Kanazawa Travel Guide

More old world charm and beautiful scenery than you could possibly imagine nor digest, Kanazawa ranks as a top travel destination, and for good reason. Kanazawa’s unique landscape includes mountains, valleys, gardens, forests, and coast line, sitting between the edge of the Japanese Alps and the Sea of Japan.

Home to two national parks and what is considered the most beautiful garden in Japan (Kenrokuen Garden) it is easy to see why Kanazawa is ranks high in places to visit. Aside from the parks Kanazawa (and Takayama as well) is nearby to the one-of-a-kind Shirakawago. This UNESCO World Heritage site has a hand full of villages, namely ‘ogimachi’, where you will swear you have stepped back three hundred years into the past, with rice paddies, farm houses over two hundred years old.

http://www.kanazawa-tourism.com/

Kanazawa Restaurants & Food [VIEW ALL]
Experience Local dining

MOJO Cafe

For a quick eat at a budget price the Mojo Cafe will serve you well. You will find coffee, teas, scones, cakes and sandwiches. Lunch is approximately 700 yen. Travelers will be pleased to find that this cafe has free wifi with no password. Bonus!

1-11 Koshōmachi, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa-ken, Japan

http://g.co/maps/2sjss

 

Dai-Nana Gyoza

You certainly wouldn’t tell by the looks of it however the Dai Nana is touted as Kanazawa’s best Gyoza shop, which is believable as there is always a sizeable line. Score a plate of ten gyoza for an affordable 380 yen. The specialty is their one of a kind ‘white gyoza’ which we will leave up to you to discover!

1-259 Morinosato, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa-ken, Japan

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Kanazawa Sightseeing & Attractions [VIEW ALL]
Our top picks of things to see and do

The historical city of Kanazawa has much to offer to the explorer. A samurai district, entertainment district which has survived hundreds of years with little change, one of Japan’s top 3 gardens, the alpine villages of Shirakawa and more.

Kenrokuen

Agreed as one out of three top gardens in Japan, the Kenrokuen is the gem in Kanazawa’s crown. It is described as the Garden of Six Attributes, which make it the quintessential traditional garden:

Spaciousness
Seclusion
Artificiality
Antiquity
Abundant water
Broad views

Admission is 300 yen but is free during the cherry blossom season. And for an additional few hundred yen you can enjoy some tea and snacks in one of the tea houses within the garden.

Kenrokuen, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa

http://www.pref.ishikawa.jp/siro-niwa/kenrokuen/e/index.html

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Ninjadera

For a little bit of fun and variety it is highly recommended that explorers visit the Ninjadera, or ‘Ninjya Temple’ as it is translated (but actually named Myoryuji Temple) . It is in fact a standard and real temple but with the added features of traps, secrete passage ways, trap doors, a suicide room, and others.

You can only check out the temple by taking an hour tour, which is only in Japanese. English guide books are provided however. The tour is 800 yen.

1丁目-2−12 Nomachi
Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 921-8031, Japan
076-241-0888

http://www.myouryuji.or.jp/

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Kanazawa Hotels & Accommodations [VIEW ALL]
Cheapest and best places to stay

Hotel Nikko Kanazawa

2-15-1 Honmachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0853, Japan

You can’t beat a three minute walk from Kanazawa Station. Not only is its location perfect, it is the highest hotel in Kanazawa (130 meters) which gives it a breath-taking panorama of the city and region.

The rooms themselves are new and freshly designed, with different themes: Superior Floor, Luxe Floor and the Stylish Floor. Although expensive this luxury hotel delivers what is expected.

Single Occupant: $210
Double Occupant: $350

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Dormy Inn Kanazawa

2-25 Horikawa Shinmachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0849, Japan

Same convenience as the Kanazawa Nikko but two thirds the price! Travelers will rejoice in the fact that the Dormy Inn is located a quick three minute walk from JR Kanazawa station.

The rooms are small and quaint, nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain about either. Travelers will find them acceptable. The breakfast is decent, however the Dormy Inn’s real virtue lies in its ‘Free Ramen’... make sure you ask the front desk about it!

Single Occupant: $70
Double Occupant: $110

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http://www.hotespa.net/hotels/kanazawa/

 

Transportation

Train from Tokyo

Step 1
Tokyo Station via Shinkansen MaxTanigawa 409 to Echigo-Yuzawa Station
Time: 89 min
Cost: 6490 yen

Step 2
Transfer at Echigo-Yuzawa Station to the Limited Express Hakutaka 8, to Kanazawa Station
Time: 160 min
Cost: 7840 yen

Train from Osaka

Osaka Station (Umeda) via Limited Express Thunderbird 17, to Kanazawa Station
Time: 160 min
Cost: 7440 yen