Kanazawa

The Maeda lords of the Kaga domain ruled from Kanazawa Castle from 1583, and the city they built kept its old lanes and teahouse quarters. The Kagayaki reached Kanazawa from Tokyo in 144 minutes on the March 2026 timetable, and a reserved seat cost ¥14,600 for a date in October 2026. Kenroku-en and the castle park face each other across one road in the centre. Higashi Chaya sits on the far bank of the Asano River, a short bus ride from the station.

Omicho Market has fed the city for more than 300 years. It holds over 170 shops, and Sea of Japan crab and yellowtail draw the biggest crowds around November. Kanazawa curry is the local diner style: thick roux poured over all the rice and a sauced pork cutlet on top, served on a steel plate beside shredded cabbage. Champion Curry, which began as a Western-style diner in 1961, keeps its main shop in Nonoichi on the city's southern edge.

The castle's stone walls cracked in the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, and Ishikawa Prefecture is repairing them in public view. The prefecture opened the work site to guided tours on 14 and 15 November 2026. North of the city the Noto Peninsula is still rebuilding after the earthquake and the floods that followed, so read Ishikawa's road information map before you drive or ride up the coast.