Visiting Kanazawa? Today we’ll take you around the beautifully restored Chaya Districts and Samurai residences in this historic Japanese city, and enjoy the beauty of Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s 3 great gardens.
My family spent a week traveling to the northwestern part (北陸地方) of Japan, and our first stop was the historic city of Kanazawa (金沢). What makes this city special? Many of its buildings are still original as it’s one of the few large Japanese cities not damaged during the war.
As a Japanese, I want to share the historical part of Japanese culture with my family so I looked forward to the trip very much. Before talking about Kanazawa, I want to give you a tip on traveling in Japan and that’s Japan Rail Pass.
Click to learn more about Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass).
Now on to Kanazawa! One reason we selected Kanazawa is that a new Shinkansen line Kagayaki (かがやき) just opened in March of this year (2015), making the trip from Tokyo a quick 2.5 hrs. Before this new line was available, going to Kanazawa from the Kanto area would have required over 6 hours (from Yokohama to Nagoya, then Toyama and Kanazawa).
At the Tokyo Shinkansen station, my son saw the connected Shinkansen and he was super excited! He has the Plarail (プラレール) for the connecting trains and has been wanting to see them in real life. If you are interested, here’s a YouTube video of the trains connecting.
The Kagayaki train looks super futuristic with modern amenities that are not on the N700 Shinkansen, including adjustable headrests. The sinks were also pretty cool, with 1 spout for soap, 1 for water, and the last one is the hand dryer. There’s also a baby diaper changing station inside the bathroom.
There are plenty of electric plugs on the train for those of you who need to recharge your devices.
We enjoyed the bento we purchased at the Shinkansen platform right before we hop on the Shinkansen. The scenery on the ride is mostly Japanese countryside and lots of tunnels towards the end.
Kanazawa Station
As you arrive at the station, you exit into a large indoor plaza with stores and restaurants. There are 2 sides to the station and the main entrance is quite beautiful. It was voted one of the world’s top 15 stations in 2011 and the only one from Japan.
The main entrance is a covered dome called “Motenashi” (meaning to entertain guests wholeheartedly) and in front of it are wooden structures called “Tsuzumi-mon” (Japanese drum gate).
In case you forget any souvenirs on the trip, no worries, you can probably find it at the station when you leave. You can also pick up a delicious bento for your Shinkansen ride home.
Kanazawa Loop Bus
Unlike other large Japanese cities, Kanazawa doesn’t have a subway that takes you to different parts of the city. However, there are 3 city bus routes that will take you to most tourist spots, the RL (right loop), LL (left loop), and S (Kenrokuen Shuttle). Click on the bottom image to enlarge.
You can either pay 100 yen 200 yen per ride for adult (100 yen for child) or 500 yen for a day pass (price updated). For the day pass you scratch off the silver markings for the day so make sure you don’t make a mistake on which day you scratch off.
Places to Visit in Kanazawa
We didn’t visit every spot in the city since we only had a day and a half there, but I’ll give my best recommendation in order that I think that works out the best if you only have a short time there (highlighted by the stars in the map).
- Omicho Market
- Kanazawa Castle Park
- Kenrokuen
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
- Higashi Chaya (Eastern Tea House District)
- Myoryu-ji Temple
- Nishi Chaya (Western Tea House District)
- Nagamachi Samurai District
- Oyama Jinja Shrine
Omicho Market (近江町市場)
If you are coming from the Tokyo area, the train ride takes about 2.5 hours. If you leave in the morning you’re likely to arrive around lunchtime. Let’s go grab some food at Omicho Market (近江町市場). From the main entrance of the Kanazawa station, you’ll want to board the LL route at Bus Stop #7 and get off the first stop at LL1.
Omicho market has been around for close to 300 years and carries a huge variety of seafood and produce.
The seafood stands had all types of fish we don’t usually see in the U.S. As Kanazawa is close to the Japan Sea, it is known for its abundance of seafood varieties. One really cool thing we saw was when the fishmonger scraped tuna meat off its bone to give to the crowd.
Besides food stands, there are also flower shops and various stands that carried local specialty.
For lunch, we went to the highly reviewed Yamasan (山さん) and the sushi was fantastic.
The seafood was super fresh and the fish tasted sweet. Kanazawa is famous for its seafood and we weren’t disappointed.
