3 Days in Kanazawa, Japan: Things To Do, See & Eat
Kanazawa is a smaller city located in the Ishikawa prefecture. It’s just 2.5 hours by bullet train from Tokyo, so it’s a perfect weekend getaway!
It’s known for it’s well-preserved Higashi Chaya district, which is where the Geigi’s work and live. Geigi’s are basically Geisha’s, it’s just the term they use for them in this part of Japan.
This small city in Japan is still relatively undiscovered, so if you are sick of the tourists crowds then I’d definitely recommend traveling for Kanazawa for a few days.
Here’s my guide on things to do and see and where to eat in Kanazawa on a 3 day trip!
Quicklinks:
Things To Do
Visit the Higashi Chaya District
Kanazawa is also known as “Little Kyoto” because of the well-preserved Edo buildings and districts, particularly the Higashi Chaya district. You can roam around the little streets filled with traditional Japanese Chaya’s (or tea houses), where you can find all sorts of shops, restaurants and cafes.
In this part of the town you can also find Geigi performances where you can meet them and see them perform, which is quite fascinating!
Check out Kanazawa Castle and the Castle Gardens
Kanazawa Castle is the main castle in the city which has originally been built in the 16th century. It’s been rebuild twice after a fire destroyed it in 1631 and again in 1759. It’s quite an impressive structure so I’d recommend you to take a look inside as well. The ticket price is fairly cheap, just 320 Yen.
Next to the castle ground, you can also find the Castle Garden, which is said to be one of the most beautiful parks in Japan!
Visit the old Samurai District (Nagamachi District)
West of the city centre of Kanazawa lies an old Samurai district called the Nagamachi district.
This is where the Samurai used to reside, and some of their houses are even open to visitors. It’s a very well-preserved traditional residential area, with many of the old, wooden traditional houses still standing. Some of the gardens are very beautiful to see as well.
You can check out the Nomura-ke Samurai Residence for example, which is a restored Samurai home, from the Edo period. You can see the different rooms and the gardens that once belonged to the Nomura-ke family.
Check out the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
This modern art museum is a fun activity to do for one or two hours!
Here, you can find the famous swimming pool installation by Leandro Erlich, where you can walk ‘inside’ the pool and look up at the surface of the pool. The museum is quite small so you’ll see all the art works in just a few hours.
Visit the Omicho Market and Eat Sushi
The Omicho market in Kanazawa is one of the main attractions where you can find tons of amazing food, especially fresh fish, sushi and other sea food. Because Kanazawa is so close to the sea, the fish and seafood is particularly fresh and also cheap.
I recommend going here for breakfast or lunch, as the market closes around 3 or 4PM.
Do some shopping at Kanazawa Forus Mall
This mall is next to the train station and while I was waiting for my train I decided to have a look at this mall and I’m glad I did! The Kanazawa Forus a really cool mall with loads of local and Japanese brands.
On the ground floor there is a nice souvenir shop that I loved, called “MIHON-ICHI KANAZAWA”. If you’re looking for unique and local souvenirs, check out this store.
Day trip to Shirakawago
Shirakawago is a small village that’s famous for it’s thatched-roof houses, all made in gasshō-zukuri style. These houses have thatched roofs that look like praying hands. It’s actually a UNESCO heritage site, so it’s a special place to visit, and since it’s also in the mountains, you can see the beautiful mountain scenery.
You can get there by bus or car from Kanazawa, which takes about an hour.
You can also join a tour that brings you to Shirakawago and also includes some other fun activities, like this one from GetYourGuide. It may be more convenient to join a tour as it includes transportation as well as a tour guide.
Attend a Tea Ceremony
Attending a traditional Japanese tea ceremony is a great way to experience the Japanese tea culture and taste some of the best tea in the world, and in Kanazawa you can find a few workshops that offer this.
For example the Kenrokuen Tea Experience which takes place inside the Kenroukuen Garden in Kanazawa. Check out the availability on GetYourGuide:
Where To Eat
There’s tons of great food options in Kanazawa, and especially the Sushi is very good and super fresh here.
