"Welcome to Rural Japan" Takaoka by cochinjew

I was priveleged to be invited to be a house guest in Takaoka in the province of Toyama. In their typical dispersing fashion, the guidebooks give very little attention to this tranquil city of about 170 000 people. It is near the Toyama Bay and its backdrop are futagamisan mountains.
It is reached by Tokio by rail with a change or a direct bus or flight from Haneda.
It is not rural in the way we have come to think of rural areas. There is a large shopping arcade, but the tranquility is what distinguishes it from other towns in Japan.

it is considered to be one of the best three dai bu tu budhas in the country and the large statue does dominate the city centre with its own park of welcoming nats and an inner sanctum of stories depicted from budhist lore.

The palace is no more but the statue of Maeda Toshinaga dominates a central square where the palace once stood. The leaves are begining to change colours even though the temperature is still in the summer range. Very quiet to walk around the park, visit the shrine to those fallen in the war and have a bite at one of the restaurants at one end of the park. The moat from olden times is still present and a section of a wall from the palace could be seen.

• Pros:Certainly a privelege to be with a japanese family here in Takaoka
• Cons:I did not see any other foreigners for that matter
• In a nutshell:Enjoying the quiet times after Tokyo