Kanazawa is the Golden Heart of Japan and the Nija monks.

Kanazawa is a wonderful ancient fortress city in Japan, located on the west coast of Honshu. Kanazawa means “Golden Swamp”, it goes back to the legend of a peasant who made a living digging up potatoes – he washed gold dust from potatoes and stored it in his well. The city is surrounded by the Japanese Alps, two rivers flow through it, the Saigawa - they say, the only male river, and Asano - a gentle, feminine river. The historical basis of the city is Kanazawa Castle, built at the end of the XVI century. The age of the city - more than five centuries, and here coexist antiquity and youth. Kanazawa has the status of one of the intellectual centers of the country.

So let's start our journey.

In Kanazawa is one of the most beautiful and most famous parks in Japan - Kenroku-en, or the Garden of Six virtues. The park was named so because it combines all the beautiful features of the Japanese garden: it is extensive and allows you to retire, has a pond and provides you with beautiful landscapes, combines the spirit of antiquity and human skill. This park certainly belongs, in my personal rating, to those places that must be visited in your life. The park was laid out in the XVII century at Kanazawa Castle. The original castle has not survived, in its place you can see a historical reconstruction made in 1881.

Unique elements of this garden are the abundance of water and wide panoramic views. In the garden there are about 9000 trees and 40 species of cherry. It took over 200 years to create the garden. Writhing streams, small hills towering over a slightly uneven garden relief, huge pines and stone lanterns all together create a unique appearance of the garden. Yuki-zuri ropes protect trees from heavy snow. From year to year, these ropes are associated with the peculiar winter landscape of Kanazawa. They stretch from high pillars above the treetops, thus serving as protection for the branches below, and create bizarre geometric shapes with their own beauty.

The garden is magnificent in any season. In spring, we will listen to grasshoppers, wandering under flowering branches of apricots and cherries, past cascading fountains, crossing bridges with stone lanterns. In winter, the garden shines with a thick layer of snow, and the branches of graceful pines create a bizarre landscape. Central Misty Lake (Kasumigaike) is the most attractive of the reservoirs, with the island of “Turtle Pantsir” (Japanese people deeply revere the turtle as a symbol of longevity).

After peace and quiet, we are transported to the world of secrets and symbols. One of the most mysterious sights of Kanazawa is the temple of Ninja-dera, also known as Muryuji. From the outside, the building looks two-story, but inside it - as many as four floors, stuffed with various ingenious devices that can confuse the enemy. Among them are movable stairs, traps, secret passages and secret rooms A wonderful place to get acquainted with the design of ninja houses. In appearance, the two-story building has actually 4 floors and 7 levels, many cunning devices for surveillance and shelter in the event of an enemy attack. (In order to enter the temple, you must register in advance.) The price is 2,500 yen. Man.

The local cuisine, kaga-no aji, is extremely diverse, In the restaurants of Kanazawa, the usual Japanese dishes are decorated with pieces of gold foil: this is the food additive E175. Dishes are served on the elegant lacquer products of Kaga and on the colored porcelain of Kutanya, which make up magnificent sets that emphasize the unique taste of the food. They say that Kaga cuisine acquires its originality in combination with harmoniously selected dishes. We will definitely try local delicacies for lunch.

Residents have learned to subtly microscopically roll out gold and decorate them with cosmetic creams, shampoos, soap, dishes and even food, and in the area of geisha in one of the ancient tea houses there is even a real gold room and the museum of the "Golden Leaf" Kanazawa Yasue Gold Museum

In this small and charming museum we will get acquainted with the history of gold foil mining and processing, touch the gold plates with our own hands, watch a small film about gold business, touch this amazing topic for the first time. Next we will find a real gold workshop, where even toilets made of pure gold. The master will show us the process of creating a “kinpaku” of gold foil and reveal the secrets of his ancient art. Japan is the only country in the world that produces such a thin gold foil: the thickness of an almost transparent sheet of 0.0001 millimeters! Today, almost all Japanese gold leaf is produced here in Kanazawa. The 27 kilograms that cover the Golden Temple in Kyoto are the work of Canadian masters. "Golden Hands" is about them.

Here we will be able to purchase unique copyright works using gold foil at very affordable prices. We will see a small gallery on the second floor with bappu screens and kimono embroidered with gold thread, And who will take a little rest and drink thick green tea with golden petals.

And ahead of us is the ancient quarter of geisha Higashichaya Old Town - the place where time stopped. Buildings and street lights of the quarter are here since the XIX century, however, the geisha now no more than twenty. This beautiful quarter recreates the atmosphere of old Japan: cobbled streets, old houses with their exquisite style. Here we will visit one of the ancient tea houses of Kaikaro Geisha, which is already 180 years old. Its decoration combines tradition and modernity. Original furnishings, furniture, interior items will take us to the time of ancient Edo, the era of exquisite entertainment and geisha. Here and now you can drink a cup of tea in the traditional style. And for lovers of sweet ice cream with golden crumb

In Kanazawa you will see once again how successfully the inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago are able to find a special aesthetic appeal in everything that surrounds them. Perhaps you should start exploring Japan from a provincial city, where a foreign visitor arouses a keen interest, where Japan will not be obscured and drowned out by crowds of tourists from around the world, where the most beautiful cherry blossoms and where you can fully feel the spirit of the country of the Rising Sun.

Full Day Excursion Duration: 9 Hours

The cost of the tour:

By public transport or taxi: 13,000 JPY / 120 USD per person for a group of 3 people.

- Transportation costs are paid separately on site

On a personal car:

26,000 JPY / 250 USD per person for a group of 3 people.

Recommended with overnight stay

Overnight stop options:

Sumiyoshi ryokan Kanazawa 3* +

Trusty hotel 3* +

Tokyu Hotel Kanazawa 4* +

Sainoniwa Hotel 4* +

Takitei ryoukan 5 *

The cost of the hotel 3* with reservation service:

- Room for 2 people: 15,000 JPY / 140 USD *without breakfast.

Note: In Kanazawa sakura blooms a week later than in Tokyo

from early April to mid-April.

2h30 min from Tokyo to Kanazawa, one-way train ticket 14500 yen/person

2h15 min from Kyoto to Kanazawa, one-way train ticket 7500 yen/person

There are no guides in Kanazawa, the guide comes from Tokyo, the client pays for the guide.

29,000 yen + guide hotel 10,000 yen per day.