Residents of Kansai are a little spoiled for choice when it comes to holiday destinations, but with so many options around on your doorstep why should you choose Kanazawa in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture?

Kanazawa, about two hours from Kyoto by train, is a relatively famous coastal holiday destination for Japanese tourists but is traditionally sorely overlooked by foreign visitors. It has a reputation for being a cultural haven, much like a mini-Kyoto and was once home to a bustling geisha industry. While entertainment tastes of the masses have lost a little of their refinement over the years, there is still plenty of culture and history left over for visitors to enjoy.

Japanese people on average take a week or less of vacation time per year, and as a result many have become adept at getting away from it all for as little as two days in a row and making the time count. At times like these Kanazawa is an ideal choice. It’s a small castle town and the most popular tourist spots are all located in a fairly compact area around the feet of this still-standing edifice. Most of the town can be explored on foot quite comfortably and one can enjoy the highlights in a couple of days.

It’s full of small ryokan (traditional Japanese Inns) like Shibaya that offer rooms for as little as ¥2800 an evening including a large private bath that can be booked, pyjamas, flat screen TV, aircon and a fridge. In fact the value is so good that you may begin to wonder how they can afford to make a profit at these prices.

The Sights and Smells Upon Arrival

Arriving at the station one is first struck for the giant neo-torii gate that straddles the main entrance. It’s a dazzling design statement that perfectly sums up the juxtaposition of Kanazawa’s cultural heritage and it’s increasingly modern downtown growth. Spiralling wooden beams stretch skyward and form a huge, futuristic torii-style gate that seems to be a deliberate response to Kyoto’s own Heian Jingu Torii Gate, the largest in Japan.

From there you’ll notice a clock that displays the time in tiny water jets like an LED display. It constantly changes and delights new visitors. You cannot help but notice there is far more interesting design, more statues, more fashionable clocks and simply more flourish per square inch than most Japanese towns can muster. It feels like an artist’s city off the bat.

On day one you could take a stroll to the nearby Mushashibo-soba to sample Kanazawa style noodles. They have an earthier, smokier smell than most, as does the complimentary tea, and at ¥900 yen for a generous serving of zarusoba (a wooden plate of cold soba and tsuyu sauce in which to dip them) the restaurant comes highly recommended.

The Castle and Kenrokuen Gardens

The now fully-fuelled first-time visitor is likely to head straight to Kanazawa’s famous castle. It’s a 10-15 minute walk from the station and is still an impressive structure. The defensive walls are imposing as you navigate the town but the castle and its grounds, although built with defense in mind, are almost elegant and peaceful by contrast. You’ll find people dotted about throughout the castle grounds reading, relaxing and enjoying the serene atmosphere.

Once inside you notice that the structure has been rebuilt fairly recently (2001 to be exact), but that is par for the course for Japan’s oldest wooden buildings and one soon comes to appreciate the craftsmanship of the renewal and see it as a far more preferable alternative to losing the building altogether. The walls and foundations are surprisingly complex and scale models, as well as a dazzling video showing the castle being built in 3D, pin by pin, give one a real appreciation for the dexterity went into the original design.

From there the world famous Kenrokuen garden is a few minutes walk. Generally considered one of the top three most beautiful gardens in Japan, it is an unmissable master-class in Japanese aesthetics. It is surprisingly expansive and features several sub-gardens. But a peaceful stroll through will never feel like a chore.

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

The garden is situated roughly in the centre of town, so from here your choices are many, but for most people a short walk to the nearby 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art will be next on the agenda. The gallery features a famous pool installation that has been featured on Japanese news websites recently. From above is resembles a small, Hockney-esque garden pool. Upon further inspection, however, one realises that peering up through the water are other gallery-goers downstairs. Although seemingly full of water, there are actually layers of glass allowing a two-way inspection of the piece.