By the time we left the restaurant, there was a line with over 10 people waiting to get their fill. If you are not looking for a full meal, there are stalls in the Omicho market that sell little bites.
One of the unique skewers we had was blowfish! My son’s been fascinated with blowfish since he was a little boy so he was super excited to try, and definitely a bit worried about being poisoned.
Kanazawa Castle Park (金沢城公園)
From Omicho market, you can easily walk over to the Kanazawa Castle Park (金沢城公園).
There is no actual castle on the ground today, as it was built and burned down many times throughout history. However, the Ishikawamon Gate (石川門) and the Gojikken Nagaya (五十間長屋, 90-yard-long warehouse) are both structures built over 100 years ago.
One unique thing about the castle is its white lead tiles compared to black tiles you typically see on Japanese castles, which gives it more strength against the snow.
Many of the building recreated on site was built using the traditional method by specialized craftsmen, and you can see the example of the castle wall dissected.
There are free guides in English available on site and I highly recommend using them, as they can tell you about the history of Kanazawa and the powerful Maeda family that ruled it during the Edo period.
Kenrokuen (兼六園)
The castle and the garden are connected by a sky bridge. After walking on the grounds of the castle, let’s move on to one of Japan’s 3 great gardens, Kenrokuen (兼六園). Kenrokuen was Maeda Family’s private garden, which started sometime in the 1600s.
The garden got its name from having all 6 characteristics of a great garden. It’s a large garden at 25 acres and the signature icon is the 2 legged lantern in the corner of Kasumigaike (霞ヶ池) (see the picture below).
There is quite a bit of history to the garden itself so I won’t go into detail, but you can read more here for details.
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (金沢21世紀美術館)
After browsing the garden, head over to 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (金沢21世紀美術館) right next door. The unique circular museum functions both as a gallery and community space.
It was closed on the day we visited but we still enjoyed some of the exhibits inside the building and the outdoor displays.
Besides running around the yard, my family thought the Men In Black glass elevator was super cool.
You can learn more about the exhibits on display on the museum’s website.
By now it’s getting late so head back to Kanazawa station and find a delicious izakaya to enjoy your meal. I’ll talk more about the meals we had later on in the post.
For day 2, I recommend starting at Higashi Chaya first, as it’s really popular and gets crowded with tourists early.
Higashi Chaya – Eastern Tea House District (東茶屋街)
From Kanazawa station, get on the RL bus and get off at RL5 for Higashi Chaya (東茶屋街).
What is Chaya? Chaya is traditional tea houses where Geisha used to perform since the Edo period (and still do).
As you walk on these streets between the machiya-style structure (traditional wooden townhouses), it takes you back in time.
There are a few buildings where you can pay and enter such as the Ochaya Shima (志摩) to see what a Geisha’s life was like working in these buildings at that time (we didn’t have time…).
The majority of the buildings have been turned into restaurants and stores which you can browse through. Most of them showcase the art and crafts of Kanazawa.
There is also the Yasue Gold Leaf Museum (金沢市立安江金箔工芸館) where you can see how gold leaves are made. 99% of gold leaves in Japan are made in Kanazawa today, including the ones used on Kinkakuji (金閣寺) in Kyoto. At the museum, you can see how the artisans make the gold leaf. Here is a video on YouTube showing their work.
If you like to experience dinner with Geisha, you can check out more details at Kaikaro (懐華樓).
The highlight for the Higashi Chaya for us? Gold leaf covered ice cream! How did it taste? Just like regular ice cream! But it’s a nice way to feature what Kanazawa is famous for.
Myoryu-ji Temple – Ninja Dera (妙立寺)
Time for more exploration! Jump on to loop bus at RL5 and get off at RL12 to visit Myoryu-Ji (妙立寺), aka Ninja Temple.
The temple was built in 1585 by Lord Maeda Toshiie and moved to the current location by his son. Besides being a praying location for the Kaga Family (founded by Maeda Toshiie), the temple also served as a military outpost. Due to this reason, there are quite a few hidden trap doors and mechanisms built to confuse intruders.
I recommend making a reservation beforehand because it’s a guided tour and they only accept a certain number of visitors per tour.
To be completely honest, the temple was a strange experience for us. When you arrive, there is no reception area or a place to purchase a ticket. You walk towards the temple from the main entrance and make a left at the end to find a small white intercom. You let them know you’re there for your appointed time and they’ll ask you to wait if you’re early.
