Johana & Inami — Temple Town & Woodcarving Village

Johana and Inami sit about 35 kilometers south of Toyama City in Nanto City, reached in roughly an hour by taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Shin-Takaoka Station and transferring to the JR Johana Line to Johana Station, then a local Nan-bus or taxi covering the further 20 to 25 minutes to Inami. Johana is a former temple town centered on Zuisenji Temple, a Jodo Shinshu temple founded in 1390 known for its wood carvings and annual Johana Festival (Iomote-sai) held each May, when ornate floats parade through the town's streets. Inami, a short ride away, is a woodcarving village built around Yokamachi Dori, a street lined with workshops where craftsmen still produce the elaborate ranma transom carvings and shrine ornamentation the town has been known for since Zuisenji's original construction drew carvers to the area. A typical day starts in Johana's temple-town streets in the morning, taking in Zuisenji Temple's carved details and the surrounding merchant houses, then continues to Inami in the afternoon to browse Yokamachi Dori's workshops and watch carvers at work. Small local restaurants in both towns serve soba and set lunches, with Johana's station area offering the widest range of options before heading to Inami. Because the JR Johana Line runs roughly hourly and the connecting Nan-bus to Inami keeps a separate timetable, checking both schedules before departing from Toyama helps avoid long waits between legs. The combination works year-round, with the Johana Festival in May adding a specific reason to time a visit around the town's float procession, while a rental car offers the most flexible way to link both towns without the bus transfer.