Nishiyama Park

Nishiyama Park is a park in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, famous for its azaleas. About 50,000 azalea bushes bloom in profusion, and a festival is held every year during azalea season, attracting tourists. Beyond azaleas, the park has lawns and large playground equipment, making it enjoyable for both children and adults. With about 150 years of history, Nishiyama Park has been selected as one of Japan’s Top 100 Historical Parks. It also features about 1,000 cherry trees and around 1,600 maple trees, making it a year-round destination. Within Nishiyama Park is Nishiyama Zoo, which is especially popular with children thanks to its red pandas—said to be No. 1 in Japan for breeding numbers. Other animals include François’ langurs, white-handed gibbons, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, red-crowned cranes, and Indian peafowl. Admission is free for both Nishiyama Park and Nishiyama Zoo. Next to the park is a roadside station that is lively every day. In terms of visitor numbers among Fukui’s tourist spots, it is said to rank second after Tojinbo. To get to Nishiyama Park, it’s about a 3-minute walk from Nishiyama Koen Station.