【福井観光Vlog】永平寺・丸岡城・あわら温泉をめぐる旅｜歴史と癒しの福井旅行

【福井観光Vlog】永平寺・丸岡城・あわら温泉をめぐる旅｜歴史と癒しの福井旅行

Hello everyone, this is Ekotabi. I’m in Fukui today. There’s a dinosaur at the station! Truly a kingdom of dinosaurs. From JR Fukui Station, I took a 50-minute bus ride to Eiheiji Temple. From the bus stop, I walked a little way along the temple’s main street. It’s a weekday morning, and there aren’t many people around. The main street is lined with restaurants and souvenir shops. The Eiheiji building is in sight. I think this is the approach to Eiheiji Temple. This is what it looks like from the front. Let’s go! It’s early May, and the fresh greenery is beautiful. Eiheiji is the central temple (head temple) of the Soto Zen sect. Incidentally, the Soto sect has two main temples, the other being Sojiji in Yokohama. Here’s a full view of Eiheiji Temple. It looks huge. The paid admission area is beyond the gate on the left. A magnificent chozuya (water purification fountain). Magnificent trees in the background. Water should come out of the dragon’s mouth. Huh… it’s not coming out. He seems a bit bossy. Is it Buddha? Next to it is a stone statue of a frog. But there are very tall trees. The moss is beautiful. It feels like a Japanese landscape. I bought a ticket and went through the same gate as before. It costs 700 yen per adult. Immediately upon entering is a building called Kisshokaku. Once inside, the atmosphere is more like a community center than a religious facility. A little further in is a space to watch a video introducing Eiheiji. Please follow the rules for visiting. The first thing you come across is a large hall called Kasamatsukaku, with 156 tatami mats. The ceiling is decorated with 230 paintings by 144 artists. It is a majestic space . At the back of the large hall is a painting of Daruma. Let’s go further in. A long wooden corridor. An even longer corridor. It feels like an old school. Next is a staircase. Next to the corridor is a beautiful courtyard. An even longer staircase. It’s tiring. This is the gate called Joyomon. The same long staircase as before. The slope is like this when viewed from above. There are gates and lanterns everywhere in the temple grounds. This is the guardhouse called Kounkaku. There are benches so you can rest if you get tired. The benches are located next to the main hall called Hatto. This is the Daikomyo-gura building, made entirely of cypress. It’s a very relaxing space. This is the interior of the Hatto. In front is a statue of Shokannon. A large mokugyo (wooden fish). The ceiling is high. The fresh greenery is beautiful. Eiheiji is in harmony with nature, so I’d like to visit in other seasons as well. What is this? A model of Eiheiji Daikuin. This is Eiheiji, founded in 1244 by Dogen, the founder of the Soto sect. It is a temple with a history of nearly 800 years. The head of a large temple is called a kanshu (abbot’s chief priest), and the current head is the 80th, counting from the first Dogen. It’s amazing that an organization can continue for 80 generations … This is the Buddhist temple hall. It’s magnificent! There’s apparently a bathroom at the back. This temple is home to monks, so apparently they have these kinds of facilities. By the way, I didn’t take photos of the monks, as per the rules of worship, but I think I saw more than 20 of them during my visit. The monks, of course, are very respectful, and always face the lecture hall with their hands together in prayer. Directly in front of you is the Chujakumon Gate. Directly in front of the Chujakumon Gate is the Sanmon Gate, which houses the Four Heavenly Kings. It’s a wonderful space that cleanses the soul. There aren’t many spaces in the world where such harmony with nature exists. I think I’ve pretty much toured the entire temple grounds. It’s about time to go outside. I’ve left the temple grounds. There’s a small river flowing right in front of the temple. There’s a stone statue in the back. What is it? This stone statue is called the “Wakakamizo,” and is said to depict Zen Master Dogen as a boy. The stone statue I saw earlier looked like Ouki from the live-action version of Kingdom. Let’s move on. This is Eiheijiguchi Station on the Echizen Railway. Nearby is the former Kyoto Electric Light Furuichi Substation. There is also Eiheijiguchi Station, but it’s nearly 7km away from Eiheiji, so be careful. After a 45-minute bus ride, we arrived at Maruoka