Kanazawa travel guide

In Kanazawa, see the garden in the morning and walk the teahouse district in the evening.

The castle and garden are next to each other, so put them in the same morning; Omicho market is for lunch, Nagamachi for a walk along earthen walls, and the museum on another day.

Individual adult admission to Kenroku-en is 320 yen in cash. Paid hours are 7:00 to 18:00 from 1 March to 15 October and 8:00 to 17:00 from 16 October to the end of February. Early-morning free entry ends 15 minutes before paid opening.

The airport is Komatsu; check flight times on the timetable. From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen. If you arrive in the afternoon, save the garden for the next morning.

Visa and entry requirements for Japan

Whether you need a visa, how long you can stay and which pre-arrival forms apply all depend on your nationality and the purpose of your trip. Check the official source below, and your own government's travel advice, before you book.

• Visa information and exemptions (short-term stay) (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)
• Visit Japan Web (online immigration and customs registration) (Digital Agency, Government of Japan)

On a first visit, walk only around the station on your arrival afternoon, and put Kenroku-en and Kanazawa Castle Park the next morning. The garden is open 7:00 to 18:00 from 1 March to 15 October and 8:00 to 17:00 from 16 October to the end of February. Individual adults pay 320 yen in cash and ages 6 to 17 pay 100 yen. Early-morning free entry ends 15 minutes before paid opening. Walking in the castle park is free; the turrets are open 9:00 to 16:30, 320 yen for individual adults, last entry 16:00. Finish both in the same morning but buy separate tickets.

The following day is lunch at Omicho and the earthen walls of Nagamachi. The market is open 9:00 to 16:00 (varies by shop) and closes over the New Year holidays. The outer walls need no ticket; the Nomura family residence is 550 yen for adults. See the exhibition zone of the 21st Century Museum on another day; it often closes on Mondays, so switch to the market that day. The exchange zone needs no ticket. Walk Higashi Chaya in the evening, allowing about 60 minutes. With 4 nights, give each of these its own day; with 2 nights, combine the garden and market on one day and the museum and chaya on the next.

The airport is Komatsu, which has direct international flights on some days and not others, so check the timetable. From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa Station; from Kansai, check the Tsuruga transfer on the timetable. Don't add flight and train times together as one.

From the station, use the loop bus and walk, using only confirmed stops: Musashigatsuji-Omicho Market for Omicho, Hashibacho or Asanogawa Ohashi for the chaya, and Korinbo for Nagamachi. Rental car and taxi fares follow the rental office and the meter. If you arrive in the afternoon, plan the garden for the next morning.

Choose an Omicho seafood bowl at lunch by looking at the displays; there is no top-five ranking, and prices are on each shop's menu. Jibuni is simmered duck; Mahoroba serves it from 17:30 to 21:30 (last order 20:30) with no regular closing day. Breakfast at Kenrokutei must be booked by 15:00 the day before and may be separate from garden admission.

Gold-leaf ice cream is one cup after a meal. Higashiyama Hakuichi serves ice cream until 17:00 with no regular closing day; its Kenroku-en branch takes last orders at 16:30 and closes on 1 January. Imai Kinpaku closes on Sundays and Mondays. Check cup prices on the menu. The garden and castle go together in the morning, and Higashi Chaya is for the evening.

Don't put the garden back into your departure morning; luggage and getting to the station come first. If you go to Haneda or Narita via the Hokuriku Shinkansen, follow your airline's recommended arrival time; if you go to Kansai with a transfer at Tsuruga, build in slack using the timetable. For Komatsu departures, check the boarding cut-off on the timetable.

Check passport validity, immigration and return-ticket requirements for short stays in Japan before you travel, using the official sources. Cash and card acceptance varies at the garden and turrets, so buy your last tickets the day before. If you do the chaya evening the night before departure, check that it does not clash with the last train.

Checklist

• Don't overlap the garden and the chaya in the same time slot
• Check Komatsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen times on the timetable
• Avoid the museum on Mondays and the market over New Year
• Recheck entry requirements on the official sources

• First visit: garden and castle in the morning, the market for lunch and the chaya in the evening.
• Arriving by train: Kanazawa Station is your arrival point; if it is afternoon, see the garden the next day.
• Arriving on a Monday: museum exhibitions are often closed, so do the market and the walls first.