Kanazawa Private Tour: Highlights of an Old Samurai Town
Description
Step into the timeless charm of Kanazawa, one of Japan’s most beautifully preserved castle towns. This full-day tour led by a local guide reveals centuries of history from bustling samurai quarters to serene gardens and vibrant markets. It's a perfect journey for travelers seeking an immersive cultural experience in a city once rivaling Kyoto and Osaka in prominence. ・Wander through Kanazawa Castle and the stunning Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s top three traditional landscapes ・Explore the spiritual calm of the D.T. Suzuki Museum and the elegance of Nomura Samurai House ・Taste local specialties at Omicho Market, the lively culinary heart of the city
Tour Options
Itinerary
Omicho market is popular as the kitchen of Kanazawa citizens where seasonal fish and fruits gather, and it can be said that the crabs caught in the Sea of Japan face quite the fate, for it is here where the crabs are lined up, and then also the locally sourced fruit and oden's you can eat while walking around. You can enjoy this scene at your leisure.
A symbol of Kaga Hyakumanges, was built in 1583 by Toshiie Maeda in full scale and was placed as a residence of 14 Maeda family of Kaga clan until 1869. All buildings other than Ishikawa gate and 30 Nagaya (row houses) have disappeared due to repeated fires, but since 1996 the public has benefited from Kanazawa Castle Park. In 2001, historical buildings were faithfully restored as best possible based on old pictures and old documents. The landscape has once again been revived for the present age.
Kenrokuen is one of the three famous Japanese national gardens, listed along with Mito Kairakuen and Okayama Korakuen. The garden boasts a beautiful appearance during every season, and the stunning winter snow hanging together with the famous Koji lanterns in Kanazawa. This is both a symbol and a must-see for Kanazawa sightseeing.
Suzuki Daisetsu Museum is a spot infused with the thoughts of a world-famous Buddhist philosopher, Suzuki Daisetsu, born Kanazawa, who made Zen culture widely known abroad. Further, Mr. Yoshio Taniguchi is represented here. He is famous for designing large portions of the New York Museum of Modern Art, in particular the extension and renovation of MoMA in 2004, consisting of three buildings, the "entrance building", the "exhibition building", the "thought space building." Here, various representations have been constructed. In the exhibits, it appears as though you passes through a long and narrow corridor that leads to a different space. There is freedom to think and feel as you wish, to touch, watch, and see things as they appear to you, as there is no formal explanation. There is also a space for the various world views of Zen, including the biggest attraction, "the garden of water glasses." Here there is a mysterious charm that draws in the visitor for whatever purpose that might be.
The house has a lovely garden and a number of interesting displays to help you learn about life in earlier times in the city and in this part of Japan. It's beautifully preserved and the small garden attached to the house exactly what you would want to see in a property like this.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your guide will pick you up at your hotel's lobby at 9:00 am.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- A maximum of 8 people per booking
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities
- Please join us wearing shoes that are easy to walk in because you will walk the mountain paths.
- During severe winter weather, your tour agenda may be subject to change.
Reviews(47)
Yumiko was a fantastic, absolutely likable guide with a very large knowledge. It was a pleasure to listen to her. Japanese history about samurais and stories about life and customs in Japan became even more interesting through personal experiences. The time with her flew by far too quickly. It was an exceptionally interesting day with Yumiko. As a farewell gift, she gave us beautiful chopsticks as a keepsake. She also made a nice photo album for us from that beautiful day. We can only thank her and are glad to have met her, hoping for a reunion.
Dear valued guest, Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that your day in Kanazawa with Yumiko was so memorable. We’re glad you enjoyed the beautiful stops, the thoughtful gifts, and the photo album she prepared. We sincerely appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you again someday! Best regards, Kyoko
We really enjoyed the Kanazawa highlights tour with our fantastic guide, Yumiko. She’s warm and attentive and full of interesting facts and we learned so much about Kanazawa and Japanese culture in general. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with her and we had so much fun along the way. If you only have a day in Kanazawa, you absolutely cannot go wrong picking this tour and spending seven entertaining and informative hours with Yumiko. Highly recommended!
