What is Kanazawa known for?

Able to escape aerial raids during World War Two, the older districts of Kanazawa have remained remarkably intact and have drawn parallels of the city to Kyoto. Most famous for its centuries-old garden, Kenrokuen, built by the Maeda clan at the height of their power, there are actually a number of worthwile cultural properties in the heart of Kanazawa city. Nicknamed "ninja temple" for the sheer number of traps built on its grounds, Myoryuji Temple is certain to excite any enthusiast of subterfu…

Kanazawa is an area in ISHIKAWA, Japan.

What are the best places to visit in Kanazawa?

WOW U lists 24 spots in Kanazawa. Popular spots include Morihachi Main Store, Kagafu Fumuroya Owaricho Main Store, Kinpakuya Sakuda Main Store (Gold Leaf Crafting Workshop), Higashiyama Shuraku, Gyokusen-an Tea House (Gyokusen'inmaru Garden).

Can I book a guided tour in Kanazawa?

Yes. WOW U lists activities in Kanazawa hosted by Locals, the local guides who live in the area. You book, message your Locals host and pay on WOW U.

Can I visit a Japanese family's home near Kanazawa?

Yes. WOW U lists home visits in ISHIKAWA, where a local host welcomes you into their own home.

WOW U is a booking platform that connects travellers directly with local guides in Japan, called Locals. You book, message your Locals host and pay on WOW U, and every experience can be reviewed afterwards. More than 6,100 Locals are registered on WOW U. Reviews left by travellers average 4.7 out of 5.

Kanazawa

Spots in this area(24)

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Culture Experience Insta-worthy Food & Drink Art & Architecture History Beautiful Scenery Shopping Entertainment Onsen(Hot Springs)Trendy Places

Kanazawa

Morihachi Main Store

Four hundred years of sweets from the Kaga clan's official confectioner.

Culture ExperienceFood & DrinkHistory+2

Kanazawa

Kagafu Fumuroya Owaricho Main Store

Pour hot water and watch a treasure box bloom—160 years of Kaga fu craft.

Culture ExperienceEntertainmentFood & Drink+2

Kanazawa

Kinpakuya Sakuda Main Store (Gold Leaf Crafting Workshop)

Craft your own keepsake with gold leaf one ten-thousandth of a millimeter thin.

Culture ExperienceEntertainmentHistory

Kanazawa

4.8(5)

Higashiyama Shuraku

Taste your way through 120 Ishikawa sakes, then take your favorite home.

Culture ExperienceEntertainmentFood & Drink

Gyokusen-an Tea House (Gyokusen'inmaru Garden)

Kanazawa

5.0(6)

Gyokusen-an Tea House (Gyokusen'inmaru Garden)

A bowl of matcha with the lords' garden spread before you.

Beautiful SceneryCulture ExperienceFood & Drink+1

Kanazawa

4.6(5)

Gyokusen'inmaru Garden (Kanazawa Castle Park)

The lords' private garden, framed by castle stone walls.

Beautiful SceneryCulture ExperienceInsta-worthy

Kanazawa

5.0(6)

Bistro Kamiya Ichibei Katamachi

Locas fish and local sake inside a 141-year-old Kanazawa townhouse.

Culture ExperienceFood & Drink

Kanazawa

5.0(5)

Hacchouya Kanazawa Ekimae

Kaga jibuni stew and local sake, two minutes from Kanazawa Station.

Culture ExperienceFood & Drink

Kanazawa

4.9(8)

Hotel Torifito Kanazawa

Five minutes from Kanazawa Station, with a warm public bath

Onsen(Hot Springs)

Kanazawa

4.9(7)

Kanazawa Station

Gold-leaf pillars and a Noh drum gate greet you off the train.

Art & ArchitectureShopping

Kanazawa

5.0(6)

Oyama Jinja Shrine

A shrine gate fusing Japanese, Chinese, and Dutch styles — built in 1875.

Art & Architecture

Kanazawa

Nagamachi Samurai District

Edo-era earthen walls still stand where samurai once walked home.

Art & ArchitectureBeautiful SceneryHistory+1

Kanazawa

Soryokan

A merchant lord's restored beams hold two centuries of sea-trade ambition.

