The Summer Adventure Begins — Early Morning at Nagoya Station
The day before our main summer trip, we set off from Nagoya Station in the early morning. Our first train: the Limited Express Shirasagi No. 1.
“If it’s No. 1, it must be the first departure of the day, right?” — well, not quite. It turned out the train had already made one run as a “Liner” service before becoming Shirasagi No. 1! We boarded the freshly prepared train and headed for Tsuruga, gliding along the shores of Lake Biwa.
The Limited Express Shirasagi is operated jointly by JR West and JR Central, connecting Nagoya and Maibara with Kanazawa and Toyama. The scenic route along Lake Biwa is one of its most popular features.
👉【Affiliate Link: Rakuten Travel — Kanazawa accommodations search】
Flipping the Seats at Maibara — A Rare Experience These Days
At Maibara Station, the train reverses direction — which means passengers flip their own seats to face the new direction of travel. It’s a familiar sight on local rapid trains, but a surprisingly rare experience on a limited express.
The Mascots had never done it before and were absolutely delighted.
The reason seat-flipping is necessary here is that Shirasagi operates a switchback at Maibara, reversing its direction of travel. Little moments like this are part of what makes train travel so special.
Transferring to Tsurugi No. 8 at Tsuruga — Onward to Kanazawa!
At Tsuruga Station, we transferred to the Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsurugi No. 8 and arrived at our first destination: Kanazawa!
Tsurugi is a Hokuriku Shinkansen service connecting Fukui and Tsuruga with Toyama. It was introduced as part of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension that opened in 2024.
Making the Most of Kanazawa — Gold Leaf, Shio-pan & Kanazawa Castle
Kanazawa packed in an incredible amount of experiences.
Gold Leaf Application Experience
Kanazawa is famous for its gold leaf, and we got to try our hand at applying it ourselves under the guidance of a skilled craftsperson. It requires a surprising amount of concentration — but the sense of achievement when you finish is something else entirely.
Discovering the Famous “Shio-pan”
We stumbled upon Kanazawa’s beloved shio-pan (salt bread). Simple yet perfectly seasoned, it was so good we ended up buying extra to take home as souvenirs.
Kanazawa Castle
We also visited the historic Kanazawa Castle, taking in the stunning contrast of stone walls and white-plastered towers against the bright summer sky.
The area around Kanazawa Castle is also home to Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s three great gardens, celebrated for its beautiful landscaping. With gold leaf experiences, local food, and historic sights all within walking distance of each other, half a day is enough to pack in a wonderfully rich taste of what Kanazawa has to offer.
Typhoon Alert — Emergency Meeting and a Major Route Change!
Then came the news: a typhoon was approaching the following day. We held an emergency meeting to completely rethink our original plan to head for Omiya.
After some lively discussion, the verdict was in:
“Let’s eat Hida beef, enjoy fresh seafood in Toyama, and switch to a Takayama → Nagoya route!”
A classic Mascots-style pivot — turning a crisis into an opportunity (laughs).
Revised Itinerary:
Kanazawa → Toyama (by Hakutaka) → Takayama (by Limited Express Hida) → Nagoya
👉【Affiliate Link: Rakuten Travel — Kanazawa sightseeing plan search】
The Trains We Rode on the New Route
Hakutaka
We took the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Toyama. Toyama Bay seafood is famous across Japan — white shrimp, firefly squid, yellowtail, and nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) are just some of the highlights. Whether at the market or a casual diner near the station, you can enjoy world-class seafood at surprisingly reasonable prices. If the typhoon hadn’t forced our route change, we never would have had this food experience — and we found ourselves secretly grateful for the storm (laughs).
Limited Express Hida
After a feast of Hida beef, we boarded the Hida from Toyama and Takayama, heading back to Nagoya.
The Limited Express Hida is operated by JR Central, connecting Nagoya with Hida-Takayama and Toyama. The sweeping mountain scenery of the Hida region visible from the window is one of its greatest attractions.
Summary: Four Trains in One Day — A Packed and Unforgettable Pre-Trip
| Train | Route |
|---|---|
| Shirasagi No. 1 | Nagoya → Tsuruga |
| Tsurugi No. 8 | Tsuruga → Kanazawa |
| Hakutaka | Kanazawa → Toyama |
| Limited Express Hida | Toyama / Takayama → Nagoya |
A typhoon disrupted our plans — but it also opened the door to Hida beef and Toyama’s incredible seafood. Sometimes the best travel memories come from the moments that don’t go according to plan!
For the full story of what happened on the typhoon day itself, check out the next article👇
▶ Continue to the Typhoon Day travel report → 【Internal Link】