Which Japanese Shinkansen line connects Tokyo with Kanazawa and Tsuruga via the Sea of Japan coast?

The Japanese Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo with Kanazawa and Tsuruga via the Sea of Japan coast is the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

The line originally opened between Takasaki and Nagano in 1997 for the Nagano Winter Olympics. It was later extended westward to Kanazawa in 2015 and to Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture in 2024. The route is operated mainly by East Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company.

Despite its name, the Hokuriku Shinkansen does not currently reach Kyoto or Osaka. Passengers continuing toward Osaka generally transfer to a limited-express service at Tsuruga. The line uses standard Shinkansen gauge, unlike many conventional Japanese railways.

The neighboring Joetsu Shinkansen serves Niigata, while the Tohoku Shinkansen runs north from Tokyo toward Aomori. Those lines are sometimes confused with the Hokuriku route because they share infrastructure near Tokyo.