Fugan Canal Kansui Park

**Dusk, not daytime.** The park is pleasant in the afternoon and genuinely striking in the half hour after sunset, when the bridge and the buildings light up and the basin goes still. That is when locals come. **Clear winter mornings for the mountains.** The Tateyama range appears above the far end of the canal when the air is clear, which in practice means cold, dry mornings from December to March. Summer haze removes it entirely. **Free parking exists but fills.** Four free lots, busy from the morning at weekends and often full after lunch. Walking the ten minutes from the station avoids the problem. **The art museum is on the same site.** The Prefectural Museum of Art and Design sits at the far end with a rooftop terrace looking back over the canal, which is the best elevated view of the park. **Boats run to the port.** A canal cruise operates along the Fugan to Iwase, the preserved port district, in season. It is a good way to reach Iwase and to see the canal working as a canal.