Japan Beyond the Golden Route: A Trip to Kanazawa, Japan

January 2025

Japan Beyond the Golden Route: A Trip to Kanazawa, Japan

When searching for off the beaten path destinations in Japan, Kanazawa was one spot that caught my attention. Nestled in the Ishikawa Prefecture along the western coast of Japan, Kanazawa is one of the most well preserved Edo-era districts in the country. And due to the coastal nature along the Sea of Japan – seafood here is fresh and abundant. Kanazawa is also known for the gold leaf product which accounts for 99% of all gold leaf production in the country. With opportunities for some great day trips, Kanazawa became our first stop on our second visit to Japan.

Day 1

After an easy three hour Shinkansen bullet train directly from Tokyo along the Hokuriku Arch line. Exiting the train station there’s a beautiful overhand leading to the Tsuzumi-mon Gate which has become an icon of Kanazawa. Inspired by the tsuzumi (Japanese hand drum), the structure still maintains the architecture of the traditional tori gates of Japan and adds creative flare with the twisting wood pillars. We learned later that a falconier comes twice a month as a way to keep birds out of the overhand and keep the area particularly clean from bird droppings. 

It had been an extremely long travel day so we made the fifteen minute walk from the train station to our hotel with a brief stop at one of the many beloved konbini – or convenient stores like 7-Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson to pick up so long await favorite snacks as well as umbrellas. The umbrellas in Japan are fantastic and we had a few rainy days ahead so we decided to simply purchase them here. Everything is insanely cheap so it was on less thing to pack and we got to use reliable, well designed umbrellas for the trip. 

Since we booked this trip relatively ‘last minute’ when it comes to Japan planning and we were traveling to a destination that is not as tourist centric, we booked hotels for this trip. Because there are so many hotels, I tried to keep my search simple by focusing on location, reviews, and price then I booked everything on Booking.com. For Kanazawa, I selected Soki Kanazawa and after an easy check-in experience, we immediately went to bed. 

Read the review for Soki Kanazawa here!

Day 2

After a solid several hours of sleep and jetlag kicking in, we were able to get a nice early start to the day. Since breakfast is not a big meal in Japan and most coffee shops do not open until late morning, we headed to 7-Eleven for a random assortment of breakfast items – smoothies, yogurts, pastries (the most amazing pancakes), coffee, and more. It is always a good idea to grab a few extra snacks to have around! And reminder that you have to carry out all your trash as trash cans are extremely rare. We grab a plastic bag and keep it as a reusable garbage bag. 

Our day was completely devoted to simply exploring Kanazawa – a relaxed day one as we adjusted to the new timezone. The morning started out with a beautiful sunrise as we made our walk through the parks of Kanazawa. 

One of the best activities when visiting Kanazawa is exploring the Kenrokuen Gardens. These gardens are one of the most famous gardens in all of Japan and holds a spot as one of the three great gardens in the country.

Read about our visit to the Kenroku-en Gardens here!

Next to the Kenroku-en Gardens is the Kanazawa Castle so this makes for an easy combination for a half day in Kanazawa.

Read about our visit to Kanazawa Castle here!

Ready for our first proper meal of this trip, we ventured away from the beautiful open area and into the main area of Kanazawa. We walked through Oyama Shrine before turning off into a less busy area in an attempt to find lunch.

Unfortunately, we ran into an issue during this trip – one, Japanese seem to extend their holiday break much longer than I realized and it was not something I had come across in my research so many places on my list were closed. It also did not help that we were visiting after a surge of tourism over the New Year holiday when crowds dropped off. Most spots had no indication on their website or on Google that they were closed, only a sign on the door indicating they were gone for the holiday, and in some situations, closed for the winter. This is certainly something to consider when traveling into the countryside where the tourist circuit is not a prominent and traveling off season.

As we walked down the quiet streets, I was nervous that my pick for lunch was going to be another closed situation. But to my surprise, Otafuku Nagamachi was open for business – even if we were the only ones there. A benefit to traveling in the wintertime is that the soup and noodle game is extra welcome – miso, ramen, udon – it is all made for the cold. I ordered the tempura udon and Kevin ordered the noppe udon which featured a thicker soup and shiitake mushrooms. Both were delicious – I really loved the broth in my udon. A few more groups joined as we ate and everything we saw coming out of the kitchen looked great. Certainly recommend this spot when visiting Kanazawa. 

Since the first coffee shop I had marketed was unexpectedly closed Higashide Coffee (story of this trip, and multiple people passed by expecting it to be open as well), On our way back to the main area, Kevin grabbed a coffee at Cubbyhole – which seems to be a very popular spot – and spent the afternoon exploring Omicho Market.

Read about visiting Omicho Market, including the good eats you should get, here!

Continuing our tour of Kanazawa, we walked over the Asano River and into the Higashiyama / Higashi Chaya / Geisha District. Established in the 1800s, this area was known as the entertainment district where Geisha and other entertainers would operate in this “pleasure quarter”. Currently, this area is filled with historic and restored teahouses but still showcase the traditional wood building and lattice work windows that transports visitors back centuries ago. In additional to teashops, you can also find regular cafes – lots with matcha – restaurants, and souvenir shops, especially with ones focusing on gold leaf as this is the area of Kanazawa to find it. Kanazawa’s gold lead production accounts for 99% of all gold leaf production in the country. There are still some teahouses that feature a tea ceremony with a Geisha that can be booked in advance if that is something on your list of experiences while in Japan. 