Castle. Over there is the castle’s rest and souvenir shop. Maruoka Castle is located in Kasumi-cho, Maruoka-cho, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, and is also known as Kasumigajo Castle. The entrance fee is 450 yen per adult, which is relatively inexpensive. And here it is, Maruoka Castle. It ‘s impressive! A photo panel sits proudly in front of the castle. Let’s go inside the castle. Isn’t it scary? Drunkards could fall off! Maruoka Castle is one of Japan’s remaining castle towers (still standing). Only 12 remain in Japan, including Himeji Castle and Hikone Castle. It is also the only castle tower remaining in the Hokuriku region. The term “existing castle tower” refers to a castle built before the Edo period and preserved to the present day, regardless of whether it has been repaired or not. A model of the castle. Only the castle tower remains today. Let’s go up. The stairs are steep. Only young people could climb them. You can’t get up without this rope… Maruoka Castle is said to have been built in 1576, and the current castle tower was constructed in 1624. Maruoka Castle is unique for its stone walls made of natural stones and its roofs entirely covered with stone tiles. Perhaps due to this architectural style, the castle tower and its stone walls were completely destroyed in the 1948 magnitude 7.1 Fukui earthquake. However, thanks to donations from across the country, it was restored seven years later in 1955, with over 70% of the main structure reused. Does this mean the floors, walls, and ceilings we see now are also from the Edo period? From the castle tower, you can get a panoramic view of Maruoka Town. I think it’s time to leave the castle. I’m scared to go down the stairs… I made it all the way to the bottom, but the stairs leading out of the castle are scary too… This is the natural stone wall. It’s certainly different from the artificially shaped stones at places like Himeji Castle. Maruoka Castle is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and has been selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots. This is Maruoka Castle Machiyori Market, located near Maruoka Castle, which houses a souvenir shop and cafe. Inside, it’s very stylish, with a spacious and open atmosphere. It’s a new facility, completed in March 2025. Castle-related materials are also on display. I took another bus ride to JR Awara Onsen Station. It’s a beautiful station building. Apparently, it will open as Awara Onsen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2024. Next to the station is Aflare, a facility housing a tourist information center, cafe, and event space. There are dinosaurs here, too. I walked around the station a bit. It has a new, modern design. Shinkansen ticket gate. After another short bus ride, I arrived at Awara Onsen Town. I don’t have any plans to bathe in the hot springs, but I thought I’d wander around a bit. Even though it’s a hot spring town, it’s not very crowded. There don’t seem to be any restaurants where you can eat while walking around. I wonder if it’s the kind of place where you drive, enjoy the hot springs at your accommodation, and then head home. Instead of JR Awara Onsen Station, I arrived at the plaza in front of Awara Yunomachi Station on the Echizen Railway. This is Yunomachi Square, where there’s a free foot bath. Oh, there’s a side street. Let’s take a quick look. It’s still early, so it’s completely closed. I wonder if it gets lively at night? There seem to be about 10 shops. It’s about time to head to the foot bath. This is the foot bath “Awara no Yu.” The foot bath is long and wide, and the temperature seems to vary depending on the area. It feels nice. Towels are also available, so it’s easy to enjoy. The foot bath is free, but they are accepting donations, so please donate if you enjoyed the bath. Phew, that felt great! There was a mysterious, shiny door in the plaza. I’m not doing this anymore, it’s about time I headed home. Awara-Yunomachi Station on the Echizen Railway is here. This is the end of today’s video. Thank you for watching. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe to the channel and rate it highly.

福井を観光してきました！
曹洞宗の大本山 永平寺、日本最古の天守を誇る 丸岡城、そして温泉街の情緒あふれる あわら温泉 を散策。
歴史・文化・温泉が詰まった福井の魅力をお届けします。

〈目次〉
0:00 オープニング
0:35 JR福井駅
1:26 永平寺バス停
2:40 永平寺
17:03 丸岡城
24:08 JR芦原温泉駅
25:21 あわら温泉街
28:01 足湯「あわらの湯」

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