Kenroku-en garden, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Photo: char via FIND/47 · CC BY 4.0
石川CHŪBU
CHŪBU · 石川県 · Japan

Ishikawa

Kanazawa's gardens and gold leaf, plus the rugged Noto Peninsula.

Ishikawa stretches along the Sea of Japan, anchored by the castle town of Kanazawa with its celebrated Kenrokuen, one of Japan's three great gardens, and preserved geisha and samurai districts. North of the city, the rugged Noto Peninsula offers dramatic coastal scenery, centuries-old lacquerware crafts, and seafood markets.

Ishikawa's (石川) Kanazawa (金沢) was the seat of the wealthy Maeda clan, second only to the Tokugawa. Spared wartime bombing, it kept its samurai and geisha districts and the celebrated Kenroku-en (兼六園) garden.

Kanazawa 金沢Wajima 輪島Mitsukejima 見附島
Where it isIshikawa, CHŪBU
Kenrokuen Garden, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Kenrokuen Garden
Higashi Chaya District, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Higashi Chaya District
Nagamachi Samurai District, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Nagamachi Samurai District
Gold leaf, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Gold leaf

Photos: Kenrokuen Garden — williamcho via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Higashi Chaya District — Yasuyuki_Kawano via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Nagamachi Samurai District — douglaspperkins via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gold leaf — zoosan via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0

01

Getting there

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Kanazawa is ~2h30m from Tokyo by Hokuriku Shinkansen.

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02

What to see

All tours · Ishikawa PR
Kenrokuen Garden, Ishikawa Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Kenrokuen Garden

One of Japan's Three Great Gardens, beside Kanazawa Castle. Its name means 'garden of six attributes' (spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, water,…

MapOfficialTickets
Higashi Chaya District, Ishikawa Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Higashi Chaya District

Kanazawa's largest preserved teahouse (chaya) district, with wooden-latticed geisha houses, gold-leaf shops, and traditional cafes along narrow lanes.

MapOfficialTickets
Nagamachi Samurai District, Ishikawa Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Nagamachi Samurai District

Preserved former samurai residential quarter with earthen walls and lanes; some old residences are open to visitors, others now host cafes and craft shops.

MapOfficialTickets
03

What to eat

Food tours & cooking classes PR
Kaisendon, Ishikawa Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Kaisendon / Omicho Market seafood (snow crab, nodoguro, amaebi)

Ishikawa sits where warm and cold Sea of Japan currents meet, giving exceptional seafood; Omicho Market is the 'Kitchen of Kanazawa' with 180+ shops. Winter…

Jibuni, Ishikawa Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Jibuni (duck and vegetable stew)

A Kanazawa signature: duck (sometimes other poultry) coated in flour and simmered with seasonal vegetables in dashi, giving a characteristically thick, glossy…

Noto beef, Ishikawa Prefecture, JapanLocal secret

Noto beef (Noto-gyu)

Wagyu from black cattle raised on the Noto Peninsula; production is so small it is rarely shipped outside Ishikawa, making it a true local-only delicacy…

04

Ishikawa at a glance

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05

Say it in Ishikawa

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Ask a local
Kirei desu ne.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Test yourself
Local word
kinpaku
gold leaf — Kanazawa makes most of Japan's
Test yourself
One more
Koko no keshiki wa hontou ni subarashii desu ne.
The scenery here is truly wonderful, isn't it?
Practise more Japanese →
Kenrokuen Garden, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

Sleep in Ishikawa

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07

Next door

ToyamaTowering snow walls in the Alps and glassy bays of firefly squid.FukuiDinosaurs, dramatic cliffs, and a great Zen temple.Play the 47-prefecture mapUnlock Ishikawa in the RPG-style explorer.

Links marked PR are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Photos: Kenroku-en garden — char via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Kenrokuen Garden — williamcho via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Higashi Chaya District — Yasuyuki_Kawano via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Nagamachi Samurai District — douglaspperkins via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gold leaf — zoosan via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Kenrokuen Garden — bryan... via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Higashi Chaya District — Andrea Schaffer via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Nagamachi Samurai District — Andrea Schaffer via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Kaisendon — 海鮮ドン via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jibuni — Nullumayulife via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Noto beef — Miyuki Meinaka via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Map: Geolonia (MIT).