At your appointed time, you’ll remove your shoes and enter the temple. They’ll collect the admission fee from you at the time (cash only). If you have young children, you will need to bring their passports to prove they are elementary school age to qualify for children’s prices. They asked me 3 times (during the phone reservation, on the intercom, and when purchasing the ticket) about the children’s passport which I thought was strange.
There are no photos allowed inside during the tour and they said no translation of Japanese to English is allowed during the tour to my children (weird right?).
For each time slot, they break the large group into smaller groups so folks can fit in the various spots during the tour as some areas are quite small. The tour is in Japanese only but they do give English speakers a binder with the explanation of each interesting spot.
My children really enjoyed it and it was fascinating to think of why there was a need to build such deceptive mechanisms at the time.
Nishi Chaya – Western Tea House District (西茶屋街)
After the temple, it’s a short breeze to Nishi Chaya (西茶屋街). This is another tea district but much smaller than Higashi Chaya (東茶屋街). The bright spot however is that there are also fewer people around so you can take some good pictures.
We stopped by a chocolate boutique and cooled off by enjoying chocolate ice cream.
Check out the shoe made out of bitter chocolate and gold leaf!
You can visit Nishi Chaya Shiryokan Museum (西茶屋資料館) on the street, where you can see what a Chaya was like inside. Admission is free!
Nagamachi Samurai District (長町武家屋敷跡)
After visiting the Chaya, how about seeing some Samurai houses in Nagamachi Samurai District (長町武家屋敷跡)? Jump back on to RL12 and get off at RL14.
Back in the feudal days, the very top is the Shogun, who ruled the Daimyo from each region. Under each Daimyo are samurai warriors, and in the Nagamachi area, there are several Samurai houses that are restored.
The Onosho Canal (大野庄用水) runs through the Samurai District. This oldest canal of Kanazawa was an important waterway that carried goods from the harbor to the castle town.
Of the samurais’ houses, the one we visited was the Nomura-ke (Nomura Family’s Residence, 野村家).
We can walk inside the house to admire the Edo artifacts of the Nomura family, who lived here for ten generations. The house has ceilings made of Japanese cypress and exquisite paintings on sliding door panels were painted by the Maeda family’s personal painter.
The Nomura house has a beautiful garden that was ranked one of the best in Japan by the Michelin Guide. The garden is small but features many characteristics of Japanese gardens, including 400-year-old Japanese bayberry, waterfall and pond, and various stone features like bridge and lanterns.
As you walk around between the mud walls of Nagamachi and tour Nomura House, you can imagine the life of a samurai during that time.
Oyama Jinja Shrine (尾山神社)
You can either walk to the Oyama Jinja Shrine (尾山神社) or take the loop bus at RL14 and get off at RL15 and walk backward.
Oyama Jinja Shrine is known for its unusual gate. The towering gate was designed by a Dutch architect back in 1875, with a mixture of Japanese, European, and Chinese elements.
There is also a beautiful garden with ponds and bridges on site that dates back to the late 1500s. Oyama Jinja Shrine is dedicated to Maeda Toshiie, with a large statue of him as well as his wife’s image carved into a stone on the grounds.
Staying and Eating in Kanazawa
Hotel MyStays
In Japan when you book hotels, there are usually 3 options
- Room only
- Room and breakfast
- Room and 2 meals (breakfast and dinner)
Due to our hectic travel and touring schedule and wanting to try different restaurants, we booked room only in Kanazawa.
In Kanazawa, we stayed at Hotel MyStays. It was newly remodeled so the rooms are quite modern and clean, and it also comes with free Wifi. We booked a room for 4 and they had set up 4 individual beds for us.
Compare to US hotels, Japanese hotels provide many amenities as standard, including toothbrush, shaving kit, PJs, and slippers. Hotel MyStay had large drawers full of different face wash and bath salt on the 1st floor for you to enjoy.
It was a short walk from the Kanazawa station, and we used underground walkways to cross the big intersection above the ground.
Kuroya (くろ屋)
Since Kanazawa is known for its seafood, we ate at a local izakaya not far from the station. We actually called the top-ranked izakaya one by one but they were mostly full and was finally able to reserve a table at Kuroya. If there is an izakaya you want to eat at, I recommend calling a few days before to reserve.
