Kanazawa: What to Do and Where to Eat
If you find yourself in Tokyo, craving some really, really good fish and in need of a break, Kanazawa is the place to go! Located in the Ishikawa Prefecture by the seaside, Kanazawa has it all: beautiful gardens, well-preserved homes of samurais, wonderful galleries, old geisha tea-shops and really, really good fish!
I recently went to Kanazawa for the bank holiday weekend, and I thought to share my thoughts and tips with anyone who is thinking about travelling to Kanazawa sometime soon. You can get a bullet train directly to Kanazawa from Tokyo or Ueno station. The journey takes around 3 hours, and it’s a pleasant train ride, especially when you reach the other side of the peninsula, and you can observe the Sea of Japan.
Kanazawa station is also an impressive architectural feat, one which has become a landmark in and of itself. But you didn’t come all the way to Kanazawa to admire the station: so, what next? Where to go, where to eat?
Kenrokuen Garden
Kenrokuen Garden is a stunning place for a walk, sprawling across in all directions. There are many paths to be taken, and the whole place can be described as one big ole aesthetic garden. No matter where you take a picture, it’s guaranteed to be beautiful. Personally, I like big spaces like these to get lost: I didn’t take a specific path, I just wandered off in a direction that seemed pleasant and ended up in a shrine.
Kamu Kanazawa Museum
A new and small museum with a punch, Kamu Kanazawa Museum hosts modern art in its premises. When I went, there were actually 4 exhibitions as part of the showcase, all of which were held in different locations (all within a five-minute walk of each other). All exhibitions were different: you have sculptures, light shows, visual arts – everything from everyone. One ticket allows you to view all the exhibitions.
Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
Right now, the Museum of Contemporary Art is showcasing an exhibition on Feminism. Personally, the exhibition itself didn’t really resonate with me, but the Museum itself is a perfect place to dwindle, spend a few slow, lazy hours in. When I went, it was raining quite heavily, and it looks like everyone in Kanazawa had the same plan to take shelter in the museum. It’s a large museum with tall ceilings and large windows, so it didn’t feel claustrophobic at all.
Want to sit down and have some tea and cakes? Skip the busy museum cafe, and check out a cafe nearby: Kotomi Cafe.
D.T Suzuki Museum
Daisetz Suzuki was popular for introducing Buddhism to the West and wrote extensively on Buddhism, Zen and Shin. The D.T Suzuki museum is absolutely stunning: it’s a quiet and reflective place, and the area for self-contemplation is so very peaceful. Surrounded by water, your senses are focused on the sound of every waterdrop and your eyes follow every ripple too. There’s also a reading room too, where visitors are free to sit and peruse through all of Suzuki’s works.
Nomura Clan Samurai Home
Another cool thing about Kanazawa is that you can find many Edo-period streets and homes. This includes the Nomura Clan Samurai Home, where you can actually visit and enjoy the authentic interior. Any history buff or samurai fan is sure to love this place! The original garden is spectacularly beautiful too.
Izumi Kyoka Kinenkan Museum
This museum is dedicated to the author Izumi Kyoka. I had the pleasure of studying his works a few years ago, and I especially loved Koya Hijiri. It’s a small and dark museum that you can whizz through relatively quickly. The handwritten manuscripts are a treat to see. One warning though: none of the information is in English, so it’ll be hard for a non-Japanese speaker to get through the material.
Higashi Chaya District
The Higashi Chaya District was historically the tea-shop district back in the Edo period, where geisha used to entertain visitors. The area is crammed with narrow, cobbled streets, brimming with small shops and cute cafes. Whilst there are no more geishas, entertainment is abundant.
Tired from walking? Here’s a nice and cosy Kuwajima Coffee Cafe for a rest, and Ushioya restaurant which offers fresh seafood nearby.
