History / Culture / Tour Spots in Kanazawa City Area

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Category

Travel / Tourism

History / Culture / Tour

Nomura Samurai Residence

4.0

876 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Nagamachi 1-3-32

A collection of buildings which once served as the residence of the Nomura samurai family during the era of Japan’s feudal domains. This popular tourist destination is located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. Walking the stone paving and earthen walled alleys of the site, you’ll be able to get a taste of the life a samurai and his lady wife lived during the Edo period. The Nomura family served as regional administrators for generations; today, their home is open to the general public, and visitors can view fusuma screen paintings by the Kano school painter Sasaki Senkei, the interiors of buildings with glass and paper screen doors, tea rooms, and the family garden. Visited by great numbers of tourists from overseas as well, the residence is an internationally renowned sightseeing spot.

We really enjoyed our time here.. lot of history and was such a tranquil place..set aside an hour and make the trip here.. Samurai museum is 1 min up the road..
Oyama-jinja Shrine

4.0

681 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Oyamamachi 11-1

You’ll find this shrine in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The founder of the Kaga Clan, Maeda Toshiie, and his lawful wife Matsu are enshrined here. It was constructed in 1873, before which time the spirits were enshrined together in Utasu Hachimangu (the present Utatsu Shrine) at the foot of the Mt. Utatsu. The three-level shrine gate was built in 1875 and combines Japanese, Chinese, and Western styles. It has been designated an Important Cultural Property. Vibrant glass fills the third level, giving it an otherworldly appearance when illuminated at night.

Within walkable distance from Omicho market. We walked from Omicho market via small backstreets, and entered Oyama Shrine via their side entrance. I like the pond in the shrine grounds... it gives...
D.T. Suzuki Museum

4.5

447 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Hondamachi 3-4-20

The D.T. Suzuki Museum in Kanazawa was opened as a place for people to learn about D.T. Suzuki, a renowned Buddhist scholar who was born in Kanazawa, and also as a place for self-reflection. The Museum consists of three halls (the Vestibule, Exhibition Space and Contemplative Space, which are linked by corridors) and three gardens (the Vestibule Garden, Water Mirror Garden, and Roji Garden). The scene of the Contemplative Space building reflected in the shallow pool of water in the Water Mirror Garden is highly photogenic, and has appeared in many different media.

I absolutely adored this little out-of-the-way museum. I was fascinated by online photos for a long time and had always wanted to visit, but my time in Kanazawa was always too short for a visit...
Ochaya Shima (National Important Cultural Property )

4.0

315 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-13-21

Kanazawa Higashi-rou Shima was built in 1820 in the Kanazawa Higashi Chaya District, and the building to this day hasn’t been altered and remains as it was during the Edo period. It is highly valuable as cultural heritage and has been designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The guest rooms on the second floor are structured for the purpose of merrymaking: if the guests sit with their backs to the alcove, the front becomes an anteroom, and it is designed that one can enjoy dancing and artistic accompaniment if the fusuma (Japanese sliding screens) are opened. You can have traditional Kanazawa sweets together with green tea in the tearoom, “Kanson-an”.

Interesting small museum in an good old area. We only spent a short while in the museum but it was interesting to see. You need take your shoes off. If you have the day tourist bus pass you save 50...
Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art

4.0

169 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Dewamachi 2-1

This integrated art museum is located in Dewamachi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. It opened in 1959 and was moved to its current location in 1983. The museum collects and displays various works, ranging from the works of artists associated with Ishikawa Prefecture to the antiques associated with the Maeda Family of the Kaga clan, which are its focus, to Japanese-style paintings, oil paintings and sculptures. It also houses a National Treasure, “Iro-e Kiji Koro (Incense burner in the shape of pheasant decorated with overglaze enamels),” by Nonomura Ninsei, and other important cultural properties. There are seven collection exhibition rooms, which are rotated regularly, to display different works. The café created by a patissier Hironobu Tsujiguchi is also very popular.

Visited to soak in the local art and was pleasantly surprised by the high quality exhibits. The incense burners are particularly lovely in person, as are some of the other historic exhibits. The...
Seisonkaku

4.0

205 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Kenrokumachi 1-2

Seisonkaku is a retreat which Nariyasu Maeda, the 13th lord of Kaga Province, built for his mother, Shinryuin, in 1863. It is located next to Kenroku-en Garden, a famous tourist place in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The building has been designated as a National Important Cultural Property and its garden as a National Place of Scenic Beauty. The two-storey building with a shingle roof features the Shoin-zukuri architectural style on the first floor and the Sukiya-zukuri architectural style on the second floor. The luxurious interior decorations, such as the Shoin-no-ma with its impressive purple walls and pastel ultramarine ceiling, as well as the drawing room with a beautiful colored ranma openwork screen are particular must sees.

