🐦 Through Asuwayama’s Historic Hills: A 17km Ptarmigan Art in Fukui 🐦
Fukui City, located in the heart of the Echizen Plain, is a historic castle town famously developed by samurai lords like Shibata Katsuie. This 17km GPS art course invites you to sketch a Ptarmigan (Raicho), using the verdant slopes of Asuwayama Park as your magnificent canvas.
The journey begins at the hilltop near Happy Jungle, a favorite enclosure inside the Asuwayama Park zoo. The trail weaves past cultural and historical institutions, including the Fukui City Museum of Natural History and the refreshing Culture Park. Descending the scenic stone steps of Atagozaka, you will pass the Atagozaka Tea Ceremony Museum and the Fukui Water Piping Museum before paying respects at Asuwa jinja Shrine, a sacred sanctuary with deep imperial roots. The route then expands into the lower plains, guiding you through the preserved Edo-era structures of Fukui Osagoe Minka Garden, past the local guardian Kida Shrine, and near Sekijuji-Mae Station.
The Ptarmigan is an Ice Age relic and a sacred alpine bird traditionally linked to the rugged peaks of the Hokuriku region’s sacred Mt. Hakusan. Tracing this high-altitude icon across Asuwayama’s pleasant undulations offers an invigorating 17km physical challenge. By the time the digital bird appears on your screen, you will have connected Fukui’s timeless heritage with every step.
RESTAURANTS
DETAIL (EXTERNAL LINK)
A PIONEER IN GPS ART.
1st work was authorized by Guinness World Records as “the Largest GPS Drawing”.
He is the only Japanese person to be featured in a Google documentary as an innovator. He is fascinated by the idea of drawing with GPS and has published more than 2,500 works.
