Nanto / 南砺(Toyama)

About Nanto

Nanto is a city located in the southwest of Toyama Prefecture. Here, visitors can appreciate the authentic Japanese landscape in this city famous for the “Ainokura gassho-style Village” and “Suganuma gassho-style Village,” both of which are registered World Heritage sites alongside Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture. The “Johana Hikiyama Festival,” a 300-year tradition practiced in the Johana area, is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Without a doubt, Nanto is a city rich in both history and culture.


Getting there and around

Train

From JR Tokyo Station, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Shin-Takaoka Station (about 3 hours), then take the Johana Line from Shin-Takaoka Station to Johana Station (about 50 minutes).

From JR Nagoya Station, take the Shirasagi express train to Kanazawa Station (about 3 hours), transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen bound for Shin-Takaoka Station (about 15 minutes), and from Shin-Takaoka Station take the Johana Line to Johana Station (about 50 minutes).

From JR Osaka Station, take the JR Thunderbird limited express train to Kanazawa Station (about 2 hours and 40 minutes), transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa Station to Shin-Takaoka Station (about 15 minutes), then from Shin-Takaoka Station take the Johana Line to Johana Station (about 50 minutes).

Top Attractions

Undeniably, Nanto's most widely-acclaimed tourist spot is the World Heritage Site — Gokayama Village. Of the 40 small villages in Gokayama, Ainokura Village and Suganuma Village are registered World Heritage sites. These gassho-style abodes, which can only be found in Shirakawa-go, Gokayama, and surrounding areas in Gifu Prefecture, offer an intriguing sense of history and tradition.

Gokayama/五箇山(Toyama)

Gokayama/五箇山(Toyama)
  • Nanto
  • Toyama
  • Onsen
  • Cultural Experience
  • World Heritage
  • Historical Sites
  • Beautiful Places
Gokayama is a region of forty small villages nestled in abundant nature in Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture, famous for its houses built in the gassho-style, which represent Japan's wooden culture. In 19...

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Special Tours

Nagoya Travel Guide