Kanazawa

Introduction

Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan. It sits in a part of the country where the city spreads across a wide area, with a population density that leaves room for the districts and neighbourhoods that make up daily life here.

Because the source material for this guide is limited, treat this introduction as a starting point rather than a full portrait. What is clear is Kanazawa's role as the prefectural capital, anchoring the surrounding region of central Japan.

Before you go

Kanazawa sits on the Japan Sea side of Honshu, away from the usual Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka route, and English is less widely spoken here than in larger cities — many restaurants have Japanese-only menus, and even hotel reception staff may struggle. Bring patience and a smile; locals go to great lengths to help. The city is compact and easy to navigate, with the main sights grouped around five areas: the station and Omicho market, Higashi-Chayagai (the Eastern tea houses district) north of the Asano river, Tera machi and Nishi-Chayagai (the temple district and Western tea houses district) south of the Sai river, the Castle and Kenroku-en Garden with the museum district, and lively Kohrinbo and Katamachi, which includes the Nagamachi Samurai District. Kanazawa is a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, and the gold leaf craftsmen are not to be missed.

Pack for rain whenever you come. Kanazawa is known as "the Seattle of Japan", and a local proverb advises that even if you forget your lunchbox, you should not forget your umbrella. Spring and autumn can be beautiful, but it is never safe to count on fine weather. Winters are cold: the city lies in the Snow Country along the Japan Sea coast, where Siberian winds bring heavy snow, and half a meter or more is not uncommon. In winter you may see yukizuri, ropes hung from poles to tree branches to support the snow. Main roads have sprinkler lines to wash snow away, but smaller roads often do not. On arrival, the Tourist Information Lobby at Kanazawa Station has English-speaking staff and free maps, and the city's official multilingual guide site is Visit Kanazawa.

Getting there

Kanazawa is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and its station is a striking piece of architecture that blends a traditional wooden temple gate with glass and steel. The fastest Kagayaki services run in the morning and evening and connect Tokyo in roughly two and a half hours; the more frequent Hakutaka stops more often north of Nagano and takes about three hours. Seat reservations are mandatory on the Kagayaki. The line continues south from Kanazawa to Komatsu, Fukui and Tsuruga, where you can connect to the Thunderbird limited express from Osaka and Kyoto, or the Shirasagi from Maibara, with some trains starting in Nagoya. The national Japan Rail Pass covers all of these trips, as does the JR Hokuriku Arch Pass, which allows unlimited travel between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka via Toyama and Kanazawa for seven consecutive days. Note that mainline Hokuriku line trains are now run by private companies, so the Japan Rail Pass is not valid unless you travel from Kanazawa to Tsubata Station to connect to the JR Nanao Line.

The nearest airport is in Komatsu, with domestic flights from Tokyo Haneda, Sapporo, Okinawa, Narita, Sendai and Fukuoka, plus international services from Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei. Buses run directly from the airport to JR Kanazawa Station in about 40 minutes, usually leaving soon after each domestic flight arrives, or you can take a bus to Komatsu Station and continue by JR train, which is somewhat cheaper and, depending on connections, not much longer. Taxis are frequent but not cheap, and rental car offices are available in the area. By road, the Hokuriku Expressway runs along the western edge of the city with three interchanges: Kanazawa East and Kanazawa West feed into National Route 8, while Kanazawa Morimoto connects to the Mountainside Loop Road. National Route 8 is a good budget option and is four-lane for much of the way, with other approaches via the base of Hakusan or over the hills from Toyama prefecture. Avoid National Route 157, which becomes difficult going south, especially around Ono, and closes in bad weather. Overnight and daytime highway buses reach Kanazawa from Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Niigata, Sendai and Toyama.

Getting around

Kanazawa has no metro or tram network, so you'll rely on buses, bicycles, taxis and your own two feet. The bus system comes in three flavours: city buses covering the general network, a tourist bus that loops around the main sights, and community buses known as Furatto-Bus, with four routes looping around different districts. Buses are wheelchair accessible. Taxis are frequent though not cheap.

