A night in Kanazawa
Kanazawa is a great place for a visit and cycling. Here is how we spent a wonderful first time on an overnight trip from Osaka to Kanazawa. We explored and experienced so much
We boarded the morning shinkansen (bullet train) from Osaka to Kanazawa. This took under three hours with one train change. We arrived late in the morning to the iconic train station in Kanazawa. From here we made our way to the e-bike rental shop, Machi-nori (https://www.machi-nori.jp/en/) a 5 minute walk from the station. We got set up with our E-bikes, dropped our luggage at our hotel, the Super Hotel Premium Kanazawa station (https://www.superhotel.co.jp/s_hotels/kanazawa/) . Then it was time for lunch. The nearby street was full of restaurants, so we popped into a small restaurant Sushizen Daiki (http://sushizendaiki.com/) for a sushi lunch set. It was a perfect way to get us fueled up for a day of exploring.
Sightseeing for or first day included, Nagamachi district, Nishi Chaya district and found a sword shop, a teahouse that was open to the public, Nomura Samurai family residence, we made reservations for the late afternoon to visit the Myoryuji temple, also referred to as the Ninjadera temple. This was an amazing tour of a Buddhist temple that was also a special place with many secret staircases and hidden escape routes. This area has many Buddhist temples to visit or if you would rather enjoy a coffee, ride along the river path or visit the nearby art museum there is something for everyone.
In the evening we went for more sushi, when we asked the locals where to go most recommended Morimori sushi with multiple locations in Kanazawa. There are so many great places to choose from. After that it was time to enjoy the lights of Kanazawa. We walked from Oyama Jinja Shrine, to Kanazawa castle through Kenrokuen garden. There were many local Izakaya bars near our hotel. We stopped to have a nightcap and a little oden before returning to the hotel for an onsen (Japanese bath).
Day two our return train to Osaka was leaving at 5pm so we had time to explore and put our E-bikes to good use. After breakfast at the hotel, we made our way to Higashi Chaya district here we walked around and tried to capture the beautiful streets before the rush. Once the shops opened around 10am we could explore the gift shops including famous gold or sake shops including Sake shop Fukumitsuya Kanazawa. Next we cycled towards the ocean and the Yamato soy sauce and miso park (https://www.yamato-soysauce-miso.co.jp/) . The area is an old soy sauce and miso producing area that has a beautiful walkway by the water, you can watch the production, get lunch and local soy sauce to take home. After a brief stop to see the crab shop, where we were amazed at the size and price range of fresh crab that you could purchase to enjoy there. After all the biking we needed more than just crab so we enjoyed the local Ramen chain from this area 8ban Ramen Kanazawa that is a ramen chain that began in this area. After a late lunch we made our way back towards the train station to pick up our luggage and drop off our bikes before spending some time exploring Kanazawa station area. This station offers so much excitement and entertainment. As we arrived there was a local show which we enjoyed briefly before making our ways indoors. There are craft locations here if you didn’t get a chance to make your own souvenir, a sake tasting bar, such as Zizakegura, in the next-door shopping center where you’ll want to pick up your dinner for the train ride back to Osaka. There are a number of bento boxes for sale.
Kanazawa is full of fun. There is much more to discover, and I can’t wait to visit again! Next time I’d sign up for a show or demonstration from a Geisha, known as a Geiko in Kanazawa, and I’d visit more art museums and galleries. The history of the area can be noticed as the attention to art throughout the city is obvious. It makes me wonder how the historical presence of the Geiko and preservation of this practice of learning art, music and the art of entertainment has influenced the city to the charm it offers in present day.
For more information about visiting Kanazawa visit the cities visitor site; https://visitkanazawa.jp/en/trip-ideas/index.html