Kenrokuen garden & preserved old districts
Kanazawa
金沢 · Gardens, gold leaf & geisha
A refined castle town on the Sea of Japan coast, spared the bombing of WWII. Kanazawa preserves one of Japan’s three great gardens, intact samurai and geisha districts, and a tradition of gold leaf and lacquerware.
Top sightsSights
Kenrokuen Garden
One of Japan’s three most celebrated landscape gardens, beautiful in every season.
Higashi Chaya District
A preserved geisha quarter of wooden teahouses and gold-leaf shops.
Kanazawa Castle
A grand reconstructed castle beside Kenrokuen, with striking white turrets.
21st Century Museum
A circular contemporary-art museum famous for its Swimming Pool illusion.
Omicho Market
A lively market piled with snow crab and fresh Sea of Japan seafood.
What to eatFood
Kaisen-don
A rice bowl heaped with the market’s ultra-fresh seafood.
Jibuni
A local stew of duck or chicken thickened with wheat gluten.
Gold-leaf ice cream
Soft-serve wrapped in a whole sheet of edible gold — a Kanazawa novelty.
Good to know
- Reachable in ~2.5h from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
- Winter brings excellent crab and the garden’s famous rope snow-guards.
- Rent a bike or use the loop bus to link the spread-out districts.
Getting there
Komatsu Airport (KMQ) nearby, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo (~2.5h).
Next city
Takayama