So how was Kuorya? It was awesome! The menu featured a lot of local fish and Kaga vegetables. It is not far from the station and I highly recommend this place. You won’t be disappointed with a fantastic meal. The majority of dishes are between 400-800 yen (see the menu).
Kuroya was a small restaurant, with only bar seats on the first floor and seating for about 30 on the second floor.
In Japanese izakaya, they usually serve a small complimentary dish with your drink. I don’t eat wasabi in the U.S., but in Japan, I usually eat a few dishes with wasabi since restaurants use real fresh wasabi. This raw octopus in a wasabi dressing (蛸わさ) was yummy!
Fresh sashimi from the local region – everything was super sweet and fresh.
Grilled Nodoguro (のどぐろの塩焼き). Nodoguro, or Blackthroat sea perch, is a delicious fish from the Japan Sea. We saw this fish offered on the menu at many restaurants in this region.
Vegetables Tempura including Kaga vegetables (加賀野菜) such as Kinji-so (金時草) and Gorojima Kintoki (五郎島金時).
I won’t go through the rest of our dishes in detail but here are some of the dishes we ordered (Feel free to ask me).
We ended our dinner with Hojicha (加賀棒茶) cheesecake and Hojicha ice cream. We were very satisfied after the meal and have no doubt to recommend this restaurant if you are staying near Kanazawa station.
One thing to note, most izakaya or drinking restaurants do not have non-smoking sections. If you have young children or are allergic to smoke, you might want to ask first if they have non-smoking sections.
Kuroyuri (黒百合)
For our second dinner, we eat at Kuroyuri (oden restaurant) located inside the station since Mr. JOC’s never tried Oden except for mine (recipe here).
This Oden shop has been around for more than 60 years and currently run by the 3rd generation of the family. The food was amazingly good, but they only allow you 90 minutes to eat since there’s a line of people waiting.
You can order Oden a la carte depending on what you want to eat. There are about 20 different kinds to select from. Besides Oden, there is a full menu offering sashimi, grilled food, deep fried assortment, salad, and carbs.
The workers are serving the Oden for customers’ orders.
The dashi for Oden was very light yet flavorful. All the different Oden was really delicious and the recipe has been the same for 50+ years.
This white firm tofu (白山堅豆腐) is one of their specialty. The tofu had great texture and you dip it in a ginger soy sauce.
Japanese don’t usually eat tendons, but this tendon with miso and green onion was really good. The tendons were soft and melt in your mouth.
Kanazawa’s regional duck dish, Kamo no Jibuni (鴨の治部煮), was excellent! Most of the dishes are between 400-600 yen (see the menu).
If you are in the station and looking for good food, head on over to Kuroyuri for some authentic Japanese Oden.
Gold Castella
Like many department stores, the shopping section in the Kanazawa station offers many local treats. What called to our attention was the gold Castella (カステラ, my Castella recipe here), can you say exquisite!
We bought a small gold Castella to enjoy at the hotel.
Kanazawa is known for its local arts and crafts and you can see more details at the Kanazawa tourism traditional arts page. We thoroughly enjoyed our short time there and recommend that you plan 2 full days to see and enjoy the city.
Now let’s continue our trip, next stop is Toyama and a day trip to Kurobe Gorge!
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Wonderful! Thanks for making me travel without leaving my chair…
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks so much Rosa! I do wish I could travel with you! xo
I loved, loved reading your post and looking at all the wonderful pictures! Personally, I prefer the quieter, older looking parts of Japan tothe bustling cities. Thank you for posting that. The food in Japan is just exquisite, both in flavor and presentation, and your photos captured all that.. I am so envious of your trip there. Your kids are mighty lucky!
Hi Susan! Thank you so much for reading my post! I also enjoy spending time in old parts of Japan as well, especially after I moved out of Japan… I can finally appreciate Japanese cultures after I left my country. 🙂 I’m glad to hear you liked my post. I hope my children remember about this trip and a part of their heritage. 🙂
Thanks for the nice photos of Japan. Gave me a good impression about how it looks. – I know “only” Tokyo. which I like very much.
