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Toyama

Bay sushi, glass art and Tateyama views

Toyama is the capital of Toyama Prefecture and is between Toyama Bay and the Tateyama mountains. Its centre is easy to walk, with a reconstructed castle, a glass art museum and a canal park all within about 10 minutes of the station on foot or by tram. The bay supplies fresh fish for the city's sushi shops and the range of seafood changes with the season. Boats on the canal link the park with the old port district of Iwase. It works as a stop between Tokyo and Kanazawa or as a base for the mountains.

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City in Japan

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$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
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Safety: 8.8

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	9
Accessibility:	6
Tap water:	10

Read details

2/5

English proficiency in Toyama is limited. While you'll find some English signage at major tourist spots and train stations, many locals have basic English skills at best. It's advisable to learn some basic Japanese phrases or use a translation app for smo

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Last update: 20 Oct 2026

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Toyama Summary

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Great for mountain scenery and cultural heritage. Visit glass art museums, explore historic streets, enjoy seafood markets and access alpine hiking routes.

Place score

7.4

Best at:

Mountains

Snow

Spotless

Natural sites

Waterfalls

Personal score

Suited for

👶 7

Families

🧓 7

Seniors

👩 8

Solo

❤️ 8

Couples

Japan – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	100 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type A Type A: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Japanese Yen (JPY) £1 ≈ JP¥210
Cashless info:	Rating 4/5 Cashless payments are becoming more common, especially in cities, with some shops still preferring cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations in rural areas. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is not customary in Japan and can be considered rude. Excellent service is the norm, and tipping is unnecessary in most places.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is legal and commonly accepted, particularly during festivals and events.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited in indoor public places but allowed in designated outdoor areas. Some restaurants may have smoking sections.

New Year (January)	One of the most important holidays, expect crowded temples and high prices. Plan ahead.
Golden Week (April-May)	The busiest travel time, expect high demand for accommodation and transport.
Obon (August)	A time to honour ancestors, many businesses close, and transport can be crowded.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 110 (Police), 119 (Fire & Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, JapanTaxi, DiDi
Other:	Japan is a country of respect, so understanding local customs and etiquette is important. Public transport is efficient, but can be crowded during peak hours.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colours of the months:
The colour shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the colour is shows the travel season: full colour means high season, soft colour means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Toyama, Japan

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High season:	April - May, July - Aug., Oct.
Shoulder season:	Jan. - March, June, Sep., Nov. - Dec.
Crowdedness:	4 (Moderate tourist numbers)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route open mid April to late November, closed in winter due to snow

Tateyama snow corridor (Yuki-no-Otani) walk mid April to late June

Owara Kaze no Bon dance festival in Yatsuo, 1 to 3 September

Don't miss

🗻 Traverse the scenic Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route
♨️ Relax at Unazuki Onsen hot springs
🖼️ Explore Toyama Glass Art Museum's stunning displays
🌳 Stroll and picnic in Fugan Canal Kansui Park
🌇 Climb Toyama City Office Observation Tower for views
🏯 Visit historic Toyama Castle and its grounds

You've been here?

Why travel to Toyama?

Toyama has a castle, a glass art museum, a canal park and sushi shops that rely on the fresh catch of the bay, all within a short walk or tram ride of the station. The castle, a reconstructed keep by the moat, has a local history museum and a city view from its top floor. Inside a building by the architect Kengo Kuma, the Toyama Glass Art Museum has permanent glass art and Dale Chihuly installations. Fugan Canal Kansui Park, a lawned waterfront on a former canal, is free and open around the clock with light displays in the evening. A canal cruise goes from the park to Iwase, an old port district. The sea is the other draw. The bay feeds the city's sushi counters and the catch changes with the season. Yellowtail is in season in winter and firefly squid arrives in spring. White shrimp is a summer speciality and a regional symbol. Toyama is also the home of masu sushi, a trout dish sold in round wooden boxes. On clear days the Tateyama range is visible from the city and from the trams. The city is also a starting point for the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Kanazawa is about 20 minutes away by Shinkansen so the two cities are often visited together. One or two days covers the city. Add a day for the mountains or the old villages in the hills if you have time.

