Outline of Ono City

Ono City, located in Fukui prefecture, is a castle town, which is rich with history, culture, and tradition.
Ono City is blessed with nature, water, and food.
It is also full of greenery due to the surrounding mountains of Hakusan: the sacred mountains.

Fukui prefecture
Ono City

Osaka

Nagoya

Tokyo

Access

From Tokyo

By Air Haneda__Komatsu (bus) Fukui (JR Etsumihoku Line) Ono 【About 3 h & 20 min】
By JR Lines Tokyo (Shinkansen) Maibara (Hokuriku Line Exp. Train ) Fukui (Etsumihoku Line ) Ono 【About 4 h & 40 min】
Tokyo (Shinkansen) Kanazawa (Hokuriku Line Exp. Train ) Fukui (Etsumihoku Line ) Ono 【About 4 h & 40 min】
By Expy Bus JR Tokyo Sta. Yaesu south exit ___ Fukui (Etsumihoku Line) Ono 【About 9 h】

From Osaka

By JR Lines Osaka/Kyoto (Kosei Line Exp. Train) Fukui (Etsumihoku Line) Ono 【About 2 h & 50 min】
By Car Osaka (Meishin Expy) Maihara JUNC. (Hokuriku Expy) Fukui IC (Route 158) Ono 【About 3 h & 20 min】
By Expy Bus Expy Bus Terminal at Hankyu Sanbangai, Osaka ___ Fukui (JR Etsumihoku Line) Ono 【About 4 h & 30 min】

From Nagoya

By JR Lines Nagoya (Hokuriku Line Exp. Train) Fukui (Etsumihoku Line) Ono 【About 3 h & 10 min】
By Car Ichinomiya (Tokai・Hokuriku Expy) Shirotori IC (Route 158) Ono 【About 2 h】
Nagoya (Meishin Expy) Maihara JUNC. (Hokuriku Expy) Fukui IC (Route 158) Ono 【About 2 h & 40 min】
By Expy Bus Meitetsu Bus Center/JR Nagoya Sta. ___ Fukui (JR Etsumihoku Line) Ono 【About 3 h & 50 min】

Sightseeing Spots

Echizen
Ono Castle

The Photo of Echizen Ono Castle in the Sky was taken from Mt. Inuyama.

■Best time of year: From around October to the end of April
(The phenomenon of a sea of clouds seems to occur most frequently in November.)

■Time of day: From dawn to around 9:00 a.m.

■Weather conditions contributing to this phenomenon:

① High humidity on the previous day (e.g. The previous day was rainy.)

② Big difference of temperature between the daytime of the previous day and in the early morning of the next day
(e.g. The day when radiational cooling may occur.)

③ Gentle breeze

With the above mentioned time and conditions, you may be able to see the castle in a sea of clouds.

Warning:

You need a pair of trekking shoes, a long-sleeve shirt, jacket and/or coat, and trousers on the trail to the top of the mountain. Snow accumulates in winter.

Echizen Ono Castle

Commander Nagachika Kanamori, a retainer of Nobunaga Oda, built the castle in around 1576, which took about 4 years. This is a new style of a hilltop castle in the medieval times with ni-no-maru, the second citadel(ni-no-maru) and san-no-maru, the third citadel(san-no-maru) at the foot, inner and outer moats for protection from enemies’ invasion, stone walls and the castle tower on top of Mt. Kameyama, using the terrain tactfully. The present castle tower was rebuilt in 1968, by builders who, based on some old documents of how the original castle was, completed the castle tower as it stands today. The relics of the lords, the Kanamoris and the Dois are displayed inside.

Note:

■ Hours:

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from April through September

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in October and November

■ Admission fee: ¥ 200 for adults

Free for children

■ Closed: December through March

■ Phone: 0779-65-5520

Shichiken Morning Market

It is a famous morning market in Ono with a history of over 400 years. Elaborately grown produce aligns Shichiken St. Because people can get fresh foods here, it is very busy from early morning. Enjoy talking with the vendors.

★Shichiken Morning Market is open from 7:00 a.m. to around 11:00 a.m. every day from the Vernal Equinox Day in March until New Year’s Eve.


Note:

■ Phone: 0779-69-9520

(Shichiken Morning Market Promotion Council on week day mornings)

Teramachi Avenue

An avenue lined with temples one after another built from the medieval times to modern times. Each temple houses a number of important assets such as historic ruins and Buddhist images. Red-stamp-impression collection booklets are available at Ono City Tourist Association. (Phone: 0779-65-5521) You can collect the stamp impressions of 16 temples.

Oshozu (spring)

The water in the spring used to be for the feudal lord, so the spring is named Lord’s Spring (Tonosama Shozu). The water has a pure and simple taste. This is also a place for a casual social gathering among neighbors.

★ Accredited as one of the 100 selected quality drinking water in Japan (Meisui)

★ Accredited as Delicious Water in Fukui

Karikomi Ike Pond

A mysterious pond with an all-time same water level, even though it has no river to let the water out with some rivers to go in. Its water reflects the surrounding nature like a mirror, which attracts many visitors.

Hotoke Gozen Waterfall

A three-staged waterfall of 100 m, whose water is from Mt. Arashimadake. It was named after Hotoke Gozen, who was loved by Taira no Kiyomori (the main character of Heike Monogatari, written in early 13th C.) and was famous as a good dancer. The legend says she washed her hair here.

