Fukui Prefecture

Chubu region · Prefecture

Sabae City is a major producer of eyeglass frames, and the prefecture is also known as a source of dinosaur fossils. With Echizen crab and Eihei-ji Temple, it is a prefecture where cultures of craftsmanship, food and Zen are concentrated.

Dinosaur kingdom
Eyeglasses (Sabae)
Echizen crab
Eihei-ji Temple

Key facts

Prefectural capital: Fukui City
Municipalities: 17 (9 cities, 8 towns)
Population: 728,588 43rd in Japan2025 Census
5-year change: −5.0% 16th in Japanfrom 766,863 in 2020
Area: 4,191 km² 35th in Japan
Population density: 174 people/km² 32nd in Japan

Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census (population, area and density); area from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), Area Statistics of Prefectures and Municipalities (2025). National ranks are among the 47 prefectures, ordered by this site from these values.

Places to know

Katsuyama City The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
Sabae City A major producer of eyeglass frames.
Sakai City The sheer cliffs of Tojinbo and Maruoka Castle, with its original keep.

Current warnings, advisories and earthquakes

Places to visit in Fukui Prefecture

Browse by category

Nature

Shrines, temples, castles and historic sites

Museums, zoos and more

Museums and art museums11

Shops, food and lodging

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki)19

Chosen automatically, most popular first, from landmarks and cultural properties registered in Wikidata (we have not checked whether each is open). Names and descriptions: Wikidata (CC0); photos: Wikimedia Commons (photographer and license under each photo).

National parks in Fukui Prefecture

Hakusan National ParkTotal park area 499 km²Also in Toyama, Ishikawa, Gifu

Chosen by overlaying the park boundaries (Ministry of the Environment, Biodiversity Center of Japan, "National Park Areas" GIS data, updated April 28, 2025, combined and simplified by NIPPON ATLAS) with municipal boundaries (National Land Numerical Information, January 2021), keeping overlaps of about 0.5 km² or more (approximate). Areas are the land areas from the Ministry of the Environment, "Overview of National Parks" (April 10, 2026). All national parks

Municipalities in Fukui Prefecture (17)

Municipality	Population	5-year change	Area
Fukui City	251,775	−4.0%	536 km²
Tsuruga City	60,507	−5.8%	251 km²
Obama City	26,538	−8.5%	233 km²
Ono City	27,753	−11.3%	872 km²
Katsuyama City	20,158	−9.0%	254 km²
Sabae City	67,136	−1.7%	84.59 km²
Awara City	25,718	−6.6%	117 km²
Echizen City	79,209	−1.7%	231 km²
Sakai City	84,713	−4.3%	210 km²
Eiheiji Town	17,972	−5.2%	94.43 km²
Ikeda Town	2,282	−5.8%	195 km²
Minami-Echizen Town	8,935	−10.7%	344 km²
Echizen Town	18,547	−7.8%	153 km²
Mihama Town	8,275	−9.8%	152 km²
Takahama Town	9,125	−11.6%	72.40 km²
Oi Town	7,261	−8.2%	212 km²
Wakasa Town	12,684	−9.4%	178 km²

Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census (population in 2025; change compared with 2020). Area: GSI (2025). Designated cities are shown as one city (wards combined). "Temperature now" is the latest JMA AMeDAS observation (preliminary) at the nearest station in the same prefecture, loaded and shown unchanged when you open the page.

Figures come from official Japanese statistics (such as the 2025 Census by the Statistics Bureau of Japan), with the source and year shown next to each one. Photos are freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons; the photographer and license are shown under each photo.

Prefectures Rankings Mountains & castles Places to visit National parks Sources & credits

Places to visit nearby

Map layers

Map

Weather & safety

Nature

History

Seasons