Mikuni Minato is a peaceful and historic town, far from the crowds of Japan's major cities. It's a place to experience local food, crafts, and a bit of peace and quiet. Or, visit during festival season for a rowdier version!
I recently visited Mikuni Minato on a press tour to see the new accommodation, Auberge Homachi Mikuniminato. It was an interesting trip so I thought I would share some of it with you, if you fancy an off-beat trip for something different.
(I was not paid for the trip or to write this, I'm just sharing for fun!)
Getting There
Admittedly, Mikuni Minato is not the easiest place to get to. From Tokyo, you can take the shinkansen to Maibara, then get the Shirasagi Limited Express to Fukui, and finally take the local Echizen line to Mikuni Station. Overall it takes around 4.5 hours.
The accommodation I stayed at was Auberge Homachi Mikuniminato. It's very different to the places I usually stay in, because it was a kind of dispersed villa.
Each guest group stays in their own renovated town house with two floors. Much of the town house vibe has been preserved, with its high wooden ceilings and historic architecture. But they are fitted with modern comforts like (the much needed) heating and comfy western-style beds.
The accommodation also has a separate reception building with a free welcome cup of sake, and a separate restaurant building serving fine French cuisine with local ingredients.
This hotel is like a luxury dispersed villa, where each guest has their own two floors in a renovated traditional town house. There is a reception building and a restaurant building.
A former Geisha house turned casual dining space. They have a limited menu of local favourites. On my visit I had the ama-ebi (sweet shrimp) set meal, which had raw ama-ebi as well as fried ama-ebi tempura on rice, topped with egg. There were various sides and a mini dessert, and I had a warm sake to accompany it.
Just a fun little mom and pop bar that I visited for a few drinks. They have a huge menu (in Japanese) of different drinks, including a bunch of whiskies.
A small shop selling local specialty sweet buns. The area is known for its "saka manju" which are buns made with sake lees and filled with red bean paste. They are mildly sweet, though don't taste of sake!
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The Auberge Restaurant
As the town is relatively quiet, you won't find anything super fancy, except for the Auberge's own restaurant, called Tateru Yoshino Mikuniminato after the head chef, Tateru Yoshino.
The chef studied the culinary arts and worked abroad, at one point under Joel Robuchon in Paris.
The picture above is of the restaurant's own little herb garden, where they source their fresh salad leaves.
The restaurant is open for a bougie breakfast and dinner. It has a modern atmosphere but in the traditional French style featuring multiple courses and local ingredients, including things like Fukui-sourced Wakasa Wagyu, based on the season. These can be paired with international wines.
I personally found this a very interesting side of Mikuni Minato. You can see traditional lanterns being made, and even make your very own from start to finish. Unfortunately as of my visit it does seem you are unable to bring the lantern home if you live abroad, however.
A beautiful natural basalt cliff face. There are various food and souvenir shops on the path leading up to the cliff. About a 10 min. taxi ride from Mikuni Minato
Morita Bank was owned by the area's most wealthy merchant family, and this branch was built in 1920. It takes inspiration from Western architecture, as many extravagant buildings did at the time.
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Other Attractions in Fukui Prefecture
I don't want to mess up the map to the right as they are quite far away, so I won't add these as actual spots. However, if you hire a car, or want to explore wider Fukui Prefecture as you travel around Japan, here are some suggestions:
Japan is full of delicious food 🍡 so let's explore it together!
If you want to learn more about where the food comes from, and the customs and etiquette behind it all, make sure to take a look at my YouTube channel