Cuisine & Hands-on Experiences

Cuisine

Meisui Buckwheat Noodles (Soba)

Echizen Ono grows very good soba in Fukui.
This soba is made of locally grown buckwheat and kneaded with meisui of Ono, and served with grated Japanese radish.
It tastes so good that even gourmets would be lost for words.

Shoyu Katsudon

Bowls of rice topped with fried pork and seasoned with soy sauce.
An owner of an old soy sauce shop and a restaurant owner put their ideas together and created this new popular dish. Special soy sauce and vegetables are used. It is not too oily.

Sake Produced in Ono

Ono City is blessed with good water and good rice, which is essential for making quality sake. There are 4 sake brewers which have existed for a long time. Each brewer makes their own distinctive sake. The locally brewed sake has been highly evaluated in and out of Japan. You can have a tour in the factories (Kura) and see how sake is brewed.

Hands-on Experiences

Echizen Kobushi Gumi Group

The rickshaw drivers show visitors around the city on a nostalgic rickshaw. They are also guides, so you can enjoy Echizen Ono on a comfortable rickshaw ride.

Note:

■ Phone: 0779-65-5521 (Ono City Tourist Association)

■ Days available:

Saturdays, Sundays, and National holidays from the Vernal Equinox Day through the end of November (no service on rainy days)

Soy Sauce Hands-on Experience at Nomura Soy Sauce Factory

You can experience mixing malt and salted water (Kaiire) with a wooden paddle and squeezing out (Shibori) fresh soy sauce at the old traditional factory. You can also label the soy sauce bottle with your drawing on it to customize it and take it back home.

Note:

■ Phone: 0779-66-2072

■ Fee for making soy sauce: ¥ 1,000

■ Number of people admitted: from 2 to 10

■ The factory is closed in winter.

Experiencing a Few Shinto Rites at Shinokura Shrine

You can wear the uniform of a maiden in the service of a Japanese indigenous religion (Shinto), listen to the explanation of the history of Shinto, and learn how to pay homage to God. After praying, you can write your wishes on a votive picture tablet of a horse (Ema) and dedicate it to God.

Note:

■ Phone: 0779-65-1455

■ Fee: ¥ 1,500

¥ 6,000 in total when you wear a maiden uniform.

■ Length of the course: 1 hour

■ Prior reservation required

The Attractiveness of the 4 Seasons

SPRING

Moss Pink Flower (Shibazakura) Spreading Along Aze

Paths surrounding rice fields (Aze) are colored with the flowers all over the city.


Note:

■ Flowering time: early May

Dogtooth Violet (Katakuri) in Yabana no Sato (village)

Countless katakuri are blooming at the same time. You can see how dynamic the beauty of nature is.


Note:

■ Flowering time: early April

SUMMER

Firefly Village (Hotaru no Sato) Yoro

This area is a center of farming, where fireflies inhabit. The people here have an event to watch fireflies in summer.


Note:

■ Phone: 0779-65-2909

Ono Castle Festival

The biggest event in summer. The feeling all over the festival runs high with fireworks display, bon dancing, and so on.

AUTUMN

Kuzuryu Autumn Leaves Festival

The festival site colored with autumn leaves is alive with many visitors who come here for autumn delicacies.

Goban Fair Selling Products of Echizen Ono and of Small Kyoto

The local products from cities called small Kyoto all over Japan and from neighboring cities, towns, and villages of Ono are brought together here for this event.

WINTER

A Winter Story of Echizen Ono

A winter event of snow lanterns aligning the streets and fireworks display coloring the night sky are enjoyable.

Kuzuryu Ski Area

It has a slope of a maximum inclination of 41 degrees. Skiers of all levels from beginners to the advanced can enjoy skiing here.


Note:

■ Phone: 0779-78-2651

What to Wear in Ono

January Down jackets or coats, scarves, and gloves
February Down jackets or coats, scarves, and gloves
March Down jackets or coats
You may sometimes need scarves and gloves.
April Jackets and sweaters
You may sometimes need coats.
May Long-sleeve shirts and/or cardigans.
June Short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts.
You may sometimes need thin cardigans.
July Short-sleeve shirts
August Short-sleeve shirts
September Short-sleeve and/or long-sleeve shirts
October Long-sleeve shirts & cardigans
November Jackets and/or sweaters.
December Down Jackets, coats, scarves, and gloves

Accommodations

Hotel and other accommodation reservations, go to the following web site (tripadvisor)
https://www.tripadvisor.jp/Hotels-g1021155-Ono_Fukui_Prefecture_Chubu-Hotels.htm

tripadviser

To Download Our Sightseeing Brochure

Echizen Ono, the little Kyoto of Hokuriku area.
The city is a basin enclosed by mountains in all directions.
A region with historic charm ,surrounded by abundant nature and home to many famous places.

Go to the web site to download the English version of our brochure.

ECHIZEN ONO JOURNAL Spring-Summer

Download the ECHIZEN ONO JOURNAL Spring-Summer.

ECHIZEN ONO JOURNAL Autumn-Winter

Download the ECHIZEN ONO JOURNAL Autumn-Winter.