🏙️Cities & Regions

1 Chūbu-Sangaku National Park
A mountain park of the Northern Japan Alps spanning Toyama, Nagano, Gifu and Niigata with peaks near {{distance:m:3000}}. You can cross the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, walk the flat valley of Kamikochi and soak in alpine hot springs.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Toyama Castle Park
2 Great Buddha of Takaoka
3 Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

🎡Places for activities

1 Kurobe-Unazuki-Onsen
2 Goshiki-gahara Mountain Hut

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Toyama Bay
2 Murodō

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Nishimachi Taiki
Founded in 1947, Nishimachi Taiki is credited with creating Toyama Black Ramen, marked by a dark soy-sauce broth and thick noodles. Its original shop is in Nishimachi, central Toyama, near the Grand Plaza shopping area.
2 Shiroebitei
Shiroebitei specialises in white shrimp, known as the jewel of Toyama Bay, serving them as crisp tempura over Toyama-grown rice. The restaurant is inside Toyama Marche at Toyama Station, directly connected to the Shinkansen concourse.
3 Sushiei
Sushiei makes Toyama Bay sushi using seasonal catches such as white shrimp, firefly squid, winter yellowtail and blackthroat seaperch. It is in Sakuramachi, roughly five minutes on foot from Toyama Station, in the central dining district.
4 Gomangoku Honten
Gomangoku Honten is a long-running Japanese restaurant serving seasonal Toyama Bay seafood, including white shrimp and firefly squid. It stands in central Toyama near the Castle Park and offers regional dishes alongside local sake.
5 Sushidama Toyama Station Branch
Sushidama is a Toyama-born conveyor-belt sushi chain focused on fish landed from Toyama Bay. Its station branch is inside Toyama Marche, serving local seafood such as white shrimp, firefly squid and seasonal yellowtail.
6 Masunosushi Aoyagi
Aoyagi produces masu-zushi, pressed sushi made with trout, vinegared rice and bamboo leaves. The long-established shop is in Sakurabashi-dori, central Toyama, around ten minutes on foot from Toyama Station and the Matsukawa riverbank.
7 Sasazushi Minamoto Toyama Station
Minamoto has made masu-zushi since 1908, packing salted trout and vinegared rice into round bamboo-leaf-wrapped boxes. Its Toyama Station outlet is inside the station complex, where the dish became widely known as a Taisho-era rail lunch.
8 Menya Iroha CiC Branch
Menya Iroha began in Toyama and serves Toyama Black Ramen, plus white-shrimp salt ramen made with shiroebi stock. The CiC branch is in the shopping building opposite Toyama Station, about two minutes on foot from the south exit.
9 Choinomi Arasan
Choinomi Arasan is an izakaya serving seasonal Toyama Bay fish, including white shrimp and firefly squid, with regional sake. It is in the station-side downtown area of Toyama City, near the tram stops and Sakuramachi shopping streets.
10 Tenyoshi
Tenyoshi is a tempura restaurant in Iwase, serving seasonal fish and white-shrimp tempura from Toyama Bay. It stands in Iwase Matsubara-machi, near the preserved port-town streets and within walking distance of Higashi-Iwase Station.

🎈Events

Toyama Glass Art Festival
Owara Kaze-no-Bon Festival
Tateyama Snow Corridor Opening
Toyama Chindon Festival
Toyama Manto Festival
Firefly Squid Festival
Toyama Marathon
Toyama Yosakoi Festival
Tateyama Autumn Festival
Toyama Light-up Walk

Explore on map

Open map view

Knowledge before you go

Ride the tram for views of the Tateyama range on clear days.
The Glass Art Museum closes on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
The Fugan Suijo Line canal boat runs from Kansui Park to the old port town of Iwase.
Toyama has long been known as a medicine town where travelling medicine sellers once sold remedies across Japan.

How to travel to Toyama

The Hokuriku Shinkansen is the fastest way to reach Toyama and takes a little over two hours from Tokyo Station at its quickest. Kanazawa is around 20 minutes away on the same line. From Osaka and Kyoto, take a limited express to Kanazawa and change to the Shinkansen for a total of roughly three hours. Toyama Airport (TOY) has a few domestic flights and some international services. A bus takes about 25 minutes to Toyama Station. By car, the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway from Nagoya takes around three hours and the Hokuriku Expressway from Kanazawa about an hour. Snow can affect expressways around Toyama in winter so the Shinkansen is the safer choice in the colder months.

