Mikuni Minato

Located in Sakai City in northern Fukui Prefecture is Mikuni Minato, a quaintly preserved town from the Edo Period. Mikuni Minato once functioned as an important route for trading vessels sailing between Osaka and Hokkaido. The port town is filled with warehouses, shops and industrial buildings that reflect Edo and Meiji life and architecture.

Kitamae-Dori

Photo by: PIXTA/ papa88

About five minutes south of Mikuni station, Kitamae-dori street resembles an open-air gallery of traditional houses and “Kagura-date” style buildings. Here are some notable buildings to visit.

Machinokura

Machinokura was a former storehouse turned into a small, rustic museum, introducing a video show of the town’s history. The second floor displays a wide array of old prints and artifacts depicting Mikuni Minato’s activities as a trading port. You can walk to the end of the courtyard to grasp a panoramic view of the seaport.

Former Kishina Family Residence

Next to Machinokura is the Former Kishina Family Residence, dating back to the late 19th century. The house belonged to Sosuke Kishina, who was a renowned lumber magnate in Mikuni Minato. Visitors can marvel at the woodwork of the entrance door, window latticework, old kitchen equipment, and Mikuni-style chests.

Mikuni Minato Machiya-kan

Mikuni Minato Machiya-kan operates as a rest area and tourist facility. The bright vermilion facade is made of “bengara” red-shelled lattice. You can find various objects and documents related to the Mikuni Festival, as well as Mikuni lanterns and other souvenirs.

Morita Bank Head Office

A few steps ahead is the prominent Morita Bank Head Office, constructed in 1920. The classical Western interior boasts a high white plaster ceiling with intricate carvings, and an enclosed mezzanine balcony adorned by dark wooden balusters. The grand hall in Japanese zelkova wood is quite impressive. On the second floor are private meeting rooms, accented with retro furnishings that echo the grandeur of early times.
Other historical buildings in the neighborhood include the 130-year-old Urban Design Center Sakai and the 100-year-old Uoshiro restaurant (former geisha house designated as a Tangible Cultural Property), located in the Demura red-light district on the opposite side of Kitamae-Dori.

Sakai City Ryusho Museum

Photo by: Alma Reyes

This museum, also known as Ryushokan, is the town’s outstanding landmark. It is most famous for its octagonal shape and protruding dome, both designed in the Gyofu Meiji style of Japanese and Western carpentry. Perched on a hill about a ten-minute walk from Mikuni Station, the museum displays a large-scale model of a Kitamaebune ship and an eleven-meter-high float used in the Mikuni Festival.

Mikuni Minato Port and Station

Photo by: PIXTA/ t-skywalker

The port on the south end of the old town is full of local fishing boats drifting on the tranquil sea with the majestic Mount Hakusan range in the background. You can feast on Fukui’s famous Echizen snow crabs and other delightful seafood along the main road. Behind is the charming wooden Mikuni Minato station, built in 1914, which serves the Echizen railway.