Tours/Kanazawa/Taste of Kanazawa (Food tasting in Omicho Market & Higashi Chaya)
Viator · group up to 12 pax

Taste of Kanazawa (Food tasting in Omicho Market & Higashi Chaya)

4.9(89)Kanazawa1 hour
VIATOR4.9(28)TRIPADVISOR4.9(61)

Description

Embark on a culinary and cultural journey through Kanazawa, starting with a vibrant tasting experience at Omicho Market, where you'll savor the freshest seafood, local produce, and traditional delicacies. Next, stroll through the charming streets of Kazuemachi Chayagai, immersing yourself in the serene beauty of one of Kanazawa’s historic geisha districts, with its picturesque teahouses and rich cultural heritage. Conclude your adventure in the enchanting Higashi Chaya District, where you'll explore beautifully preserved teahouses, witness the elegance of the geisha district, and indulge in exquisite Japanese sweet tasting. This tour offers a unique blend of flavors, history, and artistry, making it an unforgettable experience in the heart of Kanazawa.

Tour Options

Taste of Kanazawa (Afternoon)
Taste of Kanazawa (Food tasting in Omicho Market & Higashi Chaya)

Itinerary

60 min

Omicho Market in Kanazawa is a bustling hub of fresh seafood, local produce, and delicious cuisine. Introduction We will give you an introduction to Omicho Market with a brief history and its importance to Kanazawa. Seafood Exploration We will try some fresh produce here, we'll visit stalls selling fresh seafood such as Crab, Shrimp, Eel, Squid, Octopus and Fugu. You will get the opportunity to taste some of the world-famous delicacies here. Tasting Session We will taste local specialities, sampling food from at least 3 different stalls, taking in the best of the season. Kanazawa Cuisine Your guide will highlight stalls offering traditional Kanazawa dishes with explanations and insights.

15 min

Visiting Kazuemachi Chayagai adds a charming historical and cultural dimension to our food tour. Kazuemachi Chayagai is one of Kanazawa's traditional teahouse districts, known for its picturesque streets and preserved architecture. Integrating a visit to this district will enhance your overall experience by offering insights into Kanazawa’s rich history and traditional culture

45 min

Understanding Geisha Culture Known for its beautifully preserved teahouses and traditional atmosphere, Higashi Chaya is a perfect complement to the culinary experiences at Omicho Market and the historical charm of Kazuemachi Chayagai. We will explain the Geisha culture of Kanazawa and its importance culturally to the city. Tasting Experience We will visit a 100-year-old traditional sweet-making shop. Here we will try the locally made Wagashi (Japanese Sweets) Gold Leaf The tour will end with a visit to a gold leaf factory, where we will explain the process of gold leaf making in Kanazawa.

Highlights

We will try at least 3 different types of food on our tour. Ranging from seafood to local specialties.
All Fees and Taxes
Professional Guide
Local Food Tasting

What's included

Included
We will try at least 3 different types of food on our tour. Ranging from seafood to local specialties.
All Fees and Taxes
Professional Guide
Local Food Tasting
Not included
Drinks

Traveller Ratings

4.9
89 reviews
5
83
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6
3
0
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1
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Important Information

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Reviews(89)

9
991katelynr
July 8, 2026
Good cultural tour of Kanazawa

Our guide spoke very good English and gave a lot of background on living in Kanazawa as well as the history, food, and culture. We enjoyed the market sampling, sweet treat, and gold craftswoman.

Operator response

Thank you so much for your kind message. We’re really happy to hear you enjoyed your time in Kanazawa and that your guide helped bring the city’s history, food, culture, and everyday life to life through their stories. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed the market tastings, sweet treat, and gold craft experience as well. Those local moments are such a special part of discovering Kanazawa. We’re very proud of our guides and the personal insights they share with guests, and we’ll make sure your kind words are passed on. Thank you from Kanazawa Tours.

O
Olga_K
July 8, 2026
Beautiful Kanazawa

Amazing experience at Kanazawa's best Omicho market, geisha district and golden leaf making shop woth a very warm and welcomung Nicola. This trip is highly recomnended for people who enjoys seafood tasting, has interest in Japanese history & enjoys the magic of golden leaf making which is very unique in Kanazawa.

Operator response

Thank you so much for this wonderful message. We’re really happy to hear you had such an amazing experience with Nicola exploring Omicho Market, the geisha district, and the gold leaf workshop. It’s great to know you enjoyed the seafood tastings, learned more about Japanese history, and got to experience one of Kanazawa’s most unique traditions. Nicola has such a warm and welcoming way of sharing the city, and we’re very proud of the passion he brings to every tour. We’ll make sure he sees your kind words, he will be so happy to read this. Thank you from Kanazawa Tours.

M
Mobile01743441531
July 7, 2026
Amazing tour in Kanazawa

Nicola Cinelli, our guide, was awesome & make the tour very interesting & memorable. He also gave great recommendations of places to visit & places to eat. Great tour, highly recommended.

Operator response

Thank you so much for this lovely message. We’re really happy to hear you had such a great experience with Nicola Cinelli and that he helped make your tour both interesting and memorable. It’s wonderful to hear that his recommendations for places to visit and eat added even more to your time in Kanazawa. Nicola has a real passion for sharing the city with guests, and we’re very proud of the care and enthusiasm he brings to every tour. We’ll make sure he sees your kind words, he will be so happy to read this. Thank you from Kanazawa Tours.