Predictably enough, most of the works in the gallery do not seem like art in the traditional sense. There is nothing hanging on walls. The horn shaped pipes sticking out of the front lawn are actually the ends of tubes that are connected in pairs. Like the pool exhibit, the playful chairs, sofas and rooms actually seem to encourage the viewer to engage with other gallery goers, rather than with the artwork itself.

Whatever your take on modern art, the building itself is a spacious and relaxing place to walk around and the cafe is a great place to refill before your next stop. As Kanazawa is located near the ocean and seafood is fresh, by now you’re probably hankering for a taste of the sushi in the famous fish market. If you are planning to do so be sure to reach the market before 2.30 when most of the stalls and restaurants start to close up for the day. If you make it in time though, you’ll find the sushi to be noticably softer and fresher than the scraps that reach Kyoto’s Kappazushi-like establishments.

The Kanazawa People

One thing you may notice is that the manner of the staff in Kanazawa is a lot more off-hand and informal than you may be used to. Keigo is not splashed around as liberally in most establishments as you may be used to in Kansai. If you can put this down to folksy and quaint and not take it to heart you’ll find most people to be friendly and talkative. The taxi drivers in particular are invaluable sources of local information.

One such kind gentleman was kind enough to recommend an izakaya (”eating/drinking establishment”) called Gorohachi in the Katamachi area rather than the places near the station which are apparently of much lower quality. Sashimi sanma (”saury”), deep fried dojo (”loach”) and gobo (”birdock”) and tempura of kaiseki ryori (a traditional Japanese course meal of high quality and refinement) standard at izakaya prices means we cannot recommend Gorohachi highly enough.

The Samurai House

The next day you could take a stroll to British-style Tea Land near the station for an English breakfast and cup of coffee for under ¥500. From there it’s a short walk to the aptly dubbed “Samurai House” that has apparently remained unchanged since said samurai fulfilled his deadly destiny and left his belongings to posterity. A fine collection of paraphernalia, including a pipe, stirrups, hand warmer and several katana sit nestled in a spectacularly beautiful house, whose garden in particular was an aesthetic highlight of the already beautfiul Kanazawa. Of Rice and Zen would go so far as to say that it gives Kenrokuen a run for it’s money, despite it’s size. It features such great design sense and a collection of spectacularly beautifully koi-carp that it’s incredibly difficult to take a bad photo here.

The Ninja House

From there a few minutes walk away is a less impressive house, in the Gion-esque entertainment district, that claims to be a one-time geisha training ground. If one were to walk through a couple of alleys from here one would find oneself in the truly fascinating “Ninja-dera”. Although its real name is Myoryuji, it received its nickname from a densely packed collection of trap doors, pitfalls, hidden staircase, secret cubby-holes and double sliding doors that give it an intrigue that is rarely matched outside of Hogwarts. Although one just join a small tour group to look around the cramped structure, this does ensure that you won’t miss any of the secrets of the house that you would undeniably fail to notice if the guide was absent.

The contents of the tour are available in an English translation guidebook, but once your guide begins to remove floorboards to reveal hidden staircases or sliding doors aside to reveal cunning escape routes you’ll be hard-pushed peel your eyes off the enchanting house for a minute. Legend has it a hidden passage a few feet above the water-level of the courtyard well leads all the way to the castle, although nobody has been able to test this. After witnessing the devilishly devious design that has preceded this revelation, you’ll be ready to believe this is entirely possible and you’ll probably understand where Nintendo got their inspiration for the Zelda series’ similarly cunning temple design.

The Sum Up

If you have more time you’ll find Kanazawa is densely packed with enough galleries and museums to keep you for weeks. On the other hand if it’s a short trip away from Kyoto that you’re looking for, you’ll find that Kanazawa is compact enough that you can have a thoroughly packed two-day stay and feel like you haven’t wasted a single minute. If its history, art or great sushi that drew you to Japan you’ll find yourself in your element with a visit to Kanazawa.