Best Ryokans in Fukui: Awara Onsen, Eiheiji, and the Japan Sea Crab Coast

Fukui faces the Japan Sea from the middle of the Hokuriku coast — a narrow prefecture compressed between the mountains of the Chugoku range and the open sea. It receives less attention than neighboring Kanazawa (Ishikawa) and Toyama, but contains two experiences unavailable elsewhere: the most rigorous Buddhist training monastery in Japan open to general visitors, and the finest snow crab in the country.

Awara Onsen (あわら温泉)

Fukui's primary hot spring town — a compact cluster of traditional ryokans in flat agricultural countryside north of Fukui city, 30 minutes by rail from the city center. The spring water is sodium chloride and sodium sulfate — warming, skin-smoothing, generally mild in character.

The crab dinner: Awara's main attraction is not the spring water but the access it provides to fresh Matsuba crab. Ryokans during November–March offer dedicated crab kaiseki dinners: one whole Matsuba crab per person, prepared in 6–8 courses — sashimi (raw crab meat with ponzu), yakigani (grilled half-crab over charcoal), kani-shabu (crab legs swirled in hot broth), kani-miso (crab brain cooked in the shell), kani-gohan (crab rice), kani-chiri (crab hot pot). The quality of the ingredient, this freshly sourced, is extraordinary.

Non-crab season: Outside the crab season, Awara ryokans serve Echizen seafood (local sea bream, squid, noto-fugu pufferfish in season) and the local Echizen soba — a buckwheat noodle tradition in Fukui that predates the Edo period.

Eiheiji Temple (永平寺)

One of two head temples of the Soto Zen sect (the other is Soji-ji in Yokohama) — founded by the monk Dogen Zenji in 1244 in this forested mountain valley 20km south of Fukui city. Approximately 200 unsui (training monks) live and practice here currently, following a schedule unchanged in 800 years: 3:30am wake, formal zazen, meal ceremonies (oryoki), sutra chanting, temple duties.

Visitor access: The temple is open to visitors for self-guided tours of the 70+ buildings connected by covered wooden corridors. The tour route passes through the gaitan (outer corridors), kitchen, bathing hall, and main halls. Visitors encounter training monks going about their duties — a rare experience of active monastic life.

Sanro retreat (参籠): Multi-day spiritual retreat programs are available for serious visitors — staying in the temple, participating in morning zazen, observing the monastery schedule. Available by advance application in Japanese.

Access: Bus from Fukui Station (30 minutes, ¥750).

Tojinbo Cliffs (東尋坊)

A 1km stretch of Japan Sea coastline where hexagonal and pentagonal basalt columns rise directly from the water — a geological formation similar to Giants' Causeway in Northern Ireland, caused by slow cooling of volcanic rock. The columns reach 25m height at the most dramatic sections. Sea caves at the base are accessible by tourist boat.

Access: Bus from Awara Onsen or Fukui Station (45 minutes).

Fukui Dinosaur Museum

Fukui has produced more dinosaur fossils than any other Japanese prefecture — the mountain excavations in the Katsuyama area have yielded 8 species, several unique to Fukui. The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (50km east of Fukui city) is Japan's largest paleontology museum, with full-scale skeleton mounts and reconstructions. Worth a half-day for families or dinosaur enthusiasts.

Fukui Food

Matsuba crab (松葉ガニ): The defining Fukui food — available October–March. The full ryokan crab kaiseki is the recommended experience; simpler crab sets at Awara Onsen restaurants are also available.

Echizen soba (越前そば): Fukui's distinctive soba style — often served cold (oroshi soba) with grated daikon radish and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). The buckwheat cultivation tradition in the mountain valleys makes Fukui soba rough-textured and full-flavored.

Sauce katsu (ソースカツ丼): Fukui's comfort food — pork cutlet served over rice with Worcestershire-based sauce (not the curry-based katsu-don of other regions). The defining Fukui lunch dish, widely available and excellent.

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