Hokuriku Guide: We Visited This Hidden Gem With Spectacular Japanese Festivals, Food & Onsen Towns Outside Tokyo — Here’s Where You Should Go

3 Must-do’s in Toyama Prefecture

There’s something about delving deep into the rich history and culture of a travel destination that takes you into another era or another world. That’s what it feels like when we traipsed through Toyama’s Edo period homes, matsuri festivals and more. 

#1: Experience matsuri 
You may have attended matsuri pop-ups in Singapore, but there’s nothing quite like seeing the real thing for yourself in Japan. From awe-inspiring floats and parades to food and fireworks, each traditional Japanese festival (or matsuri) is different. To truly experience the vibrancy and unique spectacle of matsuri, Toyama is the place to go. After all, it’s got three out of 33 Yama/Hoko/Yatai: the Float Festivals of Japan under UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage sites.

Tatemon Festival in Uozu 

There are stunning sea and mountain views at practically every turn in Uozu. But the Tatemon Festival, where local fishermen pray for a good catch and safety at sea, is also not to be missed.  A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage site, the Tatemon Festival, takes place every first Friday and Saturday in August and dates back over 300 years ago. 

Its towering floats that take centrestage at the festival look quite unlike most other matsuri floats in Japan. Each of the seven townships in Uozu sends out a towering 15m-tall sail-like float and each float is pulled by up to 100 people in a parade that happens along the beautiful coastline (psst, tourists can join in the fun too). Yes, a large crowd is needed to pull the floats as these unique structures do not have wheels. 

What else to do in Uozu: Uozu is a great base to do day trips from. It’s a 45-minute drive to Tateyama and Unazuki Spa Resort, and the Kurobe Gorge Torokko Train where you can enjoy a scenic journey through the Kurobe Gorge. 
How to get there: The closest Hokuriku Shinkansen station to Uozu is the Kurobe Unazuki Onsen station. 

Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival in Takaoka

Known as the castle town, Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival is a sight to behold. Its towering floral-capped Mikurumayama floats are registered as Important Tangible and Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan, only one of five in Japan to have this status. The vibrant matsuri takes place May 1. Even the streets that the procession takes place on are historic — the stretch outside the Takaoka Mikurumayama Museum is a government-preserved historic street with traditional dozo houses. If you’re attending the festival, be sure to pick up a map of the procession at the tourism office first. 

What if you’re not travelling during the matsuri? Head to Takaoka Mikurumayama Museum to delve deeper into the festival. The interactive exhibition takes you on an immersive journey through the Takaoka matsuri history, and lets you get up close with one of the actual floats from the matsuri to discover more about the artisanal skills behind the historic floats. There are also several interactive exhibits that let you experience firsthand the arts and crafts, music and even puppetry that make this matsuri. 
Takaoka Mikurumayama Museum, admission fee is 450 yen (adult). Open 9am-5pm (closed Tuesdays, end of year and New Year’s holidays). 
How to get there: Takaoka Mikurumayama Museum is located just a 10-min walk away from Takaoka Station.

Johana Hikiyama Festival in Johana

Dubbed Little Kyoto, the historic town of Johana is home to a spectacular UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage festival. In fact, the Johana Hikiyama Festival has some of the most lavish floats in the country. There are 300 years of history and tradition in the marvellous display of Hikiyama floats — the grandest have deities perched on them. Meanwhile, there are smaller Iori Yatai floats, modelled after teahouses in Gion, Kyoto, that ‘transport’ musicians playing live. The parade is led by Shishimai lion dancers, and fuelled by local town residents pulling the floats, and live music echoes the streets with traditional songs for up to 10 hours.

What else to do: Visit the Johana Hikiyama Festival Floats Museum, where the opulent Hikiyama floats are on display for visitors to admire and discover in their own time. And, boy, you’ll need the time. Each float is adorned with gold lacquer and other traditional emblems, each a treasure trove of stories of history, culture and symbolism. It’s quite the experience getting up close to the behemoth floats weighing six tonnes or more, as you take in the intricate details of floats that have been meticulously restored and preserved through the generations. Today, it’s the local successors keeping the rare, lavish art form alive, including Mr Ohara Jigoemon XVI (pictured above), the 16th generation of local urushi (Japanese lacquerware) artist (more info here).
How to get there: 10-min walk from Johana Station (JR Johana Line)

#2: Visit the last silk fabric maker in Toyama

It's interesting to note that the city of Johana historically became wealthy enough to afford gold lacquered floats due to its roots in silk weaving and production. The nearby Matsui Silk Weaving is a family-run business and is the last silk fabric maker in Toyama. Join a tour to get a close look at the entire process, from growing silkworms to weaving fabric. The gift shop has products like scarves and umbrellas made from silk woven on site. Tours for up to five pax cost 5,000 yen per group (For 6 or more persons, add 1000 yen per person). E-mail info [at] matsuikigyo.com for bookings. 
How to get there: 10-min walk from Johana Station (JR Johana Line)

#3: Visit a 400-year-old gassho-style house from the Edo period in Gokayama

While most visitors flock to Shirakawa-go to visit traditional gassho-style houses (or gassho-zukuri), we suggest heading to the World Heritage site of Gokayama, where those truly in the know can get up close and walk through, literally, a slice of Japan’s history. 

We visited the Murakami Family Residence, one of the oldest gassho-zukuri at almost 400 years old that has been preserved to maintain its authenticity and has been recognised as an Important Cultural Property by the government. The current generation of owners are an amiable elderly couple who lived in the house up to 30 years ago. They’ve since moved out but now welcome visitors into the home and share about its history around a traditional hearth in the main hall. Tour the home where there are displays of artefacts from the house, which was once the grounds for producing silkworms, washi paper and even gunpowder. But don’t leave without watching the traditional Kokirikobushi song and dance performance, an entrancing, energetic dance performance which dates back hundreds of years to pray for good harvest. Murakami Family Residence, admission fee from 400 yen. More info
How to get there: 30-min bus ride from Johana Station, or one hour drive or local bus ride from Kanazawa City.