Ten Thrilling Scenic Sites -- The Chubu Gold-Star Route 1
This gold-star route covers a selection of only the most popular sightseeing destinations in the northern Chubu region, starting in Nagano and moving on to Gifu, Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui. This exciting journey offers every attraction for you to enjoy: scenic natural beauty, history, hot springs, and more. You can choose between one- and two-night courses that cover the leading destinations.
Nagano Prefecture
Karuizawa Kogen
Karuizawa is located at a diverging point to Nakasendo and Kitaguni Kaido roads and has been developed as a post town since Edo period. It is known nationally as a spot for holiday retreat houses and it has an international reputation. The unique streets with exotic houses presents shows us the h...
90Minute(s) 
Nagano Prefecture
Kirigamine Kogen Venus Line
Venus Line is a driving road 76km long, which starts from Chino City to Tadeshina Kogen, connecting Lake Shirakaba, Kurumayama Kogen, and Utsukushigahara. The panoramic mountain view from the gate to Lake Shirakaba to the top of Utsukshigahara is especially magnificent. There are various tourist...
30Minute(s) 
Nagano Prefecture
Lake Suwa
Lake Suwa is the largest lake in Nagano prefecture. It is full of people enjoying water sports such as wind surfing in the summer, and wakasagi-fish fishing on the frozen lake surface in the winter. In the winter you can see the ice break, which is called "the path to god." In the summer, one of ...
10Minute(s) 
Lodging at Kamisuwa Onsen or Shimosuwa Onsen
Nagano Prefecture
kamisuwa Hot Springs
In the hot spring town of Kamisuwa overlooking Lake Suwa, very famous Suwa Lake festival and fireworks festivals are held in the summer. You can enjoy fireworks throughout this period, including the Lake Firework Festival and the New Fireworks display in early September. In the spring and autumn...
110Minute(s) 
Nagano Prefecture
Kamikouchi
From Kamikouchi Bus Terminal, various trekking courses are organized that are all easy to walk around. The courses include ones going toward Meijin Pond and Hodaka Jinja Shrine and ones that goes to Taisho Pond and Tashiro Pond. You can choose the courses depending on your physical strength and a...
80Minute(s) 
Gifu Prefecture
The Old Streets of Takayama
Takayama-Sanmachi Important Traditional Building Preservation District. Old streets still exist on the east side of the Miya River, which is runs through Takayama city. Particularly in Sanmachi, the houses and streets look just like they did during the Edo period. This district is designated as an...
100Minute(s)
Lodging in the village of Shirakawa
Gifu Prefecture
Shirakawago Gassho Style Village
This community is registered as a world heritage site. There are about 110 private houses in the gassho-zukuri style here. Visitors can see the full view of this community from the Ogi-machi Castle Ruins Observatory. The whole village is lit up at night in January and February.
50Minute(s) 
Toyama Prefecture
Tonami Tulip Park (Tulip Shikisai Hall）
Tonami Tulip Park is a flower theme park where the colors and fragrances of flowers in four different seasons are on display. There are various facilities inside the park, such as the Tulip Museum, the only museum specialized in tulips in Japan, Tulip Shikisai Hall, Local Archive Museum, and an a...
40Minute(s) 
Ishikawa Prefecture
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
This museum is located in the centre of Kanazawa city that is open to the casual visitor. This art museum is like a park, allowing visitors a variety of experiences.
60Minute(s) 
Fukui Prefecture
Tojinbo Cliff
The highlight of Tojinbo is an area of various roughly cut rocks that have been eroded by the ocean. There is a cliff that is about 1 km long, and the way that the waves of the Japan Sea hit against it is stunning. This is the only place in Japan that has a giant pyroxene andesite pillar-shaped j...
10Minute(s)
Lodging at Awara Onsen
Fukui Prefecture
Awara Hot Springs
Awara Hot Springs, which was discovered in 1883, is an important hot spring that boasts of more than 100 years of history. Its appearance and atmosphere have been loved by many people. It is now called Kansai-no-Okuzashiki, or “the back room in the Kansai area.” When a person takes a walk arou...
60Minute(s) 
Fukui Prefecture
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
This museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It is located in Katsuyama city in Fukui prefecture, and is well known as a treasure house of dinosaur fossils in Japan. In the large open-air space, skeletal structures of dinosaurs, fossils, specimens, dioramas and reconstructed models are...
20Minute(s) 
Fukui Prefecture
Daihonzan Eihei-ji Temple
Daihonzan Eiheiji is a dojo (training hall) for those who aim to be Zen priests. It was founded by Dogen almost 750 years ago, in the year 1244. It is located in the Daibutsuji mountain area, which is about 16 kilometers east-south of Fukui city. The dojo consists of about 70 buildings, both lar...