We really enjoyed walking round this house. If you have the day bus pass for tourists you can save 100 yen. They have lockers for your shoes and umbrellas.
Kaikaro Cafe

4.0

163 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Kanazawa-shi Higashiyama 1-14-8

Its a small area, but its also quite mysterious with so much history. Everything is well kept.. from restaurants to cafes to souvenir shops etc.. I went there twice..
Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum

4.0

144 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-3-10

"A five minute walk from the ""Hashiba-cho"" bus station on the Hokuriku Railroad Bus and JR Bus lines from Kanazawa Station. This museum is dedicated to gold leafing, a traditional industry in Kanazawa. The museum was started by Takaki Yasue, a gold leaf artisan who collected gold leaf artwork and tools and built a hall to display them in Kitayasue. Due to the aging of this facility, the museum was moved from the hall to its current location in Higashiyama in 2010. The museum building was modeled after a traditional Japanese townhouse and is accented with gold leaf. The domed ceiling in the museum's hall, decorated with no. 3 pure yellow gold, in particular is a must-see. The museum contains exhibits and video displays which show how gold leaf is made and applied, as well as gold leaf works of art, and visitors can learn about the history of gold leaf production and view dazzling examples of the craft."

Great antique houses with shoos and business mixed. A community showcasing their products. Gold leaf workshops as their champion. Whats more, it is free admission, too.
Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History

4.0

91 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Dewamachi 3-1

A history museum located a three minute walk from the Kenrokuen Garden easily identifiable by its eye-catching red brick structure. This building was once used as an armory by the imperial army as well as a facility for the Kanazawa College of Art and has been designated a National Important Cultural Property. As its name indicates, the museum contains exhibits presenting the history and culture of Ishikawa Prefecture, and visitors can trace the eras of the area, from a reconstruction of a Jomon period dog based on excavated bones, to a recreation of a Showa period Japanese living room. The museum also actively engages in a variety of activities, including holding several planned and special exhibitions throughout the year as well as seminars and lectures by curators. In addition, the museum hosts tours of nearby historical sites and temples.

重要文化財に指定されている金澤陸軍兵器支廠の兵器庫を活用した歴史博物館である。外観こそ往年の古い赤レンガの佇まいを彷彿させるが、館内は新しく整備されている。とは言え館内の全てが現代風に刷新されているわけではなく、往年の洋館の雰囲気を随所に漂わせている。博物館の展示資料だけでなく、建物自体を探検するのも興味深い。博物館は1階が常設展示室となっており、2階が特別展示室となっている。常設展示と特別展示...
Shiinoki Cultural Complex, Ishikawa Prefecture

4.0

95 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Hirosaka 2-1-1

"A reception hall created by remodeling the former Ishikawa Government Office built in 1924. The two beach trees on either side of the front entrance are a symbol of the facility; 300 years old, they are even included in the facility's name (""Shiinoki"" means ""beech tree""). Known as the Temple-shaped Beeches, these trees are also designated National Natural Monuments. The side of the building facing Kanazawa Castle Park is covered with floor to ceiling windows, giving it a more modern and fashionable aspect, and these windows are perfect spots from which to view the Kanazawa Castle wall when it is lit up at night. The facility has a restaurant and cafe and is frequently used to host events and exhibitions."

金沢２１世紀美術館のすぐ北側にあるしいのき緑地にあります。昔は県庁だったそうで、まさにレトロモダンという雰囲気の建物です。朝で中は見学していませんが、無料で入ることができ、カフェなどもあるので休憩にもピッタリだと思います。
Kanazawashi Ashigaru Museum

4.0

127 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Nagamachi 1-9-3

A museum located in Nagamachi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture which displays materials related to the life and work of “ashigaru,” common foot soldiers who existed during the era of Japan’s feudal domains. The museum consists of two wood longhouses used as ashigaru barracks which were moved to this site. The hedge, trees and other plants, and distinctive roof with stones placed on top all replicate how the facility would have looked when used to house ashigaru. Inside, visitors will find exhibits presenting life goods and furnishings used at the time, providing a glimpse into the foods ashigaru ate, the side work they engaged in to occupy their time, and other aspects of their everyday life.

