Must-see attractions in Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

  • KANAZAWA, JAPAN - JUL 31 2016: Kenroku-en located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, is an old private garden. Along with Kairaku-en and Koraku-en, Kenroku-en is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.

    Kenroku-en

    Kanazawa

    This Edo-period garden draws its name (kenroku means 'combined six') from a renowned Sung-dynasty garden in China that dictated six attributes for…

  • Gyokusen Inmaru Garden

    Kanazawa

    Adjacent to the Kanazawa Castle Park, this feudal pleasure garden was first constructed in 1634 but abandoned in the Meiji era. Its five-year…

  • Zuiryū-ji

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    One of Japan's National Treasures, the temple of the second generation of feudal lord Maeda Toshinaga's family is rightly famous for its manicured lawns,…

  • Ichijōdani Asakura Clan Ruins

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Designated a national historic site, this out-of-the-way place features one of the largest town ruins in Japan, dating from the early 15th century. It's…

  • Kita-ke

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    During the Edo period the Kita family administered over 200 villages from Kita-ke, the pivotal crossroads of the Kaga, Etchū and Noto fiefs. Inside this…

  • Myōjō-ji

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Founded in 1294 by Nichizō, a disciple of Nichiren's, the imposing Myōjō-ji remains an important temple for the sect. The peaceful grounds comprise 10…

  • Asa-ichi

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Among a few hundred elderly women selling fresh-off-the-trawler seafood, this entertaining morning market features cool boutiques offering tasteful…

  • DT Suzuki Museum

    Kanazawa

    This spiritual museum is a tribute to Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, one of the foremost Buddhist philosophers of our time. Published in Japanese and English,…

  • Omi-cho Market, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan

    Ōmi-chō Market

    Kanazawa

    Between Kanazawa Station and Katamachi you'll find this market, reminiscent of Tokyo's old Tsukiji market. A bustling warren of fishmongers, buyers and…

  • Kanazawa Museum of Contemporary Art.

    21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

    Kanazawa

    A low-slung glass cylinder, 113m in diameter, forms the perimeter of this contemporary gallery, which celebrated its 10th birthday in 2014. Museum entry…

  • Daihonzan Eihei-ji

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    In 1244 the great Zen master Dōgen (1200–53), founder of the Sōtō sect of Zen Buddhism, established Eihei-ji, the 'Temple of Eternal Peace', in a forest…

  • Motorcar Museum of Japan

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    You're likely to be a little astounded by this collection of more than 500 pristine Japanese (and foreign) vehicles housed over three floors, in a massive…

  • Sōji-ji Soin

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This beautiful temple was established in 1321 as the head of the Sōtō school of Zen but now functions as a branch temple. The site's buildings were…

  • Kanazawa Castle Park

    Kanazawa

    Originally built in 1580, this massive structure was called the 'castle of 1000 tatami' and housed the Maeda clan for 14 generations until it was…

  • Tōjinbō

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Legend says that these rock formations 25km northwest of Fukui came about when Tōjinbō, an evil priest, was cast off the cliff by angry villagers in 1182;…

  • Fukui Dinosaur Museum

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Kids love the larger-than-life replicas and fossilised relics of the Jurassic Park–styled Fukui Dinosaur Museum, one of the three largest museums of its…

  • Echizen Ōno-jō

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Atop a hill overlooking the town, this little yamashiro (mountain castle) is a true delight, even if it is a replica and you have to climb all those…

  • Kami-tokikuni-ke

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    One of the few survivors of the Taira clan, Taira Tokitada was exiled to this region in 1185. His ancestors eventually divided and established separate…

  • Kaikarō

    Kanazawa

    In Higashi-chaya-gai, Kaikarō is an early-19th-century geisha house refinished with contemporary fittings and art, including a red-lacquered staircase…

  • Myōryū-ji

    Kanazawa

    Completed in 1643 in Teramachi, the temple was designed to protect its lord from attack. It contains hidden stairways, escape routes, secret chambers,…

  • Himi Shōwa Museum

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This fabulous little museum is a good reason to pass through Himi. It showcases all manner of memorabilia from the Shōwa period (1926–89), encompassing…

  • Kanazawa Yuwaku Edo Village

    Kanazawa

    In Yuwaku Onsen, about 14km southeast of Kanazawa along Rte 10, you'll find this attractive collection of reconstructed Edo-period buildings arranged as…

  • Kojō Park

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This big park is the site of the old Takaoka castle (kojō means – you guessed it – 'old castle'), demolished in 1615 after being in use only six years…

  • Kansui Park

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This immaculately maintained park built on reclaimed land around Toyama's canal and lock system is a wonderful place for a stroll or picnic. It's a…

  • Shimo-tokikuni-ke

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This is an Important Cultural Property, one of two family residences of exiled shogun Taira Tokitada (the other is Kami-tokikuni-ke). Shimo-tokikuni-ke,…

  • Toyama Municipal Folkcraft Village

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Here you'll find folk art, ceramics, sumi-e (ink brush paintings) and more in a cluster of hillside buildings. Toyama's free Museum Bus (10 minutes,…

  • Chōkei-ji

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This hilltop temple has a wonderful outlook, but you've come to see the 500-plus stone statues of rakan (Buddha's disciples) lined up in the forest. It's…

  • Takaoka Great Buddha

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Construction of this great bronze Buddha statue began in 1907 and was completed in 1933. The statue was moved to its present location in 1981 after the…

  • Nagamachi Yūzen-kan

    Kanazawa

    In a non-traditional building at the edge of the Nagamachi district, the Nagamachi Yūzen-kan displays some splendid examples of Kaga Yūzen kimono dyeing…

  • Gyokusen-an Rest House

    Kanazawa

    In the grounds of Gyokusen Inmaru Garden, this handsome teahouse is the perfect setting in which to experience cha-dō (a tea ceremony), one of Japan's…

  • Shima

    Kanazawa

    An Important Cultural Asset, this well-known, traditional-style former geisha house dates from 1820 and has an impressive collection of elaborate combs,…

  • Risaburō Foundry

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This factory has been producing traditional Takaoka bronzeware since the Meiji era and allows visitors a rare and fascinating glimpse of the casting…

  • Kiriko Kaikan

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Here you can view a selection of the impressive illuminated, lacquered floats used in the Wajima Taisai festival, some up to 15m tall. Take the bus to…

  • Cosmo Isle Hakui

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    One for X-Files fans, this quirky space and science museum features ’60s and ’70s USSR space-mission relics and several UFO and alien exhibits (including…

  • Ishikawa Wajima Urushi Art Museum

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This modern museum, about a 15-minute walk west of the former train station, has rotating exhibitions of its large lacquerware collection in galleries…

  • Kanazawa City Ashigaru Museum

    Kanazawa

    This compact museum, consisting of two relocated Edo-era homes and a small garden, offers a look at the lives of the ashigaru (foot soldiers), the lowest…

  • Senmaida Rice Terraces

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    Once a common sight in Japan, the ancient terraced method of rice farming is disappearing. These 'thousand' paddies snaking up the hillside are both…

  • Ganmon

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    There's a lot of hype about this interesting, though relatively unexciting sea cave carved into the cliff by the force of the waves. Nearby are souvenir…

  • Yokokan Garden

    Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast

    This quaint garden, formerly a mansion of the Matsudaira clan, has a pretty teahouse where you can sit in silence and contemplate life, or feed the…

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