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The number of tourists was declining in this Japanese city, but Ono is now making its comeback

Elliot Hale Aug 24, 2025
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Bouncing back after a natural disaster, Ono showcases the charm of its floating castle, pristine springs, and soy sauce gelato.

If you know anything about Fukui Prefecture, it’s probably that it has dinosaurs. Fukui’s prehistoric residents are proudly displayed around Fukui Station and throughout the prefecture’s cities. Despite Okinawa’s newest attraction, a dinosaur-themed amusement park called Junglia, if you want to get close to real dinosaur history, Fukui is where you want to be, and the recently completed Hokuriku Shinkansen extension last year has made that even easier than before.

However, a Fukui city called Ono recently sent out a plea for help, stating that they’ve been facing a serious problem. Intrigued, one of our Japanese-language reporters, Tasuku Egawa, set out to find out more.

Arriving back at Fukui Station after almost a year since his last visit, Tasuku was pleased to be reunited with impressive robotic dinosaurs around the station.

Meeting up with Mr. I from the Fukui Shimbun newspaper, who was going to show him around, Tasuku continued on his journey to Ono, which is about 75 minutes from Fukui City by train.

After arriving, he soon spotted the famous Echizen-Ono Castle, known as one of Japan’s picturesque “Castles in the Sky” because it can sometimes appear to float on clouds.

Tasuku: “The castle looks beautiful, so what exactly is the problem?”

Mr. I: “Well, the number of tourists is decreasing…”

Tasuku: “Wait… isn’t that kind of a serious problem?”

The Ono area, which is ordinarily an ideal location for tourists who want to enjoy the idyllic view of Lake Kuzuryu or Hakusan National Park, take a dip in the beloved Hatogayu hot spring, or rush down the many ski slopes in the winter, has recently suffered from a major setback. In March 2025 a massive landslide blocked Route 158, one of the few key roads connecting Ono to Gifu Prefecture, slowing down tourism dramatically.

As of this summer, the repairs are finished, Route 158 is back in business, and Ono is ready to welcome the return of the tourists. So, Tasuku and Mr. I took to the streets to uncover what visitors can expect to discover on their trips to Ono.

Naturally, there’s the aforementioned Ono Castle, which is almost always visible from the city center. Photographers flock to the nearby mountain of Inuyama in the fall and winter, when the ideal cloudy conditions are most likely to occur, to snap some photos of this “Castle in the Sky”.

Making their way through town, Tasuku and Mr. I soon came across the reconstructed residence of Matazaemon Tamura, who was a chief samurai retainer for the region’s feudal lord. Entering the residence, Tasuku was introduced to what a traditional Edo-period samurai residence would have looked like, along with its Japanese garden that uses soil from Ono Castle’s embankments.

As an added bonus, Tasuku also got to see a limited-time seasonal installation of around 2,000 pinwheels, which look perfect for a social media post.

Tasuku also learned that the city is blessed with crystal-clear spring water. The Oshozu Spring is so renowned it’s been selected as one of Japan’s “100 Great Waters”.

Traditionally, drinking water was taken from where the water bubbles up from the source, with an area designated further downstream for washing vegetables which now also doubles as a splashing playground for kids on hot summer afternoons.

With so much walking, and it being so hot, something cooling and refreshing was in order, so Tasuku and Mr. I headed over to Gelateria Cicci on Shichiken Street, a historical shopping street famous for its morning market where venders have been gathering for over 400 years.

Alongside some classic flavors like watermelon and yogurt, there was also the intriguing soy sauce gelato, made from locally produced soy sauce.

▼ The soy sauce is so local, it’s literally across the street, just a few steps away.

Sadly, when Tasuku tried to order the soy sauce gelato. it was sold out, so he settled for a combination of watermelon and plum for 500 yen (US$3.40), which turned out to be delightful.

The area that Tasuku walked around was stunning, filled with beautiful waterways, he really wished he could have explored it more. He had wanted to check out the nearby grave of Yoshikage Asakura, a feudal lord of the region, as well as Hongan-Shozu Itoyo Fish Habitat, a unique spring that is home to a rare species of stickleback.

However, there was a recently-opened attraction waiting for him, calling out to his inner paleontologist for a hands-on experience involving goggles, a chisel, a hammer, and so many rocks that we’ll need to save that story for another time.

For now, though, even if Ono has been in a little trouble with its loss of tourists for a while, thanks to its unique charm and natural beauty, we’re confident that visitors will no doubt soon be finding their way back.

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