Cheers
karsten
Thank you for reading Karsten! One day I hope to make videos for my trip… We’re very busy just taking pictures, but I know videos are good way to introduce. 🙂
Thank you for this post. I loved every photo and enjoyed all the food experiences. You make it seem as if I right there with you. Your family is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Loretta! Thank you for reading! I’m glad you felt you were traveling with me! 😀 Thanks so much for your kind words. xo
Fantastic pictures! And wonderful post — sounds like you’re having loads of fun. Really fun video of the two trains connecting!
Thank you for reading my long post, John! I heard about the connecting trains, but it was my first time to see it right in front of me and it was really cool! The trains are super fast too!
Oh I just loved reading this post! I have only visited Okinawa and my husband and I would love to plan a trip to Japan eventually. Reading your posts about your adventures gives me so much useful information! Your pictures are beautiful, the info is awesome, and your writing style is so pleasant. I really appreciate that you have this blog 🙂
Hi Katie! Thank you so much for reading! I haven’t been to Okinawa before and wish to visit one day! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this post and thanks so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
What a detailed post! Like usual, it is a joy to read. I’m planning a trip to Osaka / Kanazawa / Kyoto in Oct/Nov and this is a lifesaver! I have also booked MyStays Hotel in Kanazawa before reading your post and I’m glad you gave it a good thumbs up. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan, Nami!
Hi Felicia! Thank you for reading my post! October and November is a really nice time to travel. I’d highly recommend to visit Kyoto and Kanazawa in beautiful foliage season in November. It’s going to be so beautiful!!! We think alike!! HotelMyStay is very clean and nice place to rest at night! 🙂
Oh Namiko-san – how can we ever say a proper ‘thank you’ for all your hard work in allowing us to share in this brilliant journey! It may have been a longer post than many but I would have loved to go on and on, especially since I have not been much past the Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Nara areas. What fantastic food and the most interesting sushi I have ever seen! But, most of all: what an education or your children . . .
Thank you so much for your kind words, Eha! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed reading this post! I hope my children will remember about this trip. 🙂 Planning to go to Osaka and Nara next month. Hope to write a good travel post too… 🙂
I have really enjoyed reading about Kanazawa, Thanks for the well described trip. We will add it to our list of towns to visit on our next trip to Japan 🙂
And that reminded me about the Castella cake recipe which I haven’t tried yet… I have become addicted to the matcha chiffon and cheese cake ones! ;-D
Hi Ana! Thank you for reading, Ana! I am hoping to improve my castellla recipe…but I hope you enjoy my current recipe! 🙂
Thank you for the lovely presentation of your wonderful visit home… :O)
Thank you for your sweet words, RossC! 🙂
Kanazawa seems to be a magical and fascinating place. In spite of all the places of interest you kindly share with us, I’m however so hypnotised by the food… I can only think of it…. How cute to put the name of the izakaya on the omelette!!! I wonder how they prepared hojicha to make the ice-cream or cheesecake…. probably reduced to powder before…. When it comes to drinking, I always choose green tea, so my hojicha bought in Japan is still waiting untouched. Maybe it’s the time to start using it in sweets?
Thank you so much for sharing so many photographs and stories that make us all dream…
Wow! What a post, Nami; so much detail. The rail pass does sound like a good idea but there are certainly some tricks to how it all works. The trains do look very futuristic and they sure can cut your travel time. The gold leaf ice cream is very pretty xx
What a cool trip, Nami! I love how funky the trains look -kind of like a cool theme park ride!
I visited Kanazawa (and Takayama) last May and I really liked it !
It was my second time in Japan and I enjoyed the slow pace of this quiet but interesting city. Thanks a lot for your article, which brought back fond memories of a wonderful trip!
Rolanda
Rome, Italy
Hi Rolanda! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed your trip to Kanazawa and Takayama! Glad to hear you liked my post. Hope to share my Takayama post soon! 🙂
Thanks so much for this post Nami! You have definitely sold me on going to Kanazawa and I’ve just added it into my itinerary for my trip to Japan at the end of the year! Can’t wait until the rest of your posts about your trip!
Hi Michelle! Awesome! Really a nice city and you’ll enjoy your trip there. It’ll be cold in that area (snow too!), so please watch the weather carefully. I’m working on the next post (Toyama) now… Stay tuned.. 😀
Thanks for sharing your families Trip to Japan….
Thank you so much for reading my post, EJ! 🙂
Thank you very much for the gorgeous photos and your story. But, your little ones are so sweet and lovely, congratulations!
