Toyama Prefecture lies on the Sea of Japan coast of Honshu, Japan's main island.

Within the same prefecture, you can find mountains over 3,000 metres high and sea depths of more than 1,000 metres.

Toyama is also known as "the town of medicine," with an industry that goes back to the Edo period.

In this article, we introduce Toyama through its geography, history, and local specialities.
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Where is Toyama?
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Toyama Prefecture is located roughly in the centre of Honshu, facing the Sea of Japan.

By Hokuriku Shinkansen, it takes about two hours to reach Toyama Station from Tokyo.

Because it faces the sea, the region is also rich in seafood.

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The Tateyama Mountains and Toyama Bay: a 4,000-metre difference in elevation
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One of Toyama's defining features is its dramatic landscape, with an elevation difference of 4,000 metres.

To the south lies the Tateyama mountain range, with peaks reaching 3,000 metres.

Toyama Bay, on the other hand, reaches depths of over 1,000 metres in places.

Mountains over 3,000 metres and a sea deeper than 1,000 metres, within the same prefecture.

Such a close relationship between mountains and sea is considered rare, even within Japan.

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A brief history of Toyama
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During the Edo period, the Toyama area was part of the domain ruled by the Maeda family of Kaga.

In 1639, Maeda Toshitsugu, second son of Kaga's lord Maeda Toshitsune, was granted 100,000 koku of land and founded the Toyama Domain.

Despite frequent flooding, the domain developed irrigation channels and new farmland, and built up industries such as agriculture and, later, medicine peddling.

Toyama Prefecture was established in 1871, when the domain system was abolished, though for a time the area was merged into Ishikawa Prefecture.

Following a movement for separation, present-day Toyama Prefecture was re-established in May 1888.

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The origin of "the town of medicine"
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Toyama is also known as "the town of medicine."

The story behind this name goes back to a single episode in the Edo period.

When a feudal lord suffered from severe stomach pain at Edo Castle, Maeda Masatoshi, the second lord of the Toyama Domain, gave him a medicine called "Hangontan." The pain quickly subsided.

This episode made Toyama's medicine well known among other domains, and led to the spread of a unique sales system called haichiyaku: medicine boxes were left in people's homes, and customers paid only for what they had actually used.

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The bounty of Toyama Bay
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In 1996, Toyama Prefecture officially designated three species as "the fish of Toyama": yellowtail, firefly squid, and shiroebi (glass shrimp).

Yellowtail, known as "kanburi" in winter for its rich fat content, has been caught using fixed-net fishing for over 400 years.

Firefly squid are small squid that gather along the coast of Toyama Bay every spring to spawn, known for the faint blue glow they emit in the dark.

Shiroebi is a transparent, pale pink shrimp, and Toyama Bay is said to be its only fishing ground in Japan.

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Meet Toyama's craftsmanship, at Mikan
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A landscape shaped by mountains and sea, and a unique industrial culture built around "the town of medicine."

Within this environment, Toyama has also nurtured its own tradition of craftsmanship.

A leading example is "Takaoka copperware," a metalworking tradition that has continued in the city of Takaoka for more than 400 years.

At Mikan, we carry pots and vases made using this Takaoka copperware tradition.

In our next article, we will introduce Takaoka copperware in more detail.

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