It was a great year for the Hokuriku region — an area facing the Sea of Japan rich with scenic landscapes and abundant marine food products.
On the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line between Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture to Tokyo, which marked its first anniversary Monday, passengers tripled from the previous limited stop line to the new bullet train service.
"It's beyond expectation," said Seiji Manabe, president of West Japan Railway Co., last month.