Here are a few restaurants I tried and loved:
Takasakiya Sushi - This mom and pop Sushi place was super cozy and the sushi was fresh and delicious. The price was also very reasonable and you definitely get your money’s worth.
Kanazawa Temakizushi Coil - For a more upscale and different dining experience, try this sushi place that let’s you make your own sushi. You can choose your sushi fillings and then they bring you those with the seaweed and rice already prepared for you so that you can roll your own sushi. Something different definitely, but I thought it was quite fun!
Handmade Udon Kineya Kanazawa M'ZA - This is an Udon noodle place located in the basement of the department store that is opposite of the Omicho market. It’s a very inconspicuous looking restaurant, so you may need some time finding it but when you do, you’ll be rewarded with some very tasty, hand-made Udon noodles!
Ramen Wakadaisho - Feeling like Ramen? Then try this little spot located close to the river. Especially when it’s cold outside, their bowl of Ramen noodle soup will definitely warm you up!
Coffee and Breakfast
There are plenty of cafe’s and specialty coffee places in Kanazawa that are worth visiting.
Here are a few I tried and liked:
Cafe Tamon - For the fluffiest Japanese pancakes go to this place, which is located in the Chaya district. They also serve very nice Japanese teas, so make sure to order some tea with your pancakes:)
townsfolk coffee - a cute specialty coffee shop with Scandi vibes. They also serve a light breakfast.
Nonstop Coffee Stand & Roastery - for excellent specialty coffee, and especially really amazing filter coffees, check out this little stand that’s located just outside the Higashi Chaya district.
☕ Check out my full blog post on Where to Find the Best Specialty Coffee in Kanazawa
Where To Stay
We stayed at the Mitsui Garden Hotel, which was around 25 minutes walk from the Kanazawa Train station or a quick ride on the bus.
This hotel was modern, with a touch of Japanese style and they also had an onsen on the top floor, which actually had a gorgeous view on the city. I also really enjoyed the breakfast buffet, which had a ton of Japanese and local delicacies.
🛌 You can book the Mitsui Garden hotel via this link on Booking.com.
Here are a few other hotels that looked really good while I was doing my research:
SOKI Hotel - a very elegant and sleek hotel, that also has an onsen. Next time, I think I will book this hotel because it looks very good, especially for the price.
Hotel Forza Kanazawa - another modern hotel which is located very conveniently and close to all the main sights of Kanazawa, and also the main train station.
UAN kanazawa - for a little more luxury, check out this beautifully designed hotel, also located centrally.
When To Go
I went to Kanazawa in mid-March and it was freezing 🥶. Maybe it was just a cold front and I got unlucky, but fact is that Kanazawa is situated in the north of both Tokyo and Kyoto so it can get colder than those places, especially in the winter months.
Therefore, I would recommend to visit Kanazawa starting from April up until November, when temperatures are warmer and there are either spring blossoms or autumn foliage, so that the parks and gardens are also nice to visit.
How To Get There
Kanazawa is easy to get to by train or bullet train from Tokyo and from Kyoto or Osaka.
From Tokyo
If you are traveling from Tokyo, hop on the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen, and it will take you straight to Kanazawa in 2.5 to 3 hours. The ticket costs around 14,000 Yen. This route is also covered by the JR Pass.
From Kyoto and Osaka
If you’re coming from the other direction, from Kyoto or Osaka, you can take the train called the Thunderbird Limited Express Train and then the Hokuriku Shinkansen and it will take you about 2 hours, depending on the connection. You will need to change at Tsuruga station, but it’s an easy layover.
Using the JR Hokuriku Arch Pass
With the JR Hokuriku Arch pass you can easily travel from Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka to Kanazawa and back. Also all the destinations in between those cities are included.
If you’re planning to visit Kanazawa from the main cities and want to explore other places within the route, I’d recommend getting this pass as it would be cheaper than getting separate (bullet train) tickets.
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