History and Beauty in Central Itoigawa

Start your visit at the Itoigawa GeoStation GeoPal Information Center in Itoigawa Station. Check out upcoming events as well as other tourist information. Make sure to grab a town walking map before you leave!

Just a short stroll from Itoigawa Station, this small park offers a fantastic view of the Sea of Japan and Central Itoigawa. It's a great first stop when exploring the downtown area.

Itoigawa is an ancient city which grew along multiple important trade routes. The Kaga Road was an important highway connecting the wealthy Kaga Province (Modern-day Kanazawa) in the west to Edo (Modern-day Tokyo) in the east. Meanwhile, the Matsumoto Road ran from the coast south into the mountains, where it served as an important lifeline delivering salt to the inner province of Shinshu (Modern-day Nagano), giving it its nickname, The Salt Trail.

The remnants of these roads can still be seen in Central Itoigawa today, with many of the local businesses tracing their history back to the Edo Period. Stroll along the winding temple and boutique-lined streets of Central Itoigawa and experience a town like no other.

Said to have been founded over 2000 years ago, Amatsu Shrine is one of the oldest and largest shrines in Itoigawa. The current worship hall, with its distinctively pitched thatch roof, was last rebuilt in 1662.

Amatsu Shrine is famous for its Spring Grand Festival, the Itoigawa Kenka Matsuri (Itoigawa Fighting Festival), held each April 10 and 11.

The Tanimura Art Museum was built in 1983 by a local businessman and patron of the arts. It was designed by Togo Murano, widely considered one of Japan's most influential architects and a recipient of the Order of Culture, an award conferred by the emperor to individuals who made significant contributions to Japanese art, literature or culture. The museum hosts a private collection of wooden Buddhist statues carved by Seiko Sawada, considered to be one of the greatest Buddhist sculptures of the modern era and another recipient of the order of culture.

Each room in the museum has been designed specifically to complement the statue displayed within, skillfully combining artificial and natural light in a way that changes subtly with the seasons and position of the sun to provide an atmosphere which feels less like a museum visit and more like a spiritual pilgrimage.

Next to the museum is the Gyokusuien Garden, a beautiful Japanese Garden created by Kinsaku Nakane, who was President of the Osaka University of Fine Art and widely considered one of the greatest landscape artists in Japan. The garden can be enjoyed in any season or weather seated at impressive Itoigawa jade tables inside an adjoining tea room while enjoying tea, coffee or other drinks paired with local sweets.