Tsuzumi-mon gateKenrokuenKanazawa Castle ParkOmicho MarketHigashi Chaya district21st Century MuseumNomura samurai house
Tour lengths
Choose how long you'd like
One quote per private group of up to six, in USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, GBP or EUR.
Half day
Kenrokuen, the castle park, Omicho Market and Higashi Chaya.
Free quote
Full day
The whole old town, with a samurai house and the 21st Century Museum.
Free quote
Two days
Best as one full day. Two days on request, with a lighter second day.
Free quote
From your guide
What I point out on the way
I spent nine years in Brisbane, from junior high to the end of university, and I guide in English or Japanese. I check our food stops with each shop before the day.
Sho's note
Kenrokuen
Entry is free in the early morning, before the regular opening. After that it's 320 yen.
Sho's note
Shima
A teahouse built in 1820 and an Important Cultural Property. It's 500 yen to go in.
Sho's note
Omicho Market
About 170 shops. Many close on Wednesdays, so I plan lunch around that.
We meet at the Tsuzumi-mon gate outside Kanazawa Station, 13.7 metres tall and modelled on the Noh hand drum. Kanazawa gets a lot of rain and snow, and the dome behind the gate was designed as an umbrella held out to arriving passengers.
Gold leaf here is beaten to a ten-thousandth of a millimetre, and Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto uses about 200,000 sheets of it.
Photos
Kanazawa through my lens
The wooden Tsuzumi-mon gate outside Kanazawa Station, with the glass dome behind it.A stone-paved lane between earthen walls in the Nagamachi samurai district.The Onosho Canal between stone banks and earthen walls in Nagamachi.An empty stone street between two-storey wooden teahouses in the Higashi Chaya district.The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art lit from inside, with a large pine on the lawn.The evening sky reflected in a moat at Kanazawa Castle.
FAQ
Questions people ask
When is Kenrokuen quietest?
I don't have hard numbers, but the free early-morning opening may be quieter. If you're up early, we can start there.
Why is there no two-day route?
One full day covers the old town well. I can stretch it to two if you ask, but the second day would be light.
Free quote
Kanazawa on your list
Tell me your dates, how many of you there are and anything you can't eat. I'll send back a route and a free quote.