The central city is compact, so walking is one of the best ways to get around when the weather is cooperative, and it lets you explore the narrow side streets. Walking from Higashiyama in the east to Teramachi in the west takes about an hour at a leisurely pace, though seeing everything between them properly would take days. Bicycles can be hired from Kanazawa Station and are often the fastest way around town given the winding streets, traffic lights and one-way systems; you can also use the Machi-Nori city bike share, picking up E-Bikes at various points and returning them to any compatible port. Some hotels offer basic bicycle rental too, sometimes at rates lower than many city rental prices. Driving is not for the inexperienced: the old city is a labyrinth of narrow twisting streets once you leave the main roads, and parking there is at a premium, though the newer outskirts are car-friendly with ample parking. Renting a car makes sense if you're using Kanazawa as a base to explore the Chubu region, where public transport between far-flung areas is limited.

Where to stay

Most of Kanazawa's hotels cluster around the station area, where you'll find the familiar chains alongside newer additions such as Toyoko Inn and Route Inn. The station area also has a handful of mid-range options within a minute or two of the East Exit, including the Daiwa Roynet Hotel, the Dormy Inn Kanazawa with its onsen-style bathing on the upper floor, and the Garden Hotel Kanazawa. The Toyoko-Inn Kanazawa Kenrokuen Korinbo sits in Kohrinbo rather than at the station, and Kumu, part of a modern chain, lies just across from the station's second bus stop, with rooms designed for sharing and bicycles available to rent. For a splurge, the Hotel Nikko Kanazawa is a distinctive local landmark a short walk from the station's east exit.

If you'd rather stay in a traditional inn, several ryokan are scattered through the centre. Kikunoya Ryokan, a 1960s-style inn, sits in a good area for nightlife, while Murataya Ryokan in Katamachi offers small tatami rooms with shared facilities. Ryokan Shibaya near the station has a reservable onsen-sized bath in its basement, and Ryokan Yamamuro, in business since the nineteenth century, puts you within walking distance of Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa Castle Park, the 21st Century Museum, Omi-cho Market and Higashi Chaya District. Budget travellers have plenty of choices too: Guest House Pongyi occupies a traditional house beside one of the picturesque canals, Guesthouse Ochakare has a friendly atmosphere, and Shaq Bighouse is a hostel with dorm beds and Japanese-style doubles, though the walls are thin. Hotel Pacific, next to the Omicho market area, is a modern option with in-suite bathrooms. For cheaper bookings, the Kanazawa Ryokan and Hotel Society runs a Yadotime booking engine that is also available in English.

Food & drink

Kanazawa's seafood is the headline act, thanks to waters where warm southern and cold northern currents meet. You can eat extremely well at almost any price point, and the local specialities are worth seeking out: jibuni, a boiled and seasoned duck dish with vegetables; winter crab, whether the larger zuwaigani or smaller females with eggs, served cold with light vinegar or in nabe hot pots; and sushi made with fish from the neighbouring sea, where the sweet shrimp (amaebi) are especially good. In spring, look for gori, a tiny grey river fish served deep-fried with salt or in miso soup — eaten whole, it's an acquired taste.

For a one-stop introduction, head to Ōmichō market, a covered market that has been the city's fresh food hub since the Edo period. Alongside the fish, vegetable and meat stalls you'll find restaurants on the ground and first floors, small colourful eateries serving local seafood such as crab and Noto Peninsula oysters, several sushi restaurants and a kaiten sushi place. It draws plenty of visitors but remains a working market where locals shop for food, clothing, kitchen utensils and flowers, and there's a large pharmacy in the basement. Near the station, the Forus shopping complex devotes its sixth floor to restaurants, including a conveyor-style sushi spot with a picture menu and electronic ordering, plus Chinese, Indonesian, Italian and Korean options; most places do a lunch special. Katamachi is the other main eating district, with izakayas ranging from the refined Hacchouya to the rustic Hirosaka-Tei, both strong on local seafood, and Chochinya for crispy tebasaki chicken wings and a wide selection of shochu and local sake. Budget options include the "white gyoza" chain Dai-Nana Gyōza, the nationwide Gyoza-no-Ōshō, and 8-Ban Ramen — though note that Kanazawa as a whole is not the place to go for good ramen.

