Tsuruga, Fukui, Kaga Onsen…… new Shinkansen stations, how to use them? On March 16, six new Shinkansen stations opened in Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures with the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line between Kanazawa and Tsuruga stations. The breakdown of the new stations is as follows: Tsuruga and Fukui stations were originally bustling as the central stations of the region. The stations are Ashihara-Onsen, Kaga-Onsen, and Komatsu, which have been used for sightseeing and business as limited express train stops, and Echizen-Takefu Station, which is a completely new station. Each of these stations has undergone a drastic change in usability as a station with the opening of the Shinkansen, including the opening of station functions and tourist facilities. In this report, we visited each of the new stations to verify the following items. Transfers: Transferring to third-sector railroads, private railways, and local buses
Waiting: Waiting environment
Play: Passing time around the station
Eating & Shopping: Shopping & Gourmet First, we will introduce Tsuruga and Fukui Stations, which have many users, and mention other stations along the way in turn (*The content of the article is current as of March 16, 2024).
Fukui Station: Two Shinkansen platforms on one level? The Hokuriku Shinkansen Fukui Station has two platforms on one level due to various reasons at the time of construction (the upper and lower tracks are interspersed with a long, narrow platform). The platforms are considerably narrower than those at ordinary Shinkansen stations, and the station is quickly overflowing with people when there is a high volume of passengers. On the opening day of the station, there was general congestion inside the ticket gates, and on several occasions the escalators were stopped until the crowds were cleared, forcing passengers to wait on the escalators. Because of this situation, the only waiting room inside the ticket gate is a small building on the platform. However, once you exit the Shinkansen B ticket gate, the Fukui City Tourism Exchange Center is located right next to it, with the popular “Sanji no Oyatsu” cafe on the second floor, which serves baby sponge cake in the shape of a train car, and a tourist information center and rest area on the first floor. There are also power outlets, although not many. If you arrive at the station early before boarding the Shinkansen, this is a good place to kill some time. If you go up to the observation area on the third floor of the building, you can see the Shinkansen from the side and Echizen Railway Fukui Station from the front (elevator available). As the best train-viewing spot in Hokuriku, it is highly recommended as an outing spot for families with children. The station’s corridor is packed with the ticket gates of Fukui Station on the “Happi Line Fukui” (formerly Hokuriku Line), “Kurufu Fukui Station” where you can buy souvenirs and ekiben, “Imasho Soba” for standing food, and an event space. The “Kurufu Fukui Station” in particular has a total of 44 stores selling goods, and it is surprising that dozens of varieties of “Haniage Mochi” rice cakes, a specialty of Fukui, can be purchased at several stores alone. On the opening day, this passageway was flooded with people, and entry to “Kurufu Fukui Station” was restricted due to a huge line. Even Imasho Soba was so crowded that security guards had to be mobilized, a scene that would not normally be seen. Buses are dispersed between the west and east exits of Fukui Station (the west exit has more arrivals and departures). For private railway transfers, aim for the west exit for Fukui Railways (streetcars to the city center) and the east exit for Echizen Railway. If you have a spare half or full day on weekends and want to go sightseeing, you can do so on weekends and holidays. If you have a half or full day to spare on the weekend and want to go sightseeing, we recommend you buy a free ticket for the Echizen Railway, which is available only on weekends and holidays. If you go to Mikuni, you can go to Tojinbo, and if you go to Katsuyama, you can go to Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (both require a bus transfer).
Echizen Takefu Station & Ashihara Onsen Station] Nothing but parking and no hot springs, but gourmet food! Echizen Takefu Station Echizen Takefu Station is the only station among the new Hokuriku Shinkansen stations that is not connected to a conventional railway line (Hapi Line Fukui). It is located less than 5 km away from Takefu Station, the existing central station of Echizen City, and is connected to the city center by a local bus. However, the station’s advantage is its “600 free parking spaces. Fukui Prefecture is one of the most car-oriented prefectures in Japan, and many people drive to the parking lot near the station. Business trips by car plus JR or airplane (Komatsu Airport has a good parking service) have taken root in this area for many precision manufacturers. This station is located right in front of the Takefu IC of the Hokuriku Expressway and will hopefully attract users from a wide area. Another weapon in its arsenal is the fact that it has a “Michi no Echizen Takefu” roadside station, which is rare in the southern part of the Fukui Plain. This is probably a strategy to increase awareness of the station by making it lively with a parking lot and commercial facilities, and to encourage people to take the Shinkansen on occasion. However, the restaurants and shops in the Michi-no-Eki are closed by 6:00 p.m. If you use the Shinkansen station in the morning or evening, you may have to wait in the station’s not very spacious waiting room. A nearby tourist attraction is the Shikibukibun Museum (Hikaru Kimi e Echizen Taiga Drama Museum) (20 minutes by bus), but there is a high probability that the museum will close when the “Hikaru Kimi e” Taiga Drama ends in 2024. In addition, it is also a good place to try Takefu area’s local delicacy, “Borga Rice” (an omelet with a pork cutlet on top). Ashihara-Onsen Station The Hokuriku Shinkansen Ashihara-Onsen Station seems to have paid a lot of attention to transfer information, with a large sign directing visitors to the attached Happi Line Fukui Ashihara-Onsen Station, and a monitor showing bus schedules to nearby tourist spots (Ashihara-Onsen, Tojinbo, Maruoka Castle, etc.). The information desk at the Keifuku Bus Ashiharaonsen Station also sells special bus tickets. Although this station is called “Ashihara-Onsen Station,” you will need to take a bus to Awara-Yunomachi Station on the Echizen Railway in order to take a day trip to the hot springs. Visitors can wait to board the Shinkansen and purchase souvenirs at Afrea, an exchange facility that opened prior to the opening of the Shinkansen, which has a tourist information center “Oshieruzaa” on the first floor and a food court that serves seafood rice bowls and “Fukui Aged Burger” (fluffy fried tofu is used as a bun), etc. On the second floor, Awara City’s The second floor is the “Fukui Museum” (this is how it is spelled), which guides visitors through Awara City’s nature, history, culture, and cuisine. There are chairs and desks in the museum, so it should not be too cold waiting for the train in winter (there seems to be no electrical outlets).
© Source travel watch
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.