Early Morning Departure from Nagoya — Summer Travel Begins!
The day before our main summer adventure, we set off from Nagoya Station in the early morning. Our first train of the day was the Limited Express Shirasagi No. 1.
“Number 1 — so it must be the very first departure of the day, right?” Not quite! As it turned out, the train had already completed a run as a “Home Liner” commuter service before becoming Shirasagi No. 1. A surprising discovery to kick off the journey! Freshly prepared and ready to go, we boarded and headed toward Tsuruga, racing alongside the shores of Lake Biwa.
Limited Express Shirasagi is operated jointly by JR West and JR Central, connecting Nagoya and Maibara with Kanazawa and Toyama. The scenic stretch alongside Lake Biwa is one of the most popular highlights of the route.
👉【Affiliate Link: Rakuten Travel — Kanazawa accommodations search】
Flipping Our Own Seats at Maibara — A Rare Experience!
At Maibara Station, the train reverses direction — which means passengers need to manually flip their own seats to face the new direction of travel. A familiar sight on local rapid trains, but a genuinely rare experience on a limited express these days!
The Mascots were absolutely thrilled by this unexpected hands-on moment.
Why the seat flip? Shirasagi performs a switchback at Maibara Station, reversing its direction of travel. This kind of uniquely railway experience is one of the hidden joys of travelling by train in Japan!
Transfer at Tsuruga — Onward to Kanazawa on Tsurugi No. 8!
At Tsuruga Station, we transferred to Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsurugi No. 8 and arrived at our first destination — Kanazawa!
Tsurugi is a Hokuriku Shinkansen service connecting Fukui/Tsuruga with Toyama. It was introduced as part of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension that opened in 2024.
Kanazawa — Gold Leaf, Salt Bread & Kanazawa Castle!
Kanazawa turned out to be packed with wonderful experiences.
Gold Leaf (Kinpaku) Experience
Kanazawa is famous throughout Japan for its gold leaf craftsmanship. Under the guidance of a skilled artisan, we tried our hand at the delicate art of gold leaf application. It requires real concentration — but the sense of achievement when you finish is truly something special.
Discovering “Shio Pan” (Salt Bread)
We stumbled upon Kanazawa’s famous shio pan — a deceptively simple bread with a perfectly balanced saltiness that had us reaching for another one before we knew it. We couldn’t resist picking some up as souvenirs!
Kanazawa Castle
We also paid a visit to the historic Kanazawa Castle, soaking up the stunning contrast of stone walls and white architecture under the brilliant summer sky.
👉【Affiliate Link: Rakuten Travel — Kanazawa sightseeing plan search】
Typhoon Alert — Emergency Meeting! Major Route Change Decided
Just as we were settling into Kanazawa, news broke of a typhoon approaching the following day. An emergency meeting was called to completely overhaul our original plans to head to Omiya.
After much deliberation, the verdict was in:
“Let’s eat Hida beef, enjoy fresh seafood in Toyama, and reroute via Takayama → Nagoya!”
Turning a crisis into an opportunity — classic Mascots thinking! (laughs)
Revised Route: Kanazawa → Toyama (via Hakutaka) → Takayama (via Limited Express Hida) → Nagoya
The Trains We Rode on the Revised Route
Hakutaka
We took the Hokuriku Shinkansen Hakutaka from Kanazawa to Toyama, where we feasted on the freshest seafood the Sea of Japan had to offer.
Limited Express Hida
From Toyama and Takayama, the Limited Express Hida carried us back toward Nagoya — after thoroughly enjoying Hida beef along the way.
Limited Express Hida is operated by JR Central, connecting Nagoya with Hida-Takayama and Toyama. The majestic mountain scenery of the Hida region rolling past the windows is simply breathtaking.
👉【Affiliate Link: Rakuten Travel — Takayama / Toyama accommodations search】
Summary | 4 Trains in a Single Day — A Packed and Memorable Summer Eve!
| Train | Route |
|---|---|
| Shirasagi No. 1 | Nagoya → Tsuruga |
| Tsurugi No. 8 | Tsuruga → Kanazawa |
| Hakutaka | Kanazawa → Toyama |
| Limited Express Hida | Toyama / Takayama → Nagoya |
A typhoon threw our plans into chaos — but it gave us Hida beef and Toyama seafood that we would never have experienced otherwise. Sometimes the best travel memories come from the unexpected detours!
For the full story of the typhoon day that followed, check out the next article👇
👉【Affiliate Link: Rakuten Travel — Hokuriku / Kanazawa / Toyama travel plan search】
▶ Continue to the Typhoon Day travel report → 【Internal Link】