Tours & Things to Do in Kanazawa, Japan

Kanazawa is often called "little Kyoto" but that undersells it — Kenroku-en garden is one of Japan's top three, the Higashi Chaya geisha district is smaller than Gion but intact and walkable, and the Nagamachi samurai quarter still has mud-walled lanes. Gold-leaf workshops, kaga-yuzen kimono painting, and sushi crawls at Omicho Market all work well as guided experiences. The Hokuriku Shinkansen put Kanazawa 2.5 hours from Tokyo, which means weekends book out — mid-week visits mid-November or mid-February catch the shoulder seasons with snow-dusted gardens.