Top Choice Noodles in Nagahama
Yokarō
With its tatami room and garden, this intimate, 200-plus-year-old restaurant positively oozes 'old Japan' charm. The signature dish is yakisaba-sōmen (grilled mackerel over thin noodles), which is also available in …
Top Choice Area in Nagahama
Kurokabe Square
Kurokabe means 'black walls', and you'll find plenty of them in this photogenic historic district (it's not really a square). Many of the old machiya (townhouses) and kura (storehouses) are now antique shops, galler…
Top Choice Buddhist Temple in Nagahama
Daitsū-ji
Just northeast of Kurokabe Square, this Jōdō-sect temple rivals Kyoto's finest with its collection of dozens of historic fusuma (sliding door) and byōbu (folding screen) paintings of landscapes and wildlife on gold …
Parade in Nagahama
Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri
The town's famous festival, Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri, takes place from 14 to 16 April. The highlight is costumed five- to 13-year-old children performing kabuki (stylised Japanese theatre) plays aboard a dozen elab…
Museum in Nagahama
Nagahama Hikiyama Museum
A selection of the elaborately ornamented hikiyama (festival floats) used during Nagahama's famous festival Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri are on display for the rest of the year at this museum.
Landmark in Nagahama
Giant Kaleidoscope
One of Kansai's quirkiest attractions is this retro, flower-vase-shaped tower. Stand underneath, hand-crank the wheel and watch what happens above. It's northwest of the Hikiyama Museum; walk to the corner, turn lef…