I walked around the Nagamachi (samurai) district and found three other houses that were open to the public free of charge which I enjoyed much more than the Nomura Samurai house. One of them was the...
Kanazawa Shrine

4.0

88 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Kenrokumachi 1-3

"A Shinto shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, seen as a god of scholarship, adjoining the south side of the Kenrokuen garden a 10 minute drive from JR Kanazawa Station. The shrine was originally established to serve as the guardian shrine of the Meirindo, a domain-run school built in 1794 by Maeda Harunaga, the 11th lord of Kaga Domain. The shrine is also dedicated to Hakuja Ryujin, the white snake god also affectionately known as ""Shirohebi-san"" and ""Mi-san"" who provides protection from fire, floods, and misfortune, as well as granting luck in monetary affairs and business. The grounds bustle with visitors during the shrine's New Year's Day festival as well as during the Hakuja and Tenjin festivals held on the 1st and 25th of every month, respectively. The shrine also allows Shinto-style wedding ceremonies to be held in front of the vibrant, vermillion-lacquered main shrine, a designated National Tangible Protected Cultural Property."

It is a small Shinto shrine near Kanazawa Reitaku. As I went early in the morning, there were some visitors. Seemingly it is a popular place for local people. The gate and the washing basin are...
Kanazawa Phonograph Museum

4.5

95 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Owarichou 2-11-21

This museum located in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture is dedicated to the subject of phonographs. The museum houses approximately 600 phonographs and 30,000 78 rpm records collected since the mid 1970s-mid 1980s, making it one of the largest museums of its kind in Japan. Three times a day, records are played on different phonographs selected from the collection so that visitors can hear the difference in the sound each produces. The phonographs used range from the wax cylinder phonograph invented by Thomas Edison to a Credenza, which is sometimes called the king of phonographs. The museum's beautiful exterior evokes romanticism for the Taisho era.

Even of you only have a passing interest in the history of recorded music, the warmth and enthusiasm of the staff will draw you in to this amazing collection of photographs from the creation by...
Kanazawa Shinise Memorial Hall

4.0

87 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Nagamachi 2-2-45

A museum located in Naga-machi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture housed inside a relocated building which once belonged to Nakaya Yakuho, a long-standing medicine company which was established in 1579. The building, an extremely valuable cultural property, was originally built in 1878 on the occasion of a visit by Emperor Meiji and the exterior remains unchanged from that time. Inside, visitors will find a recreation of the “mise no ma” parlor used by Nakaya Yakuho to serve customers during Japan’s feudal domain era. The second floor serves as an exhibition space displaying materials related to the culture of the merchants who once lived in Kanazawa, traditional wedding implements, and everyday tools once used by shops of old in the area.

On our tour of the Naga-machi district area we were invited into this museum by a lovely man. The museum only costs 100yen which is way too little for all the things that shows:a perfect...
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

Leisure / Hobbies

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Hirosaka 1-2-1

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is housed in an imposing circular, glass-walled building, located in the center of Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The Museum is divided into an Exhibition Zone, for which there is an admission charge, and a Public Zone, with free admission. There are a wide variety of art installations and artworks everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. One particularly popular exhibit is Leandro Erlich’s “The Swimming Pool” (popularly known as “Leandro’s Pool”). From ground-level, it looks as though the people underneath are underwater; this experiential work creates opportunities for fascinating encounters between the people above and the people down below.
Kanazawa Noh Museum

4.0

77 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Hirosaka 1-2-25

The Kanazawa Noh Museum is located adjacent to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, on Prefectural Route 10 in 1 Chome, Hirosaka, Kanazawa City. The Museum collects and exhibits masks and costumes from the “Kaga Hosho” tradition (a style of Noh drama that developed in the Kaga Domain), which has been designated an Intangible Cultural Asset by Kanazawa City Government. The Hirosaka district, where the Museum is situated, has a strong association with Noh drama, as this is the district where the old Kanagawa Noh Theatre was located.

The museum is on the main road and is not in the fine arts museum. We enjoyed taking pictures dressed in the noh outfit. Not much to buy. Super glad we found the place. It near the Kenrokuen. Exit on...
Ishikawa-mon Gate

4.5

7 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Kanazawa-shi Marunouchi 1-1 Kanazawa Jo Park Uchi

Full-fledged construction on Kanazawa Castle was begun in 1583 by samurai general Maeda Toshiie after the Battle of Shizugatake. The rear Ishikawa Gate, facing the Kenrokuen garden, was once known as the Karamete (“back”) Gate. Records state its current name is derived from the fact that it faces the direction of Ishikawa County, and today it is used by countless tourists as one of Kanazawa Castle’s main gates. The complex structure consists of the two–tier, two-story Ishikawa Yagura turret and multiple gates, and it is believed the purpose of this design was to slow enemies in the event of an invasion. At night, visitors can enjoy the beauty of the castle lit up by lights.