Hi Tania! Thanks so much for your kind words. xoxo
I love to see photos from your travels, it looks like your kids are having a great time! 🙂
I am really jealous of your Japan trips, the place, the food all of them looks amazing.
Hi Nami,
I am looking forward to reading your tour guide to Toyama. Your travel tips is always very useful.
Hi Emily! I’m working on it – it might be two separate posts. Hope I can finish soon… 🙂
Another fabulous virtual tour of your homeland! Thank you!
Hi Nami! You have created a wonderful travel resource for Japan. I’m leaving in 2 weeks to visit my daughter in Osaka for 9 days during Obon. Other than Kyoto, we have no side trips planned, but I would enjoy visiting more rural areas – even in China, we’re always in major cities! But I’m not one to change hotels daily anymore… Thanks for all the useful information and beautiful photos – my daughter suggested I purchase the JRP, so I’m doing that now 🙂
I enjoy your recipes a lot. Many of the dishes on our table are from your site. We visit Japan every time we go back to Taiwan. I think Kanazawa will be our next destination during our November visit..
– Amy
Hi Amy! Aww I’m so happy to hear you’ve been cooking my recipes! Thank you!!! We used to “layover” (but stay like 2 weeks) in Japan on the way to Taiwan in November too, when my kids were smaller (before elementary school). It was good season for both countries. Kaohsiung is a bit cooler in November (but it’s like 27C) and Japan is not too cold yet. I hope you enjoy visiting Kanazawa. Have a great seafood and enjoy touring the city!
Hi Nami,
What a coincidence: I am from Kaohsiung as well. We live about 30 miles north of Boston in southern New Hampshire. I am used to the cold weather in the Northeast. We normally travel to Kaohsiung during the winter time, that gives us a brief get-away from the snow and cold. I forwarded some of your blog to my husband, he likes your selection of cities to visit and the food. :-).
– Amy
You’re from Kaohsiung too! It must be a long way to go back. We’ll be back in Kaohsiung this November – we may run into each other there! Thanks for sharing my blog with your husband. 🙂
Hi Nami,
We decided to go to Toyama and Kanazawa. Do you have any suggestion if we should buy the Hokuriku Shinkansen (Kagayaki) tickets from NRT to Toyama prior to our trip or can we get the tickets at the NRT airport?
I will be in Tokyo for 2 nights in September, I could buy our tickets before our November trip. If you have an idea I’d appreciate your advice.
Thanks,
– Amy
Hi Amy! I’m not sure if your preferred traveling time is during rush hour or how crowded it might be in November (tourists to see fall foliage?), so I think it doesn’t hurt to book in advance. With JR Pass, you can always cancel and re-book many times as long as seats are available (regular shinkansen tickets only allow once). Hokuriku area is popular even for Japanese and there are so many foreign tourists going there, so I suggest booking ahead of time.
Hi Nami! Thank you for your advice, I will try to get the ticket when I am in Tokyo this September.
Have a great trip Amy! 🙂
This is a great post! My wife and I are traveling to Japan next month for vacation, and this post makes us want to go to Kanazawa. One question — would you recommend it for people who do not speak any Japanese? I noticed that almost none of the websites linked in your posthad any English, unlike many of the websites for places in Tokyo, Osaka, etc. We’re happy to figure it out as we go, but I suspect that some places are harder to get around in without speaking Japanese than others.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Jason! Thank you so much! I think and believe that you will be okay. Kanazawa has A LOT of tourists (especially after the new Shinkansen route), and I am sure there are many (or most) people who don’t speak Japanese. This city is still considered pretty English friendly city, compared to some cities (or towns?) I visited before… no English, no convenience store….etc. 😀 You will be okay and you will have a great time!
Thank you, Nami!! Now we are definitely planning to go to Kanazawa!
The restaurant you visited (Kuroya) appeals to me. I will be visiting Kanazawa in early December and would like to enjoy dinner at this restaurant. I do not speak or read Japanese however and am travelling alone. Do they have an English menu or do the staff speak any English?
Thank you. Love your posts.
Linda
Hi Linda! So sorry for my late response. Your comment became “read” in my inbox and I didn’t realize your comment till now.
