Why Honeymoon in Kanazawa
Kyoto's best sights are wonderful and very crowded. Kanazawa offers much of the same refinement with more breathing room. You can sip tea in a 200-year-old teahouse without a line outside, or stand alone at dawn in a garden that took two centuries to finish.
The city is also unusually creative. Kanazawa produces nearly all of Japan's gold leaf. You will see it on everything from temple screens to ice cream. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, a low glass circle near the garden, draws design lovers from around the world.
It is compact and walkable. Couples can spend a morning in the garden, lunch at the market, an afternoon in the geisha district and still be at their ryokan in time for the bath before dinner.
When to Go
Kanazawa is one of Japan's rainiest cities. Pack an umbrella in every season.
Spring, from late March to May, brings cherry blossoms around the castle park in early April and fresh green in the gardens. Autumn, from October to late November, is equally lovely, with maples turning red in Kenroku-en.
Winter is cold, gray and snowy, with heavy snow some years. It is also crab season, which runs roughly from early November to March. November is also when the gardens tie their pines with rope cones called yukitsuri to protect branches from snow. Snow on those ropes is a beautiful sight.
Summer is hot and humid, with the rainy season in June and early July. It is still workable, since many sights are indoors.
Where to Stay
Stay within walking distance of the old center. The area between Kanazawa Station and Kenroku-en has the most choice, though staying near Korinbo or the Higashi Chaya district puts you closer to the sights and away from the station's bustle.
The city has a growing number of boutique hotels in renovated townhouses, called machiya, where you rent a whole house with a cypress bath. These suit couples who want privacy and a local feel.
Traditional ryokan are available in the city, but the real ryokan experience is nearby in the Kaga onsen towns of Yamanaka and Yamashiro, about an hour southwest. Spending one night in the city and one in an onsen ryokan is a good balance. Ask for a room with its own bath if you want to soak together, since public baths are split by gender.
As a rough guide, a machiya rental or boutique hotel runs about $200 to $500 a night, while a good Kaga onsen ryokan with dinner is often $400 to $1,000 for two (approximate).
If you visit in crab season, ask your ryokan whether dinner includes crab, since it is often an optional upgrade.
Romantic Things to Do
Arrive at Kenroku-en when the gates open. The early morning garden, with mist over the ponds and the old stone lantern by the water, is at its quietest. Walk across to Kanazawa Castle Park afterward.
In the Higashi Chaya district, visit the Shima teahouse, preserved as it was in the 1800s, then sit for matcha and a sweet looking out over a tiny garden. Return in the evening, when the lanterns light the wooden facades along the narrow lanes.
Take a gold leaf workshop and decorate chopsticks or a small box together, a souvenir with a story.
Walk the Nagamachi samurai district, with its earthen walls and canal. Step into the Nomura family house and garden. At the 21st Century Museum, peek into Leandro Erlich's swimming pool installation, which makes visitors look like they are underwater.
Getting There and Around
From Tokyo, the Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Kanazawa in about two and a half hours on the fastest trains. From Kyoto or Osaka, take a limited express to Tsuruga and change to the Shinkansen; the trip takes around two hours.
Komatsu Airport is about 40 minutes away by bus with domestic flights from Tokyo, but the train is usually easier.
In town, walk or use the loop buses from the station. Taxis are inexpensive for short hops. Rental bikes are handy on dry days.
For day trips, buses run from Kanazawa Station to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO village of steep thatched farmhouses, in about 75 minutes. The Noto Peninsula to the north was badly damaged by an earthquake in January 2024 and has been recovering since, so check what is open before planning a visit there.
Food and Drink
Seafood here is outstanding. Two currents meet off the coast, so the fish is varied and very fresh. At Omicho Market, go early for a kaisendon, a bowl of rice heaped with sashimi, sweet shrimp and sea urchin.
In winter, order snow crab, called zuwaigani. Also try the smaller female crab, kobako, which comes with its roe. Nodoguro, a rich rosy seabass, is a local prize all year.
Kaga cuisine, the city's style of kaiseki, features jibuni, duck stewed in a thickened broth with wheat gluten and vegetables, served in local lacquerware.
Kanazawa also has a long sake tradition, with several old breweries in the region. Try a gold-leaf soft serve cone in Higashi Chaya; it is gimmicky but fun. For dessert with more substance, look for traditional wagashi sweets made for tea ceremony.
Honeymoon Tips
Give Kanazawa at least two nights. A single night turns it into a blur of station transfers.
Plan one evening at a ryokan in a nearby onsen town. Yamanaka has a gorge with a walking trail and a famous cypress bridge. Yamashiro has a historic public bath at its center.
Pack a compact umbrella and shoes that cope with rain. The weather turns quickly, especially in autumn and winter.
Book crab dinners ahead in high season. Popular restaurants fill up fast and prices rise as the season peaks.
Use Kanazawa as a bridge between Tokyo and Kyoto on a classic route. Tokyo, then Kanazawa, then Kyoto makes a satisfying loop with fewer backtracks than going straight down the Tokaido line.
