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…
Must-see attractions in Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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;…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Kanazawa
In Higashi-chaya-gai, Kaikarō is an early-19th-century geisha house refinished with contemporary fittings and art, including a red-lacquered staircase…
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Kanazawa
Completed in 1643 in Teramachi, the temple was designed to protect its lord from attack. It contains hidden stairways, escape routes, secret chambers,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Kanazawa
An Important Cultural Asset, this well-known, traditional-style former geisha house dates from 1820 and has an impressive collection of elaborate combs,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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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Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Products & Crafts
Kanazawa
This small museum offers fine displays of over 20 regional crafts; many pieces are for sale if you fall in love with something. Pick up the free English…
