Mikuni-minato Old Town
三国湊
A port town from the golden age of the kitamaebune trading ships, where lattice-windowed merchant houses stand alongside a former Western-style bank. Stop by for sweet shrimp and Echizen crab.
Mikuni-minato sits at the mouth of the Kuzuryu River. During the Edo and Meiji periods it was a busy port for kitamaebune ships. The town preserves the former head office of the Morita Bank, a building that blends Japanese and Western styles (free to visit), the Mikuni-minato Machiya House, a traditional townhouse, and the old Kagura-date house. Cafés and wagashi shops are scattered throughout. Every May, the Mikuni Festival features parades of warrior doll floats, some about 6 meters tall.
Getting there: It's about a 5-minute walk from Mikuni Station on the Echizen Tetsudo Mikuni-Awara Line. It's roughly 4 km from Tojinbo, and you can combine it with Oshima Island and Tojinbo in one outing.
Opening hours
Old street open all day; former Morita Bank 09:00–17:00 (closed Mondays)
Nearby sights
- Tojinbo Cliffs
- Echizen Matsushima Aquarium
- Awara Onsen
- Shibamasa World
- Oshima Island
- Maruoka Castle
- Yōkōkan Garden
- Fukui Castle Ruins