Dear valued guest, Thank you for your time to post this review! It is our pleasure to know that you had a lovely tour of Kanazawa with a great guide like Yumiko and that you could appreciate all of the area's charms and rich history. Thank you for recommending the tour and her, and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future! Best regards, Kyoko
We had a pleasant day that made us Forget the rain. Our exchanges were beyond the classic comments
Dear valued guest, Thank you for your time to post this review! We are relieved to hear that you were satisied with our Kanazawa tour even though it was raining. We are very much looking forward to your next visit! Best regards, Kyoko
Fantastic tour, our guide Yumiko had excellent English and was knowledgeable in all areas, which made for an easy, educational and informative experience. Thankyou Yumiko.
Dear valued guest, Thank you for your lovely review! We’re so glad you enjoyed your time in Kanazawa with Yumiko. Her excellent English and deep knowledge truly make for a smooth and enriching experience. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words. Hope to see you again in Japan! Best regards, Kyoko
we had a wonderful tour guide in Kanazwa. Yumika arranged a wonderful itinerary that cover all the sights that we wanted to explore. she is very knowledgeable professional kind and speaks fluent english which was a big plus. our tour with Yumi was one of our best days we had in Japan. thank you for this great experience. it was way above our expectation and this tour is highly recommended.
Dear valued guest, Thank you for sharing your positive feedback about our Kanazawa tour! It is our greatest pleasure to know that the tour was way above your expectation. It's wonderful to know that Yumiko made the tour enriching and enjoyable for you. We greatly appreciate your recommendation and hope to have the pleasure of guiding you on more adventures in the future! Best regards, Kyoko
We had an amazing day with Yumi. She was so lovely taking us around to all the beautiful sites. Yumi is very dedicated and hard working and we would recommend this tour to anyone who would like to get to know Kanazawa from a local guide prospective.
Dear Juval, Thank you for booking our Kanazawa tour and leaving us 5 stars! It's wonderful to hear that you had a lovely tour with Yumiko. We sincerely appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you back for more tours in the future! Best regards, Kyoko
Yumiko was an excellent guide and companion for the day. She was friendly and informative and gave us an excellent insight into the areas that we visited on our day with her.
Dear valued guest, Thank you for booking our Kanazawa tour and leaving this review! We are glad to hear that you could appreciate all of the area's charms and rich history from Yumiko. We are very much looking forward to your next visit! Best regards, Kyoko
Kanazawa is a beautiful city to visit and our tour highlighted the rich samurai history of the area as well as the beauty of the gardens. Our guide Yumiko was so knowledgeable and very friendly.
Dear valued guest, Thank you for taking your time to write this review! We are so delighted that you found the beauty of the city and gardens of Kanagawa, and that Yumiko could help you discover it. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future! Best regards, Kyoko
Yumiko was an excellent tour guide. She came prepared, was extremely knowledgeable, and her demeanor is warm and pleasant. She was also flexible and helpful. She tailored the tour based on our interests and provided great facts and history. We especially loved Kenrokeuen Garden and chose not go to the Suzuki Museum. We would recommend this tour.
Dear valued guest, We really appreciate you booking our Kanazawa tour. We make sure that our guides are friendly and flexible, and Yumiko is no exception. We're glad you had a good day with her! Best regards, Dara
Yumiko was an excellent tour guide! She provided an excellent overview of all the stops we went to, and you could tell that she really loves this city. Additionally she was willing to accommodate any questions we had apart from the tour (like how to pick out allergy medicine from the pharmacy). Thank you, Yumiko for a great tour! I highly recommend this tour if you want to learn the history of Kanazawa and cultural aspects.
Dear valued customer, Thank you so much for your kind feedback! We're so happy to know that you felt Yumiko's enthusiasm and love for Kanazawa and that you enjoyed learning cultural and historical aspects about the area with her. We do hope that we can welcome you back on another opportunity! Best regards, Audrey
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