Murakami is quite rural and beautiful if you enjoy scenery, as it contains both the Sea of Japan on one side of the city, mountainous landscapes on the other, and long-running streams and rivers in between.

What would be the point if you didn't meander through its narrow streets, lined with old wooden homes, teahouses, craft stores, and temples, stopping to watch, say, an old man make tatami mats or a woman arrange delicate sweets in her centuries-old shop like they were expensive pieces of jewelry?