Tsuruga (敦賀市 Tsuruga-shi) is a city in Fukui Prefecture.

Kehi Shrine's Torii Gate

Understand

Tsuruga has been a natural seaport for ages, and these days it is flourishing as a sea gateway to foreign countries. Container ships and high-speed ferries are in service daily, and people and goods are traveling and transporting via the port.

Tsuruga is not a major tourist attraction, but travellers are likely to change trains here, since it's the terminus of the Hokuriku Shinkansen and various limited express services from central Japan.

Tourist Information

• 1 Tsuruga Information Center (敦賀観光案内所), Kanawacho 1-1-19 (In JR Tsuruga Station), ☏ +81 770-21-8686. Daily 08:00-19:00. Loads of local sightseeing information available here. (updated Aug 2020)

• Tsuruga Guide is a multilingual guide site by the local tourism association.

Get in

By boat

• 2 Shin-Nihonkai Ferry (新日本海フェリー), Mariyama 95-4, ☏ +81 770-23-2223. This ferry has lines connecting daily to Tomakomai port at Hokkaido (20 hr). Once in a week there is a line to Tomakomai with stops in Niigata and Akita. 

By train

Tsuruga is the southern terminus of the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo, 3 hours and 8 minutes away on the fastest trains, via Nagano, Kanazawa, Komatsu and Fukui.

• Limited Express Thunderbird. This JR train connects with Kyoto, 1 hr, and Osaka, 1 hr 20 min. (updated Aug 2020)

See

• 1 Kehi Shrine (氣比神宮), Akebonocho 11-68, ☏ +81 770-22-0794. A well-known shrine throughout its history, its gate is renowned as one of the Top 3 torii gates in the nation, and the shrine was visited in 1689 by the haiku poet Matsuo Basho on his famous trip through northern Japan. (updated Jul 2019)
• Matsumoto Statues (松本零士シンボルロード). About twenty bronze statues of characters and scenes from the popular anime and manga by Leiji Matsumoto are scattered across the downtown. The statues, each perhaps 1.2-1.5 m (4-5 feet) tall, were erected in 1999. 

Do

Kehi no Matsubara

• 1 Kehi no Matsubara (気比の松原). A recreational area along the Tsuruga Bay. It combines a large pine grove with a white sand beach, very popular with swimmers in summer season. 

• Tsuruga Tunnel Hot Springs (敦賀トンネル温泉), Mukaide, 41 Yoshiko (From Tsuruga Station take a Fukutetsu Bus to Tunnel Onsen). The hot spring was discovered during a railway tunnel digging. An indoor and outdoor spa is located on a hill, and bathers can enjoy a beautiful view of the town and the bay. 

Eat

Tsuruga is a major fishing port on the Sea of Japan. Enjoy freshly-caught seafood at local markets, sushi shops, and restaurants. Famous seafood delicacies include Tsuruga blowfish and, in the winter, Echizen crab.

Go next

• Obama
• Sabae
• Fukui
• Nagahama
• Hikone
• Wakasa
• Mihama
• Minamiechizen
• Takashima

Routes through Tsuruga

Fukui ← Echizen ←	N  S	→ Nagahama → Maibara
Komatsu ← Fukui ← Takefu ←	N  S	→ Nagahama → Maibara
Maizuru Higashi ← Obama ←	W  E	→ in to