Top places to visit in Kanazawa

• Kenroku-en Garden

  Nature · 4.8 rating · about 2 h · entry JPY 320

  Ranked as one of Japan's three finest landscape gardens (alongside Korakuen and Kairakuen), Kenroku-en ("Garden of Six Sublimities") was developed by the Kaga Domain over 180 years into a masterwork of Edo-period garden design. The…

• 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

  Museum · 4.7 rating · about 2 h · entry JPY 360

  Opened 2004, the 21st Century Museum is consistently voted Japan's most popular art museum. Its radical architecture — a completely circular, wall-less, glass-cylinder building — deliberately eliminates hierarchy and confuses…

• Higashi Chaya — Geisha District

  Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h

  The largest and best-preserved geisha district in Japan outside Kyoto, Higashi Chaya ("East Tea House District") was established in 1820 and retains an extraordinary cluster of ochaya (teahouses) with distinctive latticed wooden facades.…

• Kanazawa Castle Park

  Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 1 h · entry JPY 320

  The restored castle of the Kaga Domain — once the second wealthiest han after the Shogunate — Kanazawa Castle is notable for its gleaming white lead-tile roofs (most Japanese castles use traditional grey tiles). The Hishi Yagura turret,…

• Nagamachi Samurai District

  Heritage · about 1 h

  Preserved earthen-walled lanes of former samurai residences and the Nomura House.

• D.T. Suzuki Museum

  Museum · about 0.8 h · entry JPY 310

  Minimalist museum on the Zen philosopher, centred on a contemplative water mirror garden.

• Kanazawa Station (Tsuzumi Gate)

  Heritage · about 0.3 h

  Landmark station fronted by the wooden Tsuzumi drum gate and glass Motenashi Dome.

• Omicho Market

  Market · about 1 h

  Kanazawa's bustling "kitchen" market of seafood, crab and produce stalls.

• Myoryu-ji (Ninja Temple)

  Temple · about 0.8 h · entry JPY 1,200

  Temple riddled with hidden stairways, trapdoors and secret passages.

• Nishi Chaya District

  Cultural · about 0.7 h

  The smaller of Kanazawa's teahouse quarters, atmospheric and less crowded.

• Oyama Shrine

  Temple · about 0.5 h

  Shrine honouring lord Maeda Toshiie, noted for its unusual Dutch-designed gate.

Things to do

• Higashi Chaya Geisha District Walk & Tea Ceremony Cultural · 2.5 h · from JPY 6,700 per person
• Kanazawa Samurai District & Ninja Temple Tour Cultural · 3 h · from JPY 8,800 per person
• Kenroku-en Garden Dawn Walk & Gold Leaf Workshop Cultural · 3.5 h · from JPY 7,400 per person
• Kaga Yuzen Silk-Dyeing Workshop Class · 2 h · from JPY 3,500 per person

Day trips and tours

• Kanazawa Full Day — Kenroku-en, Higashi Chaya & Ninja Temple 9 h · from JPY 12,600
• Omicho Market Morning & Contemporary Art Afternoon 6 h · from JPY 7,600

Where to stay in Kanazawa

• Historic Center about JPY 5,000 per night

  Castle town with cultural accommodation

• Kenroku-en–Kanazawa Castle about JPY 16,000 per night

  The historic and cultural core of Kanazawa — Kenroku-en garden, Kanazawa Castle, and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art all within walking distance. Higashi Chaya geisha district is 15 min walk.

Hotels

• Hyatt Centric Kanazawa 4-star
• Kanazawa Hakuchoro Hotel Sanraku 4-star
• Hostel Yui 2-star
• Kanazawa New Grand Hotel 3-star · JPY 9,000 to JPY 18,000 per night
• ANA Holiday Inn Kanazawa Sky 4-star · JPY 15,000 to JPY 30,000 per night

Where to eat

• Omicho Market Seafood Japanese, Seafood, Sushi · about JPY 2,500 per person
• Kenroku-en Chaya Tea House Japanese, Cafe · about JPY 800 per person
• Higashi Chaya Cafe Kanazawa Japanese, Cafe · about JPY 2,000 per person
• Tsuba-san Japanese, Sushi · about JPY 4,500 per person
• Ichinokura Omicho Seafood, Sushi · about JPY 3,500 per person
• Sushi Ippei Sushi, Seafood · about JPY 6,000 per person
• Curio Espresso and Vintage Design Cafe · about JPY 1,000 per person

Getting around

• Bicycle main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Bus main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Transit Pass main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Roppongi bar overcharge

  Roppongi · Kabukicho nightlife

  Foreign-fronted bar in Roppongi adds drink charges and seat fees you weren't shown; bill arrives at 5–10x expected.

  How to avoid it: Stick to bars with clear printed menus and prices on the door. Ask price before sitting.

More in Japan

• Tokyo
• Kyoto
• Osaka
• Hakone
• Hiroshima
• Kamakura