Kanazawa
Discover Kanazawa
Kanazawa (金沢) is a historic city in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. For travelers who want to see one of the best-preserved major Edo-period cities in the country, it's hard to beat. Kanazawa is one of the long overlooked jewels of Japanese tourism — although not by the Japanese, who visit in droves. Its relatively remote location, on the "wrong" side of the island from the usual Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka tourist trail, has perhaps unfairly contributed to it attracting so few foreign tourists. Kyoto's offerings of temples and shrines are all very well, but Japanese history and culture is not just about them. The samurai, the merchants, the geisha, and the lords have all left their mark on Kanazawa in a compact, easily navigable central area. Kanazawa is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Crafts and Folk Art. With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo in 2015, the number of foreign tourists increased significantly. English language ability tends to be much more limited than in the likes of Kyoto and Nara, but visitors can take comfort in the fact that locals will nevertheless go to great lengths to help you out.
What to Experience in Kanazawa
Taste of Kanazawa...
Kanazawa cuisine is famous throughout Japan, particularly its seafood since it lies in the sweet spot of the hot south and cold north currents. The quality of food is so high, that essentially you'll eat good food whatever the price. A famous local dish is jibuni (治部煮), made from boiled and seasoned duck and various vegetables. Crab is another local favourite served up during the winter months, common types include the hairless male crab (zuwaigani) or smaller female crabs with eggs still attached. Served cold with a light vinegar or in nabe style hot pots. Sushi made with fish from the neighboring sea is also popular, the sweet shrimps (amaebi) are especially good in this region. In Spring the tiny gray river fish gori is a well known delicacy. Sometimes served deep fried with salt or in miso soup. Eaten whole it is an acquired taste. Right next to Kanazawa Station is a new shopping complex called Forus. The 6th floor is dedicated to restaurants and has a very good conveyor style sushi restaurant. No English is spoken but they do have a picture menu and all tables have an electronic menu device. Be aware that if you do not finish all of your food, the Forus restaurants will not give you a box to take your leftovers! Other options include Chinese; Indonesian; Italian and Korean restaurants. Nearly all restaurants have a lunch special in the ¥1000 range.
Climate
Kanazawa can get a lot of rain — it's "the Seattle of Japan". A local proverb says "even if you forget your lunchbox, don't forget your umbrella". Although the weather can be beautiful in spring and autumn, it is never a good idea to bank on it being fine in Kanazawa, and winters in particular are cold. Kanazawa is in the Snow Country, the area along the Japan Sea coast of Honshu where cold Siberian winds dump large amounts of snow in orographic precipitation, and while it does not get as much as more inland areas, half a meter or more is not uncommon. A common and lovely sight during the winter months is the ropes (called yukizuri in Japanese) hanging down from poles and attached to tree branches to help them support the heavy snow. Most of the main roads have lines of sprinklers down the street to wash the snow away, but the smaller roads often do not. Kanazawa is not a very large city and the main attractions for visitors tend to be concentrated around five neighborhoods.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe nearest airport serving Kanazawa is in the city of Komatsu (KMQ). JAL offers flights into Komatsu Airport from Tokyo Haneda Airport and Okinawa, while ANA flies from Tokyo Haneda and Sapporo. IBEX flies regional jets to Komatsu from Narita Airport, Sendai and Fukuoka. There are also international flights from Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei. From Komatsu airport, buses run directly to Kanazawa (40 min to JR Kanazawa Station, ¥1300; Feb 2023). Frequencies vary depending on the flight timetables; buses usually leave soon after the arrival of every domestic flight. Alternatively you could take a bus to Komatsu Station (12 min, ¥280) and a JR train from there, which is somewhat cheaper and, depending on your luck with connections, not much longer. Taxis are frequent though not cheap, and there are several rental car places in the area. 36.578269136....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Kanazawa has a decent bus system to help you get where you need to go. There are three types of buses: city buses, a tourist bus, and community buses (Furatto-Bus). The tourist bus makes a loop around the main sights in 15 minutes and costs ¥200 per trip or ¥500 daily. There are four community bus routes which make 15-minute loops around different districts of the city and cost ¥100. Buses are wheelchair accessible. Bicycles can be hired from Kanazawa Station, and due to the winding streets and plethora of traffic lights and one way systems are often the fastest way to travel around town. Bicycles can also be hired through the Kanazawa City bicycle share program, Machi-Nori. E-Bikes can be picked up at various points around the city, rented for specific time periods or for full days (or months!), and returned to any compatible port in the city.
Where to Stay
The largest concentration of hotels is around the station area including all the usual suspects: ANA, APA, Nikko etc. Toyoko Hotel and Route Inn hotel are two of the newest. For cheaper options, the Kanawaza Ryokan and Hotel Society runs a Yadotime booking engine, also available in English. As with most if not all cities in Japan, Kanazawa is a very safe place to visit. The central crossing in Kanazawa's Katamachi area (known locally as the Scramble) can get a bit rowdy on the weekends. The worse that is likely to happen is a snide comment or two. The usual common sense rules apply and single female travelers would be wise to keep their wits about them at night-time. There are free Internet terminals in the underground plaza just below the station, although they're usually patronized non-stop by the local homeless community getting their online mahjong fix.
Money & Budget
Kanazawa is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and any of the over 30 local arts and crafts make lovely souvenirs. Japanese-style confectionery also makes a good souvenir. The city is famed for gold leaf production (金箔 kinpaku) and an interesting and reasonable priced gift is a small box of gold leaf fragments, which can be used to decorate cakes and food or for adding sparkle to cups of sake. Within the station are a plethora of shops selling tourist items. Another area specialty is lacquerware (漆器 shikki) with products available to suit all budgets. Wajima (in Noto) and Yamanaka are two main areas of production. Kenroku-en is ringed by shops catering to the tourist trade.
Language & Talk
English is not as widely spoken as in larger cities, and many restaurants will only have a Japanese menu. Even hotel reception staff might struggle with English. A big smile and a bit of patience will work wonders in these cases. In many cases, the waitperson might be able to speak some basic English if you give them a chance to get over their nerves. Many of the links below are only available in Japanese. However almost all major tourist sites in Japan have English pamphlets, and Kanazawa is no exception. The river to the south, the Sai River, has on its far bank the main temple district of Teramachi (寺町). One of the more impressive ones in Japan, both sides of the road are lined with imposing walls and looming black-tiled roofs. Its eastern counterpart is the Higashiyama Temple District.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
As with most if not all cities in Japan, Kanazawa is a very safe place to visit. The central crossing in Kanazawa's Katamachi area (known locally as the Scramble) can get a bit rowdy on the weekends. The worse that is likely to happen is a snide comment or two. The usual common sense rules apply and single female travelers would be wise to keep their wits about them at night-time. There are free Internet terminals in the underground plaza just below the station, although they're usually patronized non-stop by the local homeless community getting their online mahjong fix. In the street directly opposite the main exit of the station, on the right hand side, is the Rifare Building, where the Ishikawa Foundation for International Exchange (4F) and the Ishikawa International Lounge (2F) are found. There is a small library in the building with free use of computers.
Glimpses of Kanazawa
A bridge over a pond in a park
a group of people walking down a street next to tall buildings
white house
"Garden"
Kenroku-en (Kenroku Garden) in Kanazawa.
brown and white concrete house near river during daytime
a body of water in front of a row of buildings
woman in red and yellow floral kimono standing on gray concrete floor during daytime
brown wooden gazebo on green grass field during daytime
A person walking down a snow covered path
A bridge over a pond in a park
a group of people walking down a street next to tall buildings
white house