Kanazawa, the most famous city for travelers to Ishikawa. It is also called “small Kyoto”, because the atmosphere is similar. Wandering in Kenroku-en, one of the three great gardens of Japan, and Higashi Chaya Street, the remains of the samurai residences and other buildings. You can also enjoy modern art exploring in 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. From tradition to modern, Kanazawa is going to be a perfect choice for you to visit!
Kenroku-en
Kenroku-en – a famous Japanese garden that took 180 years to complete
As one of Japan’s three greatest gardens, this garden is a Place of Scenic Beauty that is rightly designated as a National Treasure. Enjoy the different features of each season in this garden, where man-made beauty and nature exist in remarkable harmony.
Kenroku-en was constructed by Kaga Hanshu Kenroku-en is a Japanese garden that was designed in 1676 by Kaga Hanshu and took almost 180 years to complete. The name Kenroku-en (“garden with six characteristics”) comes from the Song dynasty book “Record of Famous Gardens in Luoyang,” which describes six features (spaciousness, seclusion, artifices, antiquity, water-courses and panoramas), all of which are found in Kenroku-en. It is spacious, bright and open, but the garden also has the peacefulness and profundity of being...
Business hours
- Everyday (8:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
Phone
076-234-3800
Price
- Adult: 310 JPY
- Child: 100 JPY
Website
www.pref.ishikawa.jp
Ninjadera
Myoryuji, commonly known as Ninjadera, is full of ideas for the protection of feudal lords
Myoryuji is known by the nickname Ninjadera. The tense historical background to this precious building can be felt in the unique traps and mechanisms set for the Shogunate army.
A temple with 23 rooms and 29 staircases, Myoryuji is a Nichiren Buddhist temple constructed in 1643 by the third feudal lord of the Kaga Domain, Toshitsune Maeda. As the original temple of good luck, many people came to visit the shrine regardless of social standing or sect, not to mention lords and vassals. The situation was tense for Lord Maeda of the Kaga Domain, who was also the Tozama Daimyo (a Daimyo who followed the House of Tokugawa at the 1600AD Battle of Sekigahara and after), due to constant surveillance from the Tokugawa Shogunate, ...
Business hours
- Everyday (9:00 AM ~ 4:00 PM )
Phone
076-241-0888
Price
- Adult: 800 JPY
- Child: 600 JPY
Website
www.myouryuji.or.jp
Kanazawa Chaya Districts
These tea house areas still have the appearance of an Edo period castle town
Tea houses, where visitors can enjoy the craft of geisha, have been established in Chaya (tea house) districts since the Edo period. That tradition is still alive today in theses picture-perfect districts with their historical buildings.
Come and listen to the sounds of the shamisen and taiko in an elegant atmosphere The Chaya districts, which were constructed around the year 1820, have a long history in the castle town of Kanazawa. At the tea houses, geisha who had refined their craft welcomed visitors by playing the shamisen and taiko and with dancing. Even today, there are three Chaya districts that retain their ancient appearance; Higashi Chaya District, Nishi Chaya District, and Kazuemachi Chaya District. Although first-time customers are often refused entry to the tatam...
Website
www.kanazawa-tourism.com
Kanazawa Castle
The symbol of Kanazawa, a castle town in the wealthy Kaga Domain
Kanazawa Castle was constructed through various traditional techniques. Due to its wooden construction, it was repeatedly burned down and re-built, and even now it is a famous castle which is being passed down to future generations as a historical cultural asset.
A castle without a castle tower Kanazawa Mido Hall, which was once a Pure Land Buddhist temple, was invaded and taken over by General Morimasa Sakuma under orders of Nobunaga Oda. Afterward, building of a castle began from 1583 under Toshiie Maeda, the head of the Kaga clan. However, following the loss of the castle tower from fire due to a lightning strike in 1602, only the watchtower and palace were re-built. But then another fire occurred which led to more re-building without the castle tower ever being resurrected, and even now it...
Business hours
- Everyday (9:00 AM ~ 4:30 PM )
3/1-10/15 7am-6pm
10/16-2/28 8am-5pm
Hishi Yagura watchtower, the Gojikken Nagaya warehouse and the Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki Yagura watchtower 9am-4:30pm
Phone
076-234-3800
Price
- Free
Website
www.pref.ishikawa.jp
Omicho Market
Omicho Market, Kanazawa’s 290-year-old kitchen
In Ishikawa Prefecture, which is blessed with seafood, it’s known that even within Japan, you can get your hands on some hard-to-get fresh fish. Let’s walk around and try some of the seasonal fare in this lively market.
