Rakudo An

Head to Tsukubane Mountain, rising to 1,000 metres above sea level, for a tandem paragliding flight across Toyama’s landscape. After a short briefing, you’ll launch with a licensed pilot and descend nearly 400 metres towards Harayama Pasture. Below, the Tonami Plain reveals its distinctive dispersed settlements, shaped by generations of farming. You’ll pass over Nawa Pond, known for its constantly flowing water, with the Iozen Mountains ahead and Toyama Bay visible on clear days.

From the air, distances stretch, sounds change and familiar terrain feels unfamiliar. The flight is steady and accessible, even if it’s your first time, ending with a smooth landing near the valley floor.

Visit a workshop rooted in the dispersed settlements of Toyama, where Buddhist customs shaped daily life and craft traditions. Large east-facing homes once hosted memorial services, creating demand for ritual objects used by the community. This legacy continues in a family-run workshop established in 1909, specialising in orin bowl gongs for temples. You’ll learn why a small number of craftsmen in Japan can still shape and tune these instruments by hammering.

During your visit, you’ll learn how sound is adjusted through form and thickness. You’ll also try shaping suzugami, a thin tin plate that bends and holds its form. The experience links belief, skill and objects still used today.

Travel to Johana, a town shaped by temples and silk production for over 450 years. Here, you’ll meet one of Toyama’s last silk weavers and learn about shike silk, a rare material spun from cocoons formed by two silkworms together. Usually rejected for its uneven threads, this silk is preserved through a belief in valuing all life. You’ll watch the weaving process that turns difficult fibres into usable textiles and decorative braids suited to modern spaces.

The visit explains how Buddhist ideas influenced craft choices and materials. Over coffee and locally made snacks, you’ll hear how silk continues to connect belief, skill and everyday use.