I asked Mr. JOC and he said if you are familiar with Japanese food, you should be okay. There’s no picture on the menu though, but you can get by I think! 🙂
Oh and I think they don’t have an English menu… they didn’t give us… 🙁
Hi Nami,
I’m taking my 10 month baby son to Kanazawa and wondering how baby/child friendly some of the restaurants in the station area are like the oden place you posted.
thanks
Hi Ricky! I apologize for my late response. Only concern I have is that some “small” restaurants don’t have a high chair or kids friendly chair, and sometimes no space for a baby stroller etc. So it might be a good idea to find family friendly restaurants, go with baby carrier, or go to restaurant as soon as it opens…etc. Also, a lot of places don’t ban smoking inside the restaurant. Like the oden place, people smoke. So if you see lots of salarymen in the restaurants and doesn’t say no smoking, it’ll be quite too smoky for your baby… Something to consider. 🙂
Hope that helps!
Hi Nami! Great posts on your travels in Japan love this (and love your blog!). My family is planning on traveling to Japan in March and will be spending 4.5 and 4 nights in Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakawago before heading south to Kyoto, totally inspired by your posts! With just this amount of time, how would you recommend we split our time between the three places? Would you spend more time in Takayama than Kanazawa? Thank you!
Hi Mari! Aww so happy to hear that! Shirakawago is just half day excursion from Takayama (morning vs afternoon). So.. if you have 4 nights, I’d divide 2 days in Kanazawa and 2 days in Takayama. It really depends on your preference, but a lot of tourist attractions and POIs in Kanazwa (things to do) vs. Takayama has more like little shops in old town…
Wow this is a great guide! I’m traveling to Kanazawa in April 🙂 I’ll have two and a half days there, can’t wait to see everything. Your photos are beautiful.
Hi Lia! AWESOME! Hope you can catch the cherry blossom season…. Hope my guide will be helpful. 🙂 Have a safe trip!
This blog is so so helpful thank you!!
Hi Alexandra! I’m happy to hear that. Thank you for your kind words!
I loved your post with pictures of your travels along with explanations of the historical information of the area. The pictures were so enjoyable as well as your recommendations of places to stay and eat as well as travel tips! Those are so helpful!
Thank you so much for sharing and posting! The Railpass is a great recommendation. We have used it two different times when we went to Japan. The wait to get your pass initially validated or to make reservations for a seat may be long, but the people of Japan are so polite and courteous that we did not mind the wait.
Please continue to share your vacations in Japan if you have time!
Domo ariagato!
Hi Annie! Thank you so much for reading my travel posts! Yes, we must take advantage of JR pass (especially when you take lots of JR lines to visit your destinations). Thanks for your support. Hope I can do a good job reporting about my trip. 🙂
Hi, your post came just in time, thanks for sharing. I’m going to be in Tokyo and Kanazawa in July and look forward to visiting the place you wrote about.
Hi Karine! Oohhh how wonderful! Kanazawa is so fun, and I loved it! It’s much easier to travel with Shinkansen from Tokyo too. Hope you have a fantastic time!!
I booked Hotel MyStays for my September trip so I’m thrilled to know that it is a good place to stay. I booked the room for 4 too. 🙂
Does the oden restaurant require reservations? And does it have an English menu? I’m hoping to try Kuorya but I will be at Kanazawa on the 2nd day of my trip so don’t think I’ll be in time to make reservations. Sad 🙁
Thanks a lot of the recommendations.
Oh I also saw your post on Kurobe Gorge. Since I’m travelling in September when it’s too early for autumn colours, I am thinking if it’s worth travelling there. You mentioned that many spots at Keyakidaira were closed when you were there so I’m wondering if I should stop there if I do decide to visit Kurobe Gorge. What do you recommend?
Thank you
Hi Winnie! How exciting! The hotel is clean and has everything you’ll need (besides foods) so hope you’ll have a pleasant stay!
The Oden restaurant is more like walk in restaurant and salarymen go there. At this location inside the station building, I don’t think you can reserve a table.
I don’t think Kuroya has English menu. It has a lot of dishes, but it’s more like family style restaurant that it’s probably hard to translate – you know those dishes that they make with different ingredients and seasoning and not necessarily have names… like gyudon. So the waiter can explain the ingredient used, but it’s going to be hard to tell you one by one what dish it is. One thing you can ask is chef’s omakase or ask waiter what’s the most popular dishes (Ninki no Tabemono) and you can get surprise dishes… it’s probably safer than ordering randomly. BUT you have to be very comfortable with what they use/serve.
