Northern Japan’s Hokuriku Region Selected as One of Lonely Planet’s 2014 Best in Travel

▲ Kenrokuen Garden, renowned as one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens. (Photo / from Wikipedia)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Ranked alongside the Michelin Green Guide, the travel bible that nearly every backpacker owns — Lonely Planet — recently announced the “Top 10 Best Places to Travel in 2014.” Japan’s Hokuriku Region was the only domestic destination to make the list, ranking 4th and praised as “a place rich in cultural, historical, and natural beauty.”

When it comes to Lonely Planet, backpackers who have traveled the world are sure to be familiar with it. It is considered the world’s largest privately owned travel guide publisher and the first series of travel guides written specifically for backpackers. Although it came 72 years after the other travel and food bible, the Michelin Guide, its authority in the travel field remains unquestionable.

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The Hokuriku Region is located on the Sea of Japan side of central and western Honshu, Japan, including Toyama Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Fukui Prefecture. Lonely Planet believes this area is filled with cultural, historical, and natural beauty. Especially in Kanazawa City, the region’s largest city, the famed Kenrokuen Garden — listed among Japan’s Three Great Gardens — is a must-visit.

Built in the mid-17th century, Kenrokuen is a representative stroll garden from the Edo period. It earned its name because it embodies six ideal characteristics of a garden: “extensiveness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas.” The garden’s scenery, which changes beautifully with the seasons, amazes visitors year-round and has also been selected as one of Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots.

Lonely Planet suggests that after visiting the garden, you might as well stop by nearby Kaga Onsen for a soak or visit Notogawa Town to enjoy the natural scenery of the Noto Peninsula. The upcoming Hokuriku Shinkansen line, set to open in 2015 between Nagano and Kanazawa, is also expected to attract even more visitors to this beautiful city full of history and culture.

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“2014 Top 10 Best Places to Travel”
1. India – Sikkim
2. Australia – Kimberley
3. United Kingdom – Yorkshire
4. Japan – Hokuriku Region
5. United States – Texas
6. Victoria Falls (also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls) between Zimbabwe and Zambia
7. Spain – Mallorca
8. New Zealand – West Coast
9. China – Hunan
10. Tonga – Ha’apai Islands