Begin the day at this park bisected by a canal, located around a ten-minute stroll from Toyama Station. The Tateyama Mountain Range looms on the horizon on clear days, and the park’s Starbucks is among some of the coffee chain’s most stylish. Head to one of the observation decks of the Tenmon-kyo Bridge for views across central Toyama City.
 

From Kansui Park, walk over to this world-class museum that unites the spheres of art and design. The museum is known for its “Onomatopoeia Rooftop,” a fun, art installation-dotted rooftop park created by noted graphic designer Taku Satoh. Inside is a permanent collection including works by Pablo Picasso and Yayoi Kusama, and a display of twentieth-century chairs.

Iwase appears much as it did back when this was a thriving port town, in the Edo (1603–1867) and Meiji (1868–1912) periods. Rows of traditional wooden buildings conjure up a time when cargo ships sailing the Sea of Japan coast docked here, and geisha walked the streets.
 

Learn more about Iwase’s vibrant past at the Morike residence. The property was the residence of a wealthy merchant named Mori, who dealt in goods brought to Iwase by cargo ship. The residence is constructed using luxurious materials sourced from across Japan, and is designated an Important Cultural Property.
 

Some of the outwardly traditional buildings in Iwase are home to stylishly contemporary bars and restaurants. Among these is Saseki, a sake bar opened by the nearby Masuda Shuzo brewery. Here you can sample dozens of sake varieties in a Japanese Modern–style space displaying glass art and other local crafts.
 

Enjoy original dishes created with fresh ingredients from Toyama Bay and elsewhere in the prefecture, at this luxurious yet cozy Michelin-starred restaurant, housed inside a century-old shipping storehouse. Cave Yunoki’s selection of sake and natural wine is also locally sourced.
 

Take in the restrained splendor of this Zen Buddhist temple constructed in the mid-seventeenth century, in honor of Maeda Toshinaga, the lord who began Takaoka’s development into a prosperous castle town. The arrangement of individual structures within the temple grounds displays a pleasing symmetry, and several of these buildings are designated National Treasures.

Get a taste of one of Toyama’s most vibrant annual festivals, Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival, at this museum displaying two giant wooden floats—one a 400-year-old original—used in the event. The festival, held May 1, is designated UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Other exhibits illustrate how, for centuries, the festival has featured clockwork drumming dolls that were once an innovation ahead of their time.
 

Takaoka is home to one of Japan’s “Three Great Buddhas,” along with those of Kamakura and Nara. Takaoka’s Buddha, the Takaoka Daibutsu, exhibits the techniques of local metal artisans, and is believed to have been created to replace a wood-carved Buddha made around eight centuries ago. It is possible to enter the 16-meter-tall Buddha: inside you will find statuary, paintings, and other artifacts.
 

Takaoka is home to one of Japan’s “Three Great Buddhas,” along with those of Kamakura and Nara. Takaoka’s Buddha, the Takaoka Daibutsu, exhibits the techniques of local metal artisans, and is believed to have been created to replace a wood-carved Buddha made around eight centuries ago. It is possible to enter the 16-meter-tall Buddha: inside you will find statuary, paintings, and other artifacts.

Head down to this stretch of rugged coastline (around 20 minutes from Takaoka by train) for views of the North Japan Alps against vividly-hued sunsets. The iconic view of Toyama Bay against the dramatic backdrop of the mountains has been celebrated by poets and writers since the eighth century.