The city of Nanto, located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, is characterized by rich natural environments that are complemented by cultures and traditions rooted in the region's unique conditions. These heritages include the gassho-style villages of Gokayama (part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Johana Hikiyama Festival (UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage), the woodcarving town of Inami (Japan Heritage), and the Fukuno Yotaka Festival, which has been recognized as part of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ) Future Heritage Project. Each of the city's regions boasts its own unique scenery, history, and culture, and each is home to traditional industries passed down over generations of artisans.
The gassho-style villages of Gokayama, renowned for their bucolic scenery, offer visitors the opportunity to stay overnight in a World Heritage Site and experience the seasonal rhythms of village life inside a gassho-style house.
In Inami, visitors can experience the town's culture of craftsmanship by trying carving for themselves, while in Gokayama visitors can experience gassho-style village life by trying their hand at making washi, a traditional form of Japanese paper.
Nanto and its surrounding regions were once governed by a 15th-century Shin Buddhist insurgency. The area remains deeply Buddhist to this day and is home to numerous shrines and temples. The foremost of these is Zuisenji Temple, located in Inami, which boasts the largest main hall in the Hokuriku region and is the birthplace of the Inami woodcarving tradition. Each year it receives countless visitors who come to appreciate the temple grounds and buildings, which are themselves unparalleled examples of Inami woodcarving. Nanto's strong Buddhist character also had a profound effect on the famed woodblock carver Shiko Munakata, who gained international recognition shortly after his evacuation to the Fukumitsu region of Nanto during World War II. Fukumitsu still houses many of Munakata's works and preserves a number of historical sites connected to the artist.
The grand landscape of Nanto is dotted with rent-a-cycle pickup and drop-off stations, making cycling around the city convenient and fun. The city is also home to seven wineries and breweries whose wines, beers, and sake offer a taste of the city's rich natural environment.
Nanto is currently in the process of incorporating the city's scenery, history, culture, traditional craft techniques, and cuisine into optional tour offerings that we hope to advertise through tourism sites and companies. We also work with tourism companies to assist the tour operation process within Nanto, from reservations to fee calculation.