup at a workshop); while in Tonami, Wakatsuru Saburomaru (the third-oldest whisky distillery in Japan) takes great pride in explaining its development of the world’s first cast pot still – and, of course, offers tastings too.
Head up into the hills, meanwhile, and you’ll find Says Farm, a young winery (still few and far between in Japan) offering tastings, spectacular views over Toyama’s glorious bay and an excellent rosé.
A little higher, and you’ll reach Ainokura Village in Gokayama, a Unesco World Heritage Site on a plateau high above the Shō River, where more than 20 families still live in steeply pitched gassho-zukuri (thatched-roof) houses dating from the Edo period.
The prefecture also offers a healthy dose of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples; at many, you’ll be the only visitor, so don’t be surprised if a friendly priest appears and offers to show you around.
The pioneering Rakudo-an (rakudoan.jp/en) – a renovated 120-year-old, paddy-ringed farmhouse where modern touches have been artfully combined with traditional craft and design – has rooms from £327 per night.
The shinkansen will deposit you in prefecture capital Kanazawa, where temples, an old samurai district, a small historic quarter (home to geisha), and a colourful, bar-studded downtown combine to make a very-close-to-perfect city. It’s also the site of one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens, Kenroku-en, and the hub where almost 100 per cent of Japan’s gold leaf is produced (there’s an interesting museum, but it’s really all about the gold-leaf soft-serve ice cream – try it at Mamezarachaya café in the grounds of the feudal-era Kanazawa Castle, and since you’re there, have a look at the castle too).
From Kanazawa, it’s a 15-minute hop further down the line to Kaga Onsen, a town built around four pretty hot-spring villages and filled with charming ryokan: traditional Japanese inns with tatami-mat floors, paper screen doors and communal bathing pools.
Widely regarded as the finest of these is the 10-room Kayotei (ichiban (number one) according to everyone, including my cab driver in Kanazawa), where tea ceremonies, wood-block sandals, yukata robes and private onsen (hot springs) are the order of the day.
Tempting though it is to sink, hippopotamus-like, into the onsen and stay put, it’s well worth taking a stroll: an hour-long loop from the ryokan’s doorstep follows the Daishoji River through a leafy ravine, then back through Yamanaka village, a neat little commune with a traditional bathhouse, sake brewery, and several quaint shops where you can pick up locally crafted lacquerware.
Machiya Inns & Hotels Japan (machiya-inn-japan.com) arranges self-catering stays at its collection of beautiful old machiya (townhouses); Kayotei Ryokan (ryokancollection.com) has rooms from £453 per night.
Another 15 minutes on the Shinkansen brings you to Fukui’s eponymous prefecture capital, an Edo-era castle town with one of Zen Buddhism’s most important temples, Eihei-ji, and some fascinating ruins (as well as the Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, for those so inclined).
It’s the same distance again from here to our final stop, Tsuruga, but foodies who’ve not yet had their fill of excellent seafood should break the journey in Echizen, where a local species of enormous snow crab is regarded as one of Japan’s best. When you do reach Tsuruga, you’ll find a historic port city with a lovely stretch of white-sand beach and one of Japan’s largest pine forests – a lovely spot for hiking and birdwatching.
From here, it’s a three-hour swoop back along the southeastern coast to Tokyo – though if you don’t want to skip the Golden Route entirely, this is also your chance to join it, hopping down to Kyoto then on to Osaka.
There are plans in the offing to extend the Hokuriku Shinkansen as far as Osaka by 2030, making this option easier still – but also meaning time is of the essence if you plan to discover Japan’s secret Golden Route before everyone else does.
Hotel Granbinario Tsuruga Fukui (hotelgranbinario-tsuruga.com) has rooms from £64 per night; in Kyoto, Hotel Malda (maldakyoto.com) has rooms from £315 per night; in Osaka, Hotel Royal Classic (hotel-royalclassic.jp/en) has rooms from £118 per night.
Gemma Knight-Gilani was a guest of InsideJapan (insidejapatours.com) and Mizu to Takumi (mizutotakumi.jp), an organisation offering tours and experiences geared towards cultural preservation across Toyama.
Japan Airlines (jal.co.jp/uk) flies from London to Tokyo from £926 return. In Tokyo, Hotel Shinjuku Groove (panpacific.com) has rooms from £145; Mesm Tokyo, Autograph Collection (mesm.jp/en) has rooms from £396. The Hokuriku Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Tsuruga from JPY16,000-18,000 (£80-90) one-way.
To get the most out of a trip to these areas, it’s well worth booking a tour through a regional specialist like B Corp-certified InsideJapan (insidejapantours.com), who can tailor make bespoke trips to suit budgets and timeframes, and to include whatever you’re most interested in (as well as booking trains, arranging transfers, etc).
InsideJapan’s 14-night Hidden Zen self-guided trip, for example, costs from £6,030pp and travels along the new Hokuriku Shinkansen line, including a stay in the luxury Rakudo-an, as well as in Kanazawa and Kaga Onsen.

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