Japan’s Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed rail service, known for its sleek white and blue trains, will extend its line from Tokyo to Fukui Prefecture starting March 16.
Currently, the service ends at Kanazawa City, known for its well-preserved Edo-era districts, traditional tea houses, and landscaped gardens.
Hokuriku Shinkansen will operate 14 round trips from Tokyo per day.
With this extension, travellers can get from Tokyo to Fukui City, the prefectural capital, in just two hours and 51 minutes.
Fukui City is a small castle town most known for the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, which is recognised as one of the greatest dinosaur museums in the world. The destination is also loved by cherry blossom hunters in springtime.
Other attractions in Fukui Prefecture include Maruoka Castle, one of twelve castles in Japan with a surviving historical keep from the feudal era; Tojinbo Cliffs, a Natural Monument and Place of Scenic Beauty; and Eiheiji Temple, founded in 1244.
The extension of the high-speed rail line allows Japan to increase connectivity to the outskirts, taking travellers deeper into the country.
