Among them is the small city of Sabae, in Fukui prefecture, about a 3.5-hour train ride from Tokyo. An eyeglasses sculpture in Sabae, Japan. Fukui prefecture has four stations on the extended Shinkansen line – Awara Onsen Station, Fukui Station, Echizen-Takefu Station and Tsuruga Station. (Travelers can hop on a separate train from Fukui Station for the 15-minute ride to Sabae.) GI15702993/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesIn addition to being home to the eyeglasses capital of Japan, Fukui prefecture is filled with well-preserved ancient architecture, historic sites and temples, as well as newer attractions, including Nishiyama Zoo, famed for its red pandas.

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Persons: Buddhika Weerasinghe, Sabae, Takeshi Yamae, “, ”, Futa Nagao, Takeshi, Sabae’s, It’s, There’s, sakura, Soto, you’re Organizations: CNN, CNN —, Bloomberg, Getty, Boston Club, Sabae’s Megane, Asahi Shimbun, Fukui, Takefu, Tsuruga, Nishiyama Zoo, Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Soto Zen, Food, Museum Locations: Sabae, Fukui prefecture, Tokyo, Japan, Honshu, Fukui, Japan’s Hokuriku, Toyama, Niigata, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Echizen, Maruoka, Tojinbo, Mikata, Wakasa, Tsuruga