Hokuriku Shinkansen extension marks first anniversary
Events were held in the Hokuriku region Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the opening of the extension of the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen Line that connects Kanazawa and Tsuruga stations.
At Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture and Fukui Station in neighboring Fukui Prefecture, which is also on the extended section, the prefectural governors gave speeches and saw off departing trains.
Sunday was also the first anniversary of the opening of the conventional railway line running in parallel with the shinkansen extension, operated by a local public-private joint company.
In an anniversary ceremony for the parallel line at Fukui Station, Fukui Gov. Tatsuji Sugimoto said, "We'll do our best to make it a prefectural railway beloved by local communities."
On the concourse, an event was held to let children wear mock station uniforms. Celebratory red and white steamed buns were handed out, which proved to be popular.
"The number of visitors from Tokyo has clearly increased" since the extension opened, said Yasuhide Sugita, 60, who has run a Japanese restaurant near the station for about 30 years.
However, he said that the number of passengers from the Kansai area is falling because it became necessary to change trains at Tsuruga Station in Fukui.
He showed expectations for the planned extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line to Osaka. The line currently connects Hokuriku and Tokyo.
This month also marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line. At Kanazawa Station on Saturday, gojinjo-daiko, a traditional drum and dance performance of the Noto region, was staged. The region was hit hard by the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
"The number of visitors has increased dramatically" over the 10 years, said Masato Zenke, 54, of the Kanazawa city government's tourism policy division, who planned the event.
"The brand power (of Kanazawa) has increased among visitors to Japan, who view it as a place where they can feel the real Japan," Zenke added.
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