Art & ArchitectureCulture ExperienceHistory

Kanazawa

Genpeibashi Bridge

Snow-capped Hakusan mirrored in a lagoon where herons drift.

Beautiful SceneryInsta-worthy

Kanazawa

Kaikaro Teahouse

Two centuries of geisha banquets still echo in these lacquered halls.

Art & ArchitectureCulture ExperienceEntertainment+2

Kanazawa

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

Stand beneath a pool — the water is only an illusion above you.

Art & Architecture

Kanazawa

4.9(8)

Kanazawa Castle Park

400-year-old stone walls rebuilt by hand, blossom-ringed each spring.

Art & ArchitectureHistory

Kanazawa

Ohi Museum

Eleven generations of rough-glazed tea bowls, still warm from the kiln.

Art & ArchitectureHistory

Kanazawa

Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History

Walk samurai Kanazawa's centuries, from clan rule to modern craft.

History

Kanazawa

Shimai Toshi Koen Park

Seven cities, one park — Buffalo to Suzhou, all rooted in Kanazawa.

Beautiful SceneryInsta-worthy

Kanazawa

5.0(8)

Omicho Ichiba Market

300-year-old market lanes, Sea of Japan crabs still twitching.

Food & DrinkShopping

Kanazawa

Myoryuji Temple (Ninja Temple)

Seven floors hide behind a two-story facade, plus a well that leads to the cast…

Culture ExperienceInsta-worthy

Kanazawa

5.0(7)

Higashi Chaya District

Candlelit teahouse streets where geisha culture still lingers at dusk.

Art & ArchitectureBeautiful SceneryFood & Drink+2

Kanazawa

5.0(5)

Kenrokuen Garden

Snow-roped pines and a two-legged lantern, frozen in Edo grace.

Beautiful SceneryInsta-worthyTrendy Places

Activities in Kanazawa

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Ishikawa in a Glass: Local Sake Tasting with a Golden Twist in Higashi Chaya

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Ishikawa / Kanazawa

Ishikawa in a Glass: Local Sake Tasting with a Golden Twist in Higashi Chaya

Approx. ¥4,400 / guest

Make Sushi with a 50-Year Master Chef: Hands-On Class Steps from Kanazawa Station

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Ishikawa / Kanazawa

Make Sushi with a 50-Year Master Chef: Hands-On Class Steps from Kanazawa Station

Approx. ¥9,800 / guest

Make Your Own Instant Miso Soup with Kaga-Fu at a Wheat Gluten House Since 1865

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Ishikawa / Kanazawa

5.0(6)

Make Your Own Instant Miso Soup with Kaga-Fu at a Wheat Gluten House Since 1865

Approx. ¥5,500 / guest

Gild Your Own Treasure: Gold Leaf Workshop at a Century-Old Atelier in Higashi Chaya

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Ishikawa / Kanazawa

5.0(5)

Gild Your Own Treasure: Gold Leaf Workshop at a Century-Old Atelier in Higashi Chaya

Approx. ¥5,500 / guest

The Same Water, Four Hundred Years Apart — A Garden Running on a Canal Cut in 1632, Then 120 Sakes Made From What Falls on the Same Mountains

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

The Same Water, Four Hundred Years Apart — A Garden Running on a Canal Cut in 1632, Then 120 Sakes Made From What Falls on the Same Mountains

Approx. ¥19,800 / guest

A City That Never Stopped Cutting — A Garden Shaped by Hand for 180 Years, Then Six Seats Inside a Knife Shop

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

A City That Never Stopped Cutting — A Garden Shaped by Hand for 180 Years, Then Six Seats Inside a Knife Shop

Approx. ¥27,500 / guest

Three Counters on One Street — Gold Leaf, Six Seats Inside a Knife Shop, and 120 Sakes to Choose From

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

Three Counters on One Street — Gold Leaf, Six Seats Inside a Knife Shop, and 120 Sakes to Choose From

Approx. ¥33,000 / guest

The Richest Clan Outside the Shogun's Own Spent 300 Years Proving It Wasn't a Threat — A Garden, a Sweet, and a Soup That All Came Out of That Fear

