Introduction to: Kanazawa

Edit 11 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Kanazawa (金沢, lit. 'gold marsh') is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture.  During the Edo Period, Kanazawa was the seat of the Maeda clan, whose riches were second only to the Tokugawa Shogunate itself.  From all this wealth, the city hosted production of many fine crafts, such as gold leaf and ceramic pottery.  Since much of Kanazawa's value was historical and cultural, rather than industrial, it was never targeted for air raids in World War II, the second-largest city (behind Kyoto) to bear this fortunate distinction.  This has led to the preservation of several teahouse and samurai districts, along with Kenroku-en, one of Japan's top three landscape gardens.  And yet, Kanazawa had managed to stay off the tourism radar, but that changed in 2015, when the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to the city.

Main attractions

1) Higashi Chaya District: The largest of Kanazawa's teahouse districts, in the northeast of the city.

2) Kanazawa Castle Park: The site of the partially-rebuilt Kanazawa Castle.

3) Kenroku-en: One of the three most famous landscape gardens in Japan.

4) 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art: A modern art museum with unique sculptures and installations.

By 金沢市 (http://open-imagedata.city.kanazawa.ishikawa.jp/) [CC BY 2.1 jp], via Wikimedia Commons

5) D.T. Suzuki Museum: A sleek, contemplative museum about Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, a Buddhist philosopher.

By そらみみ [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

6) Oyama-jinja: A downtown Shinto shrine fronted by a Dutch-style gate.

7) Nagamachi: A former samurai district with preserved buildings and a few museums.

By 金沢市 (http://open-imagedata.city.kanazawa.ishikawa.jp/) [CC BY 2.1 jp], via Wikimedia Commons

8) Nishi Chaya District: The secondary teahouse district in the southwest of the city.

By Oren Rozen [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

9) Myoryu-ji: A Buddhist temple, also known as the "ninja temple" for its secret defences.

Orientation

Kanazawa is centred around the Kanazawa Castle Park and Koraku-en garden, with Kanazawa Station off to the northwest.  The station and most other sites are within two kilometres of the parks, so the city is accessible on foot for good walkers.  For everyone else, there are a few buses that run through the city.

• The Kanazawa Left Loop and Right Loop buses start and end at the station, and hit many popular sights in an anticlockwise or clockwise loop, respectively.  Loop buses arrive at any given stop every 15 minutes and cost a flat rate of ¥200 per ride. More information: (English)
• The Kenrokuen Shuttle Bus follows an abridged version of the loop bus itinerary.  From Kanazawa Station, it heads to the Kenroku-en area and back.  Shuttle buses arrive every 20 minutes, and cost ¥200 per ride on weekdays, or ¥100 on weekends.
• A one-day free pass for both the Kanazawa Loop and Kenrokuen Shuttle buses costs ¥500.  Purchase it from the Transportation Information Centre, just outside the East exit of Kanazawa Station, or the Hokutetsu Bus Terminal, out and to the left of said exit.
• JR West also operates their own local bus route from Kanazawa Station to Kenroku-en, the Higashi Chaya district, and beyond.  These buses arrive 1 to 3 times per hour.  Fares start at ¥200, and are free with the Japan Rail Pass.  However, the above-mentioned loop/shuttle bus pass is not valid on these JR buses.  Schedules: (Japanese)

Apart from buses, the following rail companies operate around Kanazawa:

• JR West operates the high-speed Hokuriku Shinkansen, to the northeast, and the local Hokuriku Main Line, to the southwest.
• IR Ishikawa Railway operates the IR Ishikawa line to the northeast.  This line used to be part of the Hokuriku Main Line, but was spun off into its own company when the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened.
• The Japan Rail Pass may not be used on the IR Ishikawa Railway.  However, it is valid on the section between Kanazawa and Tsubata Stations, as long as you only get on/off at those stations.
• Hokutetsu, or Hokuriku Railroad, operates two short suburban lines.  The Asanogawa line goes north from Kanazawa Station, and the Ishikawa line goes south from Nomachi Station, near the Nishi Chaya district.

Access

On 14 March 2015, the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Kanazawa Station, providing a direct rail link to Tokyo for the first time.  Kanazawa is served by Hakutaka, Kayagaki, and Tsurugi services, the latter of which terminate at Toyama.  Coming from the other direction, western cities are also served by limited express trains such as the Shirasagi from Nagoya, and the Thunderbird from Kyoto and Osaka.  If you are coming in from Nagoya, it may be faster to take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Maibara (30 minutes, Kodama/Hikari only), and then take the Shirasagi from there (2 hours, total ¥8,160 reserved).  All of the above train options are covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

City	Time (Hakutaka)	Time (Kayagaki)	Time (Tsurugi)	Time (Shirasagi)	Time (Thunderbird)	Fare (Reserved)
Tokyo	180 minutes	150 minutes	N/A	N/A	N/A	¥14,380
Nagano	90 minutes	65 minutes	N/A	N/A	N/A	¥9,120
Toyama	25 minutes	20 minutes	25 minutes	N/A	N/A	¥3,390
Nagoya	N/A	N/A	N/A	180 minutes	N/A	¥7,460
Kyoto	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	120-140 minutes	¥7,020
Osaka	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	150-170 minutes	¥7,790

Times and fares are based on May 2019 schedules and are subject to change.

The closest airport to Kanazawa is Komatsu Airport (IATA code: KMQ), located about 30 kilometres (18 miles) southwest of central Kanazawa.  It serves a few domestic (Tokyo, Sapporo, Fukuoka, etc.) and international (Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Hong Kong) locations.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

To get to Kanazawa from the airport, take a bus to Komatsu Station (12 minutes, 2 per hour, ¥280) and ride the JR Hokuriku line to Kanazawa (35 minutes, ¥510).  Most Thunderbird and Shirasagi trains also stop at Komatsu Station (17 minutes, ¥1,800 reserved).  Or, there are direct buses that go between the airport and Kanazawa Station (40 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥1,150).  More information: (English)

Excursions

1) Takaoka: A neighbouring city with a rich bronze-casting history and one of Japan's largest Buddha statues.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen (Hakutaka/Tsurugi) from Kanazawa Station to Shin-Takaoka (15 minutes, ¥1,560 non-reserved, JR Pass OK); or IR Ishikawa / Ainokaze Toyama Railway to Takaoka (40 minutes, ¥840).

2) Toyama: A port city, ideal as a base for exploring the northern Chubu region.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa Station to Toyama (20 minutes, ¥3,390 reserved, JR Pass OK).

3) Kaga Onsen: A nearby collection of hot-spring towns and museums.
Access: JR Thunderbird/Shirasagi limited express from Kanazawa to Kaga Onsen Station (25 minutes, 1-3 per hour, ¥2,060 reserved, JR Pass OK).

4) Shirakawa-go: A secluded village famous for its thatched-roof farmhouses, where one can stay overnight.
Access: Bus from Kanazawa Station (East exit) to Shirakawa-go (85 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥2,000 one-way / ¥3,600 round-trip) (Schedule).

5) Haku-san: A 2,702-metre (8,864 ft.) peak, regarded as one of Japan's most sacred mountains.
Access: Bus from Kanazawa Station (East exit) to Bettodeai (2 hours 15 minutes, 1-3 per day, ¥2,240) (Schedule).

6) Wakura Onsen: A hot-spring resort city, ideal as a base for exploring the remote Noto Peninsula.
Access: JR Noto Kagaribi limited express from Kanazawa to Wakura Onsen Station (60 minutes, ¥2,800 reserved, 1 per 2-3 hours, JR Pass OK).