Access summary

From Toyama Airport (TOY): Direct airport bus to Toyama Station, about 25–30 minutes.
From Tokyo: Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, roughly 2–2.5 hours.
From Osaka/Kyoto: Thunderbird express plus Hokuriku Shinkansen connections, around 3–3.5 hours.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Toyama

The easiest area to stay in is around Toyama Station and along the tram lines toward the castle. This area has business hotels and a few mid-range hotels within walking distance of the trains and the main sights. Rooms are rarely hard to find outside event dates. Hot spring hotels in nearby valleys are an option if you want a ryokan stay. Kanazawa is around 20 minutes by Shinkansen and has many more hotels, so it works as a base for both cities. Booking pressure peaks in early September, when the Owara Kaze-no-Bon festival fills the Yatsuo district of the city. It also rises during the Alpine Route season from spring to autumn. Reserve early for those periods.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Hotel JAL City Toyama

9.3

Toyama Oyado Nono Natural Hot Spring

8.9

Toyama Excel Hotel Tokyu

8.7

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Toyama-Ekimae

9.1

DoubleTree by Hilton Toyama

9.2

Dormy Inn Toyama Natural Hot Spring

8.5

Toyoko Inn Toyama-eki Shinkansen-guchi No.2

8.9

Hotel LiveMax Toyama

7.8

Hotel Grand Terrace Toyama

8.1

Hotel Vischio Toyama

9.2

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Toyama

Toyama is flat and compact, with most of the main sights a short walk or tram ride from the station. Trams are the main way to get around beyond the walkable centre.

Walking:
Toyama Castle is about a 10-minute walk from the station and Kansui Park about 9 minutes from the North Exit.

Trams:
Lines run from Toyama Station south toward the mountains and north toward the sea, with a loop line through the centre. For the Glass Art Museum, take the Toyama Chiho Railway tram toward Minami-Toyama-Ekimae and get off at Nishicho or Grand Plaza-mae, each a short walk from the museum.

Boats and light rail:
The canal boat from Kansui Park reaches Iwase. The light rail line north from the station also runs toward the coast.

Car:
A car isn't needed in the city. It helps for the hills and villages outside Toyama but the Alpine Route and nearby valleys are reached by train and bus from the station.

Food in Toyama

Seafood from Toyama Bay is the base of the food here and sushi is the dish most linked with the city. The clean mountain water also supports sake. Convenience stores and station shops cover quick meals but vegetarians will find limited choices since dashi and seafood are central to local cooking.

Bay sushi:
Counter sushi bars and conveyor belt shops are common near the station. Menus follow the season with yellowtail in winter, firefly squid in spring and white shrimp in summer.

Masu sushi:
Masu sushi is pressed trout wrapped in bamboo leaves and sold in round wooden boxes as a boxed lunch at the station.

Other local dishes:
White shrimp turns up as tempura, sashimi and in rice bowls. Kobujime, fish cured with kelp, is another local style. Toyama black ramen has a salty soy broth with plenty of pepper.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

We calculate the average costs when travelling to destinations and compare those with the living costs at your home. With this you can get an estimate of how expensive or cheap the destination is for you.

To customise this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.

-51 %

Daily expenses in Toyama are around 51% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-20 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to JPY) is 20% better than in recent years. That means travelling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	£53	£111	£286
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£34	£75	£165
🍝 Food per day	£15	£29	£90
🚕 Transportation per day	£4	£7	£31

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£13
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£3.10
🍟 Fast food combo	£3.50
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£6
☕ Cappuccino	£2.40
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£1.70

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£1.05
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£20
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£0.85

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£8.50
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£23
🤧 Cold medication	£6.50
💇 Basic haircut	£12.50

Safety information overview

General safety

Toyama is very safe, with little crime. The main risks are natural, with heavy snow in winter making roads and tram stops icy. Weather in the Tateyama mountains changes fast and avalanche risk is real in spring, so mountain visitors should follow local advice.

Health & Medical

Toyama has several large hospitals including a university hospital plus many clinics and pharmacies, though English-speaking staff are limited. Cold winters and ice cause slips. On mountain trails, altitude and quickly changing weather matter, so hikers should carry layers.

Accessibility

Toyama is flat and its low-floor trams make getting around easier than in many Japanese cities. Many stations and main sights are largely step-free. Heavy winter snow and ice can make pavements and tram stops hard going.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink in Toyama, as elsewhere in Japan. The area is known for clean mountain water. Bottled drinks are sold at the station, convenience stores and vending machines. Mountain trails have few shops so carry water.