Top Fukui Prefecture Full-day Tours

This private car tour from Tsuruga Port is designed especially for cruise travelers who want to experience the very best of Fukui in one seamless journey.The itinerary combines three of Fukui’s most celebrated highlights: the world-class Dinosaur Museum, where the mysteries of ancient life come alive; the serene Eiheiji Temple, a living center of Zen practice for nearly 800 years; and Echizen Washi Village, where traditional craftsmanship continues to thrive after more than a millennium. Each site reveals a different facet of Fukui—its scientific significance, its spiritual depth, and its artisanal creativity.This tour is perfect for travelers who value both comfort and authenticity, offering an in-depth look at the culture, history, and beauty of Fukui Prefecture. It is more than sightseeing—it is an immersive experience that connects you with Japan’s heritage in a truly memorable way.

Echizen washi paper, which boasts a history of over 1500 years, is a traditional craft that Fukui is proud of, and is used for labels of sake and whiskey due to its beauty and strength. After learning about sake brewing at one of Fukui's leading sake breweries, Symphony Yoshida Sake Brewery, where you can experience the Eiheiji terroir, the source of sake brewing that makes use of Fukui's climate, you can experience making a washi label for sake using sake lees and rice husks at Igarashi Seishi, a long-established Echizen washi paper workshop famous for its food paper, which has been in business for over 100 years. Create a one-of-a-kind sake bottle with your own original washi label and experience the charm of sake even more deeply. Why not enjoy a special experience that can only be had here, where you can experience Fukui's culture and artisanal skills?

Kawada is a town of Echizen lacquerware with a history of 1500 years. It is said that Echizen lacquerware began when lacquer painting was encouraged after Keitai Tenno successfully repaired his broken crown with lacquer coating. On this tour, we will visit two lacquer workshops in the Kawada area. Kinkori Lacquerware Shop is a lacquer workshop with a history of over 100 years. Kinkori Lacquerware Store is a lacquerware workshop run by brothers in Kawada, the town of Echizen lacquerware. In this experience, you will receive direct instruction from your brother, Masataka Kinkori, a craftsman at Kinkori Lacquerware Store, and you will be able to try your hand at lacquering a bowl. Next, we will visit Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill, a Japanese paper-making workshop in the Imadate area. Lastly, there was a calligraphy experience with calligrapher Kason Nishiyama at an old folk house next to the workshop.

The Echizen region of Fukui Prefecture has been designated as one of the "Six Ancient Kilns of Japan," and is well known for Echizen lacquerware, pottery, and cutlery. Come and try to make your own sake cup with the guidance of a craftsperson. Afterwards, go onto taste the region's traditional dishes at a soba restaurant and modern bar, try sake at a local sake brewery, and visit a chest-making workshop.