Kanazawa’s kitchen Omicho Market, which has a 290-year history dating back from 1690 in the Edo Era, is called the kitchen of Kanazawa. Currently, there are more than 100 shops and restaurants specializing in fish, vegetables, fruits with ingredients found locally. This market is not just crowded with the locals but also with tourists. Since Ishikawa Prefecture faces the Japan Sea, it is flush with many kinds of freshly-caught fish, and there are also a lot of unusual varieties that really can’t be gotten in Tokyo. Fresh ingredients...
Business hours
- Everyday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
Phone
076-231-1462
Website
ohmicho-ichiba.com
Oyama Shrine
A shrine whose main gate has been constructed in Japanese, Chinese and Western styles
The novel design of the gate whose lasting presence is imbued in this historical shrine is impressive. It is a tourist spot where you can sample the atmosphere of the rich history of Kanazawa.
Enjoy this cultural asset as a symbol of Kanazawa tourism, Oyama Shrine was established in 1873. There is a bronze statue of a military commander on horseback on the grounds of the shrine, whose identity is Toshiie Maeda, the man to whom Oyama Shrine is dedicated. In the shrine, there is a garden which is centered on a pond whose serenity and rich greenery has had it designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty in the prefecture. It is highly popular as a relaxing garden. Also, the highly dignified east gate with its carvings of dragons and clouds ha...
Business hours
- Everyday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
Phone
076-231-7210
Price
- Free
Website
en.wikipedia.org
Nagamachi
Nagamachi, restoring the way of life of the Edo Era samurai
Narrow stone-paved alleys with long ocher earthen walls continuing along the waterways. Nagamachi is a place where you can get a peek at the life of samurai in the Edo Era, and lose yourself in the warrior district of those times.
Streets where you wonder if you have time warped back to the Edo Era In the Edo Era, Kanazawa was mentioned along with Osaka and Edo as the Three Great Cities, and remaining is the Nagamachi district where middle and lower class samurai resided, and you can get a taste of those times. Earthen walls run along on either side of the narrow stone-paved alleys, and the district feels as if you have just taken a trip through time back to the Edo Era. A total of 150 meters of irrigation channels flow in Kanazawa and the oldest of these is in Nagamach...
Website
www.jnto.go.jp
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa – A participation-oriented, new type museum
The much talked about, new type museum where you can experience art like playing in the park. Have fun in the huge “swimming pool,” the glass wall pavilion of the three primary colors, and much more!
Popular for its exhibitions of artists and architects from around the world. Based on the concept to “create new culture” and to “revitalize the communities” of Kanazawa City, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa was built with the mission to vitalize the city and bring out new charms through a harmonious co-existence of the museum and the city. Marking its 10th year anniversary in 2014, the museum has been holding much talked about exhibitions of artists and architects from around the world. The museum...
Business hours
- Tuesday (10:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM )
- Wednesday (10:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM )
- Thursday (10:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM )
- Friday (10:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM )
- Saturday (10:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM )
- Sunday (10:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM )
Phone
076-220-2800
Price
- Free
Website
www.kanazawa21.jp
Seisonkaku
Seisonkaku, a villa that was brimming with consideration for a mother
Built by Nariyasu Maeda for his mother, it is a villa where you can feel the modest consideration and view the vibrant colors. The beauty taken into consideration in the smallest details is breathtaking.
The highlights of Seisonkaku, a gentle and refined space Nariyasu Maeda, the 13th daimyo (feudal lord) of the Kaga Clan, built this villa within Kenroku-en Garden in 1863 for his mother. It’s characteristic for the construction of a gentle and refined space filled with modest consideration and a colorful structure integrating Western materials (Diamant glassware and expensive pigments). Built as a meeting space, the “Ekken-no-Ma” (Audience Room) has a custom-made carpet with the family crest, and a cypress openwork screen...
Business hours
- Monday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
- Tuesday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
- Thursday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
- Friday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
- Saturday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
- Sunday (9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
Phone
076-221-0580
Price
- Adult: 700 JPY
- Child: 250 JPY
Website
www.seisonkaku.com