What to see and do

Kanazawa's headline sight is Kenroku-en, the Garden of Six Attributes, once the outer pleasure grounds of the Maeda lords and now regarded as one of Japan's finest strolling gardens. Water is piped in from many kilometres upstream to feed its streams and ponds before continuing on to the castle moats, an engineering feat of the Edo period. Within part of the grounds stands the Seisonkaku Villa, built by a Maeda lord for his mother and a rare surviving example of daimyo palace architecture, its upper floor bright with blues and reds in contrast to the muted earth tones of Kyoto style. In cherry blossom season the park is free and lit up into the evening. At the centre of the city, the former site of Kanazawa Castle is now public space; the imposing Ishikawa Gate and the Sanjikken Nagaya storehouse are among the few original buildings left, while the long Gojikken Nagaya has been rebuilt by traditional methods and is open to view.

Towards the coast from Oyama Shrine, the Nagamachi Samurai District is a few streets reworked to evoke the samurai housing areas, a pleasant place to stroll and among the best surviving samurai districts in Japan. The Nomura House here is open to the public and has a small, exquisite garden, and two relocated ashigaru houses are free to enter and offer a quiet rest in a traditional setting. Across the Asano River, Higashi-Chayagai is the city's most famous geisha district, its tall narrow houses still used for high-class entertainment; the Shima House is open to all, and many buildings have become speciality shops and teahouses where you can take tea and a Japanese sweet. Kazuemachi is a smaller strip of geisha houses along the riverbank opposite Higashiyama, while Nishi-Chayagai, near the Ninja Temple south of the Sai River, is quieter still, with a single street of restored houses whose shops you can enter. The Sai River's far bank holds Teramachi, the main temple district, its straight road lined with imposing walls and black-tiled roofs, while the Higashiyama temples are scattered across a hillside maze of narrow lanes. The Ninja Temple, or Myoryu-ji, is entered only on tours, which must be booked ahead; guides insist there is no real ninja connection, but its trapdoors, hidden rooms and staircases explain the name. Oyama Shrine, built in the early Meiji period to honour Maeda Toshiie, is notable for a gate with stained-glass windows fusing Japanese and Western architecture. Tentoku-in, once the largest temple in the city, was built for the spirit of Princess Tama, and Daijoji is an active Zen temple on a hillside where old trees shade dense moss and visitors may ring the bell under the gate.

When to go

Kanazawa sits in the Snow Country, and rain is a fact of life here. Spring and autumn can both be beautiful, but neither season is reliably fine — rain is always possible, so keep an umbrella with you whatever the forecast suggests.

Winters are cold, and Siberian winds off the Japan Sea coast bring heavy snow; half a meter or more is not uncommon. Smaller roads often lack the sprinklers that keep the main routes clear, so plan around the snow. The yukizuri ropes propping up tree branches are a familiar winter sight.

Festivals & events

• Asanogawa Riverside Garden Party — April
• Hyakuman-goku Festival — June

Three days in Kanazawa

Day one: Start in Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture on the Japan Sea coast of Honshu. Because it escaped wartime bombing, it retains a street pattern that Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka have largely lost, and English signage is limited, so bring a Japanese phrasebook or offline map. Begin at Omicho, the busy market where you can graze on seafood, then walk to Higashi Chayagai, the Eastern teahouse district, and continue to Asano, the Teramachi temple area. In the evening, head to Kohrinbo and Katamachi for dinner and a drink.

Day two: Give the day to the Nishi Chayagai, the Western teahouse district, and the Sai and Castle areas. Kenroku Garden is the centrepiece, and you should allow several hours to walk its paths and ponds. Afterwards, wander the Nagamachi Samurai District, where earthen walls and canals still define the lanes. Kanazawa is a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, so look for workshops and small studios rather than large museums. Pack layers: spring is mild, but winters here are snow country, with bitterly cold Siberian winds off the Japan Sea.

Day three: Slow down and revisit what you liked. Return to Omicho for a final market breakfast, then choose between the Higashi and Nishi teahouse lanes for a last quiet walk. If you have time before your train, browse the craft shops around Kohrinbo. Kanazawa rewards a relaxed pace, so leave the checklist behind and let the districts unfold on foot.