金沢城の東側に位置する門で、石川橋で兼六園につながっています。なかなか立派な門ですが、これでも裏門なんですね。お堀通りを歩きながらちらっと見学したので、門よりも櫓のほうが存在感がありましたが、一体的になかなか良かったです。
The Fourth High School Memorial Museum of Cultural Exchange, Ishikawa

4.0

68 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Hirosaka 2-2-5

A cultural facility housed inside the former Fourth National High School established by the prefecture of Ishikawa to exhibit materials relating to the history of the school and to serve as a space for cultural activities. The red brick museum building, once the primary building of the Fourth National High School, was built in 1891 with a distinct architectural style. After the high school was closed, the building was used for a variety of purposes, including serving as Kanazawa University's Faculty of Science building, a local courthouse, and as a folk customs museum. Today, the facility is used as a museum which displays educational materials once used when it was a high school, and as the Modern Literature Museum, which contains exhibits on literary masters connected to Ishikawa Prefecture such as Kyoka Izumi and Muro Saisei.

金沢市役所のすぐ近くのいしかわ四高記念公園内にあります。公園の名前がこちらに因んだのでしょうから当然ではありますが。夕方でやや遅かったので外観だけの見学になりましたが、往時のモダンさを感じさせる雰囲気のいい建物でした。
Kourinji Temple

4.5

56 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Nomachi 1-3-15

"A Soto Buddhist temple built in 1651 after the chief retainer of Kaga Domain asked the domain's lord to do so. Widely known as a temple which grants wishes, the temple is popularly visited by worshippers from around the country. The way to pray for your wish is unique-wearing a cord tied to a sign with your wish on it around your shoulder, you must circle a path called the ""Road of Happiness"" encircling statues depicting arhats and the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac three times counter-clockwise. Some of the temple's many other highlights include the ""Kofuku Jizo,"" a statue of Kshitigarbha which grants people's prayers for children and healthy child growth; a white statue of the deity Fudo which grands beautiful skin; and a Daruma statue which grants improved luck."

願掛けを目的として伺いました。簡単な説明の後は自由に見学したり回ったりしました。石の干支の置物がたくさんあり、自分の干支のところに3週目に願掛けしてタスキをかけます。なんか聞いてくれそうな感じやな-。今回の金沢旅行で一番楽しかったとこです。
Ishikawa Prefecture Kanazawa Port Ohno Karakuri Memorial Museum

4.0

60 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Onomachi 4 Part 2 - 29

"A museum located on the tip of Kanazawa Port which presents the achievements of mechanical doll maker Ono Benkichi, displays Japanese karakuri mechanical dolls, and contains interactive exhibits on karakuri. Ono was an inventor who lived in Ono Village (now Ono Town) in Ishikawa District at the end of the Edo period. Using what was then cutting edge technology, Ono created a variety of inventions, and the karakuri dolls he crafted during his lifetime are a testament to his mechanical skills. The museum presents the world of Japanese karakuri dolls with a focus on Ono. The museum's exhibits include well-known karakuri dolls such as a tea carrying doll, and also occasionally holds demonstrations which enable visitors to view the dolls in action up close. Visitors can also see a ""nozoki karakuri,"" a mechanical stage show consisting of a series of pictures viewed through a peephole which was popular with children in the Edo period. Twice a month, the museum holds interactive workshops for elementary school aged children."

This is not just a museum but hands on type very interesting and stimulating place both for kids and parents. You can learn about the history of Karakuri, an old robot type wooden machine made moving...

Ishikawa Kanazawa City

Around Kenrokuen Garden Around Higashi Chaya District Around Nishi Chaya District Around Nagamachi Around Omicho Market Ono Kanaiwa Around Kodatsuno

Travel / Tourism History / Culture / Tour

Reference/Local/Exhibition/Literature Museum Shrine Castle / Ruins of Castle Historical Monument Temple Church Ruin / Grave / Ancient Tomb Memorial Hall Cultural Property Event Hall / Public Hall Art Museum Museum / Science Museum Other Historic Site/Building

Ishikawa Areas

Long, thin Ishikawa prefecture runs along the Sea of Japan up into Noto Peninsula. Highlights of the seaside towns lining the west coast include Kanazawa, often described as a "Little Kyoto" thanks to its old wooden tea houses and geisha culture as well as its picturesque Japanese garden, Kenroku-en.