Monet Cafe
Shintatemachi 3-48-1
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0995
This sweet, relaxing cafe is a perfect place for a coffee and a sweet treat. I recommend the tiramisu – it was so light and fresh. As someone who is a tiramisu fiend, I can confidently say that Monet had one of the best tiramisu that I have ever tasted! Monet is your ideal place for a rest and recharge.
Kotomi Cafe
Hirosaka 1-2-27
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0962
This cafe is located moments away from the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, and overlooks the neighbouring streets and the museum itself.
The music played in the cafe is soft and relaxing, and the cakes are delicious! I had a mont blanc and a yuzu-ginger-lemon concoction which was perfect for the cold weather. I recommend coming here instead of waiting in line for the museum cafe.
Townsfolk Coffee Cafe
Takaokamachi 22-18
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0864
If you want a really good cup of coffee, this is the place to go. I had a cappuccino, and it was utter perfection. The interior is also white and simple. If you are a coffee lover and find yourself in Kanazawa, I recommend you go! It’s also closely located to a second-hand book shop… rainy days, coffee and bookshops: the holy trinity!
Issho
Higashiyama 1-26-13
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0831
Issho is a delicious traditional Japanese tea shop. They specialise in hoji-cha (roasted green tea) and wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets). You get to smell and choose the hoji-cha you want to drink! The interior is dimmed and pleasant too.
Kuwajima Coffee
Higashiyama 1-21-3
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0831
This coffee place was my favourite place, purely because of how kind and warm the owner is. Owned by Mr. Kuwajima, this coffee house is in the peripheral of the Higashi Chaya district. Its red exterior caught my eye, and I ended up drifting in its direction. The interior is very much like a home, filled with books and mangas, and the tatami and the chairs all have a home-y feel to them.
I ordered a cup of coffee, and then I noticed on the menu that Mr. Kuwajima also offers portraits for 500yen. When I inquired him about it, Mr. Kuwajima told me about his very exciting life: the building itself was Mr. Kuwajima’s grandmother’s home, and he told us that he converted it into a coffee shop after he returned to the Kanazawa area from Tokyo. He is a true and passionate traveler at heart: he told us that he walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and of his lovely experiences there. He told us that whilst he could not speak English or Spanish, he found that if he drew portraits of people, he became friends with them. And so, he has continued this warm tradition of offering portraits to those he meets even in his cafe in Kanazawa.
The Godburger
Korinbo 2 Chome-12-10
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0961
This hamburger restaurant was delicious! We didn’t have any plans to eat hamburgers in Kanazawa, but it was cold and raining, and we were lost and hungry in the historical area and happened to stumble across this restaurant.
The hamburgers were so tasty! I had the BBQ avoburger, and it was everything my body craved on a cold, wet day. It’s located close to the Nomura Clan Samurai House, so if you find yourself wanting American food over Japanese food, I recommend The Godburger!
Frérot Restaurant
Saiwaicho 25-16
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0968
This French restaurant is relatively new and ridiculously tasty! They only use locally sourced products from Kanazawa, and every single dish was prepared very carefully and lovingly. The tuna carpaccio was heavenly, as was the fish and the roast pork.
The interior of the restaurant is also very sleek (yet cosy!) and they play music that makes you feel like you are in a 1950s Whodunnit movie. The whole experience was great!
Ushioya
Higashiyama 1-7-9
Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0831
Last, but most definitely not least, fish! This fish restaurant is located in the centre of Higashi Chaya district. The fish were all super fresh, the sea urchin was divine, and the rice too was perfect! I cannot recommend this place enough.
Kanazawa is famous for hoji-cha (roasted green tea), fu (dried wheat gluten, found in miso soup) and nodoguro (rosy seabass). Make sure to try them whilst you’re there, and fu make a great omiyage (gift for back home).
Also, whilst I was there, a taxi driver told me that there is a saying in Kanazawa, “You can forget your bento-box but never forget your umbrella!”. Seems like it rains a lot in the area, so keep that in mind and make sure to carry a brolly with you!