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

The Richest Clan Outside the Shogun's Own Spent 300 Years Proving It Wasn't a Threat — A Garden, a Sweet, and a Soup That All Came Out of That Fear

Approx. ¥33,000 / guest

The Garden Is Named for Six Things That Aren't Supposed to Fit Together — Then You Make Your Own Combination

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

The Garden Is Named for Six Things That Aren't Supposed to Fit Together — Then You Make Your Own Combination

Approx. ¥16,500 / guest

Nothing in Kanazawa Was Made in a Hurry — 180 Years of Garden, Then Gold Beaten to One Ten-Thousandth of a Millimeter

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

Nothing in Kanazawa Was Made in a Hurry — 180 Years of Garden, Then Gold Beaten to One Ten-Thousandth of a Millimeter

Approx. ¥16,500 / guest

Kanazawa Was Built to Look Harmless — Tea in the Lord's Private Garden, Then Two Houses That Have Been Serving That Tea for 400 Years

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

Kanazawa Was Built to Look Harmless — Tea in the Lord's Private Garden, Then Two Houses That Have Been Serving That Tea for 400 Years

Approx. ¥22,000 / guest

Kanazawa From Both Sides of the Castle Wall — Matcha in the Lords' Private Garden, Then Soup-Making at a Merchant House Trading Since 1865

by Ishikawa Locals Network

Kanazawa

Kanazawa From Both Sides of the Castle Wall — Matcha in the Lords' Private Garden, Then Soup-Making at a Merchant House Trading Since 1865

Approx. ¥14,300 / guest

Home Visits in ISHIKAWA

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Enjoy Kanazawa cuisine with university students in traditional wooden townhouse, Kanazawa-machiya!

by Mihoko Tomoi

ISHIKAWA

Enjoy Kanazawa cuisine with university students in traditional wooden townhouse, Kanazawa-machiya!

Approx. ¥5,000 / guest

Locals in ISHIKAWA

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Japanese / Italian +1

ISHIKAWA

YUBA MAI

CultureArtCooking+1

Japanese

ISHIKAWA

SEIKO NAKAMURA

Japanese / English +2

ISHIKAWA

Natsumi Tamura

NatureSportsGourmet+1

English

ISHIKAWA

Tomoko Sasaki

Japanese / English

ISHIKAWA

takuya kitamura

MusicHistoryCulture

Japanese

ISHIKAWA

kayo fukatani

CultureNatureGourmet+4

Japanese / English +1

ISHIKAWA

Hirotaka Kitajima

MusicMoviesSake+3

Japanese

ISHIKAWA

Miho ohno

CultureFashionHistory+3

Frequently asked questions

What is Kanazawa known for?: Able to escape aerial raids during World War Two, the older districts of Kanazawa have remained remarkably intact and have drawn parallels of the city to Kyoto. Most famous for its centuries-old garden, Kenrokuen, built by the Maeda clan at the height of their power, there are actually a number of worthwile cultural properties in the heart of Kanazawa city. Nicknamed "ninja temple" for the sheer number of traps built on its grounds, Myoryuji Temple is certain to excite any enthusiast of subterfu…
Where is Kanazawa?: Kanazawa is an area in ISHIKAWA, Japan.
What are the best places to visit in Kanazawa?: WOW U lists 24 spots in Kanazawa. Popular spots include Morihachi Main Store, Kagafu Fumuroya Owaricho Main Store, Kinpakuya Sakuda Main Store (Gold Leaf Crafting Workshop), Higashiyama Shuraku, Gyokusen-an Tea House (Gyokusen'inmaru Garden).
Can I book a guided tour in Kanazawa?: Yes. WOW U lists activities in Kanazawa hosted by Locals, the local guides who live in the area. You book, message your Locals host and pay on WOW U.
Can I visit a Japanese family's home near Kanazawa?: Yes. WOW U lists home visits in ISHIKAWA, where a local host welcomes you into their own home.
What is WOW U?: WOW U is a booking platform that connects travellers directly with local guides in Japan, called Locals. You book, message your Locals host and pay on WOW U, and every experience can be reviewed afterwards. More than 6,100 Locals are registered on WOW U. Reviews left by travellers average 4.7 out of 5.