About the Kurobe Gorge. are you going later in September? According to the website, mid September is when foliage starts in Murodo (higher in elevation).
http://www.club-t.com/special/japan/alpine/spot.htm
also check how crowded it is…
http://www.alpen-route.com/information/calendar/
If it’s earlier in September, unless you see the green scenery (still beautiful), you may want to spend more time in other location that you travel. 🙂
Thanks Nami for your reply.
My family and I are not so adventurous so I think it’s quite hard to leave our food choices to the chef. I think it would be safer for us if there was a English menu.
I will not be going to the Tateyama Alpine Route as I went there 2 years ago in November. Thought of doing the Kurobe Gorge Railway instead. Although it would be great to see the autumn colors, I think the greenery would be pretty nice too. I’ll be there mid September.
Have a wonderful trip, Winnie! 🙂
Hi Nami
Having just visited Kanazawa this week brings a happy smile to my face when I read your blog. I have just discovered your website today but I am so glad I did! I will try some of your recipes too, Next year my husband and I will explore Kurobe and Noto so we will definitely follow some of your advice. Thank you very much 🙂
cheers
Sri
Hi Sri! Ohhh you went to Kanazawa! How was the weather? We loved our trip to Kanazawa. So glad you got to visit. 🙂 We skipped Noto Hanto, but we hope to visit there one day. I’ve never been there.
And welcome to my blog! Hope you find some recipes that you enjoyed while you were visiting Japan. 🙂
Hi Nami
The weather in Kanazawa was quite pleasant, with occasional rain fall (early Sept). Someone famous once said ‘you may forgot your lunchbox but never an umbrella when visiting Kanazawa’. So true 🙂
Oh just an info, the loop bus is now cost 200 yen per ride/adult and 100 yen per ride/child. A day pass is still 500 yen (value for money).
Keep up good work with your recipe. I love the everyday japanese cooking. Your website is awesome!
Cheers
Sri
Hi Sri! Ah, I’ve never heard of that saying before. Thanks for sharing! Also, thank you for the updated price for the loop bus. I edited my post. I’m happy to hear you enjoy my blog. Thank you for reading! xo
Japan’s culture is displayed with great photography.
Thank you Susan! 🙂
This is fantastic! Will definitely pay a visit. My family and I visited Kyoto this past spring based on your recommendations. Had a lovely time! Your insights were extremely helpful. THANK YOU and looking forward to reading more about your travels!
Hi Gracie! Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that. Enjoy Kanazawa – I really want to go back again… my stay was too short for stopping by more stores and eat more delicious food there!
Hi! My family and I hope to visit the north western part of Japan in June this year, but we have only a couple of days to cover the Alpine Route and its surroundings. Top on our list is the snow wall and we will have to choose between the Kurobe Gorge, Takayama, Kanazawa, or Shirakawago. Could you share with me which of these destinations your children enjoyed the most? Thank you for sharing your yummy recipes and travel stories with us!
Hi Grace,
If you only have a few days, we recommend either Takayama or Kanazawa. Kurobe Gorge is very pretty but there’s not much to do once to get to the top. Shirakawago is a half day tour from Takayama so we would recommend bundling those two.
Recommendation:
1) Takayama + Shirakawago
2) Kanazawa
3) Toyama/Kurobe Gorge
Let us know if you have any questions.
Thanks so much Mr JOC! Will set my eyes on Kanazawa then, as I am reserving Shirakawago for a winter wonderland holiday… someday.
Hi, there are two Hotel Mystays i.e. Mystays Kanazawa Castle and Mystays Premier Kanazawa. Which one did you stay? Thanks!
Hi Ai,
We stayed at Mystays Premier Kanazawa.
Have fun in this beautiful city.
I’m finally making a trip over to Kanazawa, and am glad to chance upon your blog.
The food looks so so good!
May I know if Kuroya & Kuroyuri have english menu? I don’t speak or read japanese. any other restaurants you’d recommend?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Yvonne,
We believe Kuroyuri has an English menu since it’s located in the station. For Kuroya, if I recall I believe they had a small English menu but I am not 100%.
What you can do is go to their website and do a Google translate. It’s not accurate but will give you an idea what the dishes are. It was so tasty! The staff was very friendly so you can probably ask them to recommend.
Have fun in Kanazawa!