Sakai City Hall Another auberge in Mikuni Minato, Sakai City (Fukui Prefecture), which retains the Kitamaebune atmosphere

[Sakai City Hall] Another auberge in Mikuni Minato, Sakai City (Fukui Prefecture), which retains the Kitamaebune atmosphere ​
Sakai City Hall Press release: April 24, 2025 Another auberge in Mikuni Minato, Sakai City (Fukui Prefecture), which retains the Kitamaebune atmosphere. Opening on the 27th – Nationally registered cultural property storehouse renovated and turned into accommodation building
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81038/146/81038-146-d106646ec974f997eb07ff1625882759-3900×2925.jpg Exterior view of the auberge of the former Oki Dogu Store, which has been reborn as a lodging facility = 4-chome Kitahonmachi, Mikuni-cho, Sakai City Since last year, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture has been renovating the former Oki Dogu Store and Storehouse, a registered tangible cultural property of the country, in the old town of Minato-cho and Mikuni-cho, where the Kitamaebune culture is strongly preserved.The construction has recently been completed, and it has been reborn as a lodging building. “S’Amuser” Co., Ltd., which operates a French restaurant on the same premises, will operate both the former Oki Dogu Store restaurant and the newly completed accommodation building as “Mikuniminato Auberge Samusée,” which will officially open on April 27th. Mikuni Minato is lined with many quaint townscapes and old folk houses, and with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Fukui last spring, auberges (restaurants with lodging facilities in rural areas) opened one after another in the old town, and expectations are high that more auberges will create liveliness in the Mikuni Minato area. ■“Old Oki Dogu Store” is a building that symbolizes Mikuni Minato “Kitamae Street” The former Oki Dogu Store is a modern Japanese-style two-story tiled wooden building built in the early Showa era. The Old Morita Bank, a retro Western-style building on Kitamae Street, the main street in the old town, is also nearby, and is a landmark building in Mikuni Minato. After the war, it was used as an antique art dealer and residence. In the spring of 2019, a French restaurant opened on the 1st floor and 1st floor of the main building, and a head spa store has since moved into a corner of the 2nd floor. The storehouse is a two-story wooden storehouse located on the west side of the main building and the courtyard, and as it had become extremely dilapidated, Sakai City renovated it. “S’Amuser”, which operates a restaurant in the main building, was selected through an open call for proposals in 2022, and renovation work was scheduled to take place from May 2024 to April of this year. ■We want you to stay in a Japanese-style building and feel the atmosphere of the Kitamaebune of the Edo period The completed accommodation building has a floor area of ​​approximately 73 square meters on the first floor and 37 square meters on the second floor, with a Japanese-style room, toilet, and bathroom on the first floor, and a bedroom on the second floor with an atrium, which retains the taste of traditional Japanese architecture. The management company expects one group to stay overnight. The opening date is April 27th, but the Mikuni Festival, one of Hokuriku’s three major festivals where floats carrying giant samurai dolls are paraded, is coming up on May 20th, and there are cafes, gelato shops, and miscellaneous goods stores in the area, so it’s likely to be popular with tourists from outside the prefecture and inbound visitors. The outline of the facility was announced at Sakai City Hall on April 16th. The project cost will be 49.61 million yen including the prefectural subsidy. Mayor Yoshitaka Ikeda passionately said, “With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in Fukui, the number of auberge-type accommodations and restaurants is increasing in Mikuni, meaning that tourists will have even more options, so we can expect a synergistic effect.We hope that many inbound tourists will visit and play a role in making the Mikuni area more lively.” The chef at French Restaurant Samusée has achieved third place in the individual category of the “World Culinary Olympics”, and he explores the possibilities of “Mikuni French” by making use of local ingredients such as seafood and vegetables from Mikuni and Awara City. The opening ceremony on the 27th will be held from 3:00 pm with approximately 20 people including Mayor Ikeda, prefecture officials, and S’Amuser CEO Kazuya Hata. For accommodation, please contact “Samusee” at TEL 0776-97-9237 or from the official website.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81038/146/81038-146-d9b3c44fd29e749a3f39bb34b3161e1a-1185×228.png Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture Sakai City, home to Fukui Prefecture’s most famous tourist attraction, Tojinbo, is a “treasure trove of tourism” filled with the charms of Hokuriku. It is dotted with various sightseeing spots, including Maruoka Castle, one of only 12 castle towers in existence in Japan, Mikuni Minato, which prospered through the Kitamaebune trade, and Ojima, a power spot with primeval forests. It is also the birthplace of Koshihikari, blessed with rich foods such as Echizen crab, sweet shrimp, and grated soba noodles. It was ranked 3rd overall in the Hokuriku area in the 2025 13th Ranking of Best Countryside Places to Live in, and is attracting attention as a place to live.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81038/146/81038-146-accfe99145030c19a994286d4d64adaf-354×237.jpg ■Mikuni Minato Mikuni Minato is located at the mouth of the Kuzuryu River, the largest river in Fukui Prefecture. It is a town that has prospered for a long time and has a long history, so much so that the place name “Mikuni” is mentioned in documents from more than 1,000 years ago. In addition to the history and culture left behind by the Kitamaebune ships, the town still has an emotional atmosphere, including townhouses with rows of lattice doors and historic buildings that retain the traces of wealthy merchants.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81038/146/81038-146-23bc897f992d8448bc0b37edd58b0cdc-700×466.jpg ■Sweet shrimp Sweet shrimp is a delicacy from the Sea of ​​Japan that is as popular as Echizen crab. At Mikuni Fishing Port, there are lots of fresh sweet shrimp with a clear red color.