Traveling in a group to Japan with first-timers and regular visitors, we wanted to make sure there were new places for everyone to discover. Through my research, I discovered Gifu, Ishikawa, and Aichi prefectures. We decided to do a trip to Kanazawa, spending 2 days and 1 night. This was our itinerary for 2 weeks in Japan:
- Osaka (1 night)
- Kyoto (2 nights)
- Kanazawa (1 night)
- Takayama (1 night)
- Nagoya (1 night)
- Izu (1 night)
- Tokyo (5 nights)
From Kyoto, we packed an overnight bag for our trip to Kanazawa and shipped the rest of our luggages to Takayama – this was honestly the best decision and made traveling between cities a breeze. Prior to the trip, we made sure all our hotels were able to receive luggage delivery. On the day that we checked-in, we let our hotel know that we needed to have our luggages shipped to our next stay. We provided the name of the hotel and they took measurements of our luggages. On the day we checked out, all we had to do was leave our luggage with the front desk! With our large suitcases, each suitcase only costed around $25 CAD to deliver.
Now onto our actual trip to Kanazawa! From Kyoto, we took an express train to Tsuruga; there, we switched to the shinkansen bullet train for Kanazawa. The total trip time was around 2 hours. Kanazawa is sometimes called “Little Tokyo”. It is the prefectural capital of Ishikawa and supplies the majority of Japan’s gold leaf.
Omicho Market
To kick off our first day in Kanazawa, we took a bus to Omicho Market for breakfast. Omicho Market is a must visit in Kanazawa since it’s their largest fresh food market. The market is quieter than those in Kyoto and Tokyo, but filled with freshly caught seafood, produce, and other delicacies. We started the day with some oysters, shrimp, unagi, and oden!
21st Century Museum
Next, we hopped onto the bus until we reached the 21st Century Museum. With the weather so hot during our visit to Kanazawa, we spent a couple hours exploring the several galleries within the museum!
Nomura Samurai House
We then went to the Nomura Samurai House and Garden, located in Nagamachi. This was an area where the samurai of Kanazawa lived with their families. The Nomura house is filled with antiques and artifacts of the past.
Tatemachi/Korinbo Shopping District
Before heading for dinner, we decided to stop by Tatemachi, a shopping street near the main department stores in Kanazawa. We chose this area as there were many secondhand stores for thrift shopping.
For dinner, we found a bustling local izakaya – 酒と食遊人 みなと. The shiro ebi (white shrimp) croquettes were delicious and we highly recommend this restaurant if you plan a trip to Kanazawa.
We chose to stay at Soki – Kanazawa. It’s conveniently located to the main attractions of Kanazawa and is right across from Omicho Market. After a long day of walking, we got to relax in the hot springs before calling it a night – the best way to end our day in Kanazawa.
Kenrokuen Garden
For our last morning in Kanazawa, we headed to Kenrokuen Garden. This garden is classified as one of Japan’s 3 most beautiful gardens. The garden is filled with bridges, trees, flowers, water, and teahouses. We spent around 2 hours simply walking one circle of the garden and castle grounds.
Our last stop on our trip to Kanazawa was the same as our first: back to Omicho Market for one last round of sushi!
And that concludes our trip to Kanazawa! It was a short, but packed visit! Kanazawa is definitely worth the visit if you’ve already visited the main cities of Japan. Here are additional activities and sights if you have more time on your trip to Kanazawa:
- Book a tour at Myouryuji (Ninja Temple), there are many secret passage ways
- Check out Korinbo area in the evening
- Visit Higashi Chaya District, a historic entertainment area with teahouses where geishas perform
- Experience a tea ceremony
- Book a gold leaf experience
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Stone & Fern is a travel and lifestyle blog started by friends who have a passion for exploring cities, capturing moments, and trying new food. To see more of Asia, click here.