Our arrival to this area of Kanazawa was met with gray skies and delicate rainfall. It really does feel like taking a step back in time – the buildings are small, uniform, and traditional. Each wood covered front hid a fun store to explore. We wandered around and ended up at And Kanazawa coffee shop where Kevin ordered a hot beverage – perfect for a cold, rainy day – and we shared a delightful ice cream cone – not so perfect for a cold, rainy day but it looked so tasty and it indeed was – we almost ordered another as sharing one was just not enough. This coffee shop is definitely worth a stop when visiting this area and it is off the beaten path.

In keeping with the tradition of the neighborhood, Kevin was game to have matcha tea and the two places I had marked (Kaikaro and Rin), where – you guessed it – closed. Since the Higashiyama / Higashi Chaya / Geisha District spans a few blocks, we were able to find a shop, Sabo Soshin, that did take out so he ordered a matcha latte which was very tasty. 

Another thing this area is known for is the gold leaf production. Kanazawa is responsible for over 99% of Japan’s gold leaf production. Though the gold leaf museum was closed, a few shops that specialized in gold leaf were open to browse the various iterations of gold leaf. There are also opportunities to participate in the gold leaf craft by making your own. I wish I knew about some of these earlier as I think it would have been a fun way to partake in the gold leaf traditions so definitely look into it when you visit.

The final neighborhood we wanted to explore was the Nagamachi Samurai District to the south of Kanazawa. Located at the foot of the Kanazawa Castle, this neighborhood is where the samurai resided. Similar to the Geisha District, the Samurai District is well preserved still showcasing narrow streets, earthen walls, and water canals throughout. 

There are two main attractions I was interested in visiting – the first being Nomura-ke, a restored samurai residence, and the second being the Shinise Kinenkan Museum, a restored merchant’s pharmacy, both which demonstrate what it was like living in this area. 

Upon our arrival at the Nomura-ke Samurai residence, we were disappointed yet again to stare at a dark building and closed sign. And the same went for the Shinise Kinenkan Museum. Both look great and I hoped we would have time later in the trip to fit these in though this really was the only Kanazawa dedicated time I had built in. Hoping to change our luck, we made our way back towards the hotel in search of dinner.

Oue luck for dinner matched that of visiting the Samurai District. While we did not eat anything during our afternoon visit to Omicho Market, we did eat at one of the restaurants that evening, Yajimon. It was quite literally the only thing open we could find after searching multiple restaurants (Tomoshibi, Aburaya, Tempura Tenjin ,Fuwari, Mammarumaru, Toritake, Hamamatsu to name a few) and even having the hotel staff helping call for us. It wasn’t the most spectacular meal of our lives but it did the trick and it was some protein and veggies, even if it was tempura so in the end, we did eat at Omicho Market.

We had such a long and jam packed day one in Kanazawa so an early bedtime was inevitable given the hard jetlag we were trying to battle. 

Day 3

Early morning jetlag – onsen time at the hotel. After a day exploring Kanazawa, it was time to venture into the countryside. One of the reasons we selected this itinerary was the opportunity to explore the countryside of Japan and this day trip to Shirakawa-go and Takayama was definitely high on our list. 

Read about our day exploring Shirakawa-go and Takayama here! 

After a very full and active day, I was not in the mood to repeat last night’s saga to find a place to eat. Kevin had the idea to explore the large shopping mall directly next to the train station (Forus Kanazawa) and what a gold mine. First off, everything was open and it was bopping. There is an entire floor of food shops and offerings of all sorts of Japanese style of food – from meat and tempura, to souffle pancakes and okonomiyaki, to unagi (eel) and shabu. It was heaven. 

Continuing to explore, Kevin noted a pokemon symbol on one of the floors so we walked through and again found a lovely display of various items, the most impressive being a live train set area where you can rent various trains and ride them around a very detailed track complete with Kanazawa station and all. The trains here are so epic and the massive collection of Shinkanseins of every kind was wild.

I was surprised we made it as late into the evening as we did, but we did it and were so pleased with another great day.

Day 4

Jet lag allowed for another early morning onsen visit before checking out. In looking at our day, we accomplished what we wanted to in Kanazawa, or should clarify, accomplished what we were able to given the extended holiday closure circumstances so we decided to pack ourselves up to head to our next destination – Nagano!

Overall, we really enjoyed our time in Kanazawa. While we certainly ran into some unexpected road bumps, it allowed us to explore more. I can only imagine how lovely this area is during peak season! And I would have loved the opportunity to see the ocean but we did get lots of views of the Sea of Japan on our train to Nagano.

Continue reading all the details of our trip – here!

To see our full itinerary – here!

Read what to expect in Japan – here!

My complete packing list for Japan – here!

See all blog posts for Japan – here!