A
Ayako_M
June 23, 2026
I had a great tour even I'm Japanese.

説明がとても上手で、ツアーに参加して良かった!と思いました。 とても詳しく金沢を説明してくれて、時間があればもう一度紹介してもらった場所を訪れてみたいと思いましたが、帰る日だったので限られた時間だったのが残念でした。次回は、到着日の午後ツアーに参加して、翌日におすすめの場所を再訪したいと思います。 また機会があれば、Sayaさんのツアーに参加したいと思います。 Thank you, Saya. I had a great time with you and our team. I'm looking forward to seeing you again. I really recommend this tour.

Operator response

Thank you so much for this beautiful message. We’re honestly really happy to hear you had such a great time with Saya and that her explanations helped you feel that Kanazawa became much more meaningful for you. It’s lovely to know you enjoyed learning so much about the city, even if your time was a bit limited at the end of your trip. We completely understand that feeling of wishing you had more time to revisit places, Kanazawa has that effect on many people. We’re especially glad you’re already thinking about coming back and exploring more with us next time, and we would absolutely love to have you join another tour with Saya again. She will be so happy to read your words. We’re really proud of her and we’ll make sure she sees your message. Thank you from Kanazawa Tours.

9
968DebP
June 6, 2026
A fun and very interesting tour of the market and geisha area

I had a fabulous morning with my guide Saya, the market was so much more interesting with her knowledge of the produce and how it was used. Got to try some delicious sashimi! Then we moved on to the geisha districts and discovered really interesting facts about the area and the people who lived in this beautiful place. Got to try delicious sweets. And fascinating to see how gold leaf is made and processed! It was a brilliant tour with a very knowledgeable and friendly guide!

Operator response

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. We’re really glad to hear you had such a fabulous morning with Saya and that her knowledge helped bring Omicho Market, the geisha districts, and the gold leaf workshop to life for you. It’s great that you enjoyed the tastings and discovered so many interesting details along the way. Thanks from all of us at Kanazawa Tours, we truly appreciate your kind words!

E
evahP7979SL
May 26, 2026
Such a fun experience!!

We began the tour outside of a big shop and beside a bus stop, due to us being so close to the buses I couldn’t hear the introduction very well. Starting in a different location may help with a nicer welcoming and ensures everybody hears the tour guides name and is able to ask questions. I was worried at first that I wouldn’t be able to hear the tour guide, Saya, but she really made up for it afterwards by teaching us about different types of fish and giving us fun facts about Kanazawa before buying a nice selection of sashimi. She gave a recommendation based off of her preferences which I found very helpful and then let us try all the sashimi including wagu, baby squid and salmon! After we finished our fish and meat tasting we went to a mochi shop which had the best mochi I’ve ever tasted! I tried pineapple mochi and my friend had macha mochi and we both loved it so much we were tempted to buy more for the road! After the food tasting we went through a small Shinto temple and were taught how to wash your hands and pray at the temple. Then we went to the Geisha district and were taught about Geishas, Samurai and the houses there. To finish off the tour we went and saw gold leaf being made which was amazing to learn about as Kanazawa is known for its gold leaf! Overall, I enjoyed every part of the tour, my favourite would have to be the mochi and I would definitely recommend the tour!! Thank you Saya for being so welcoming and informative!!

Operator response

Thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful feedback. We’re really glad to hear that Saya helped turn your experience into such an enjoyable and memorable tour, from the food tastings and mochi stop to the shrine visit, geisha district, and gold leaf demonstration. It’s wonderful that you especially enjoyed the mochi- the pineapple flavor sounds so good in this hot weather and found so many highlights throughout the day. We also really appreciate your constructive note about the starting location. Feedback like this is very helpful and will be shared with the team as we continue improving the guest experience. Thanks from all of us at Kanazawa Tours, we truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation!

R
rigvir
May 24, 2026
Excellent and informative tour

Very well organised tour. Our guide (Nicola) was very knowledgeable and able to give us an interesting insight into the Japanese way of life. Very enjoyable - I would thoroughly recommend.

Operator response

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. We’re really glad to hear you enjoyed the tour with Nicola and that his knowledge helped give you a deeper insight into Japanese life. It’s wonderful to know you found the experience so well organised and enjoyable. Thanks from all of us at Kanazawa Tours, we truly appreciate your recommendation!

S
Samantha_C
May 21, 2026
Great tour

Great tour with Nichola, he was very knowledgeable, friendly and made the trip a great experience. Food was fantastic and history very interesting.

Operator response

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. We’re really glad to hear you had a great tour with Nicola and that his knowledge and friendly approach made the experience so enjoyable. It’s wonderful that you also enjoyed the food and found the history so interesting. Thanks from all of us at Kanazawa Tours, we truly appreciate your lovely review!

T
The_Glovers_UK
May 18, 2026
Enjoyable morning in the market an geisha areas

We spent the morning on a tour of the market and geisha areas with Nicola. The tour was well organised, there were nine of us which was a larger group size but Nicola managed the group well. We enjoyed learning more of the local history, culture and food, including trying a few things from the market which we wouldn’t usually choose and a very tasty sweet treat from a small shop in the geisha area. The tour finished with a short demonstration of gold leaf production and handling, real skill needed.

Operator response

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. We’re really glad to hear you enjoyed your morning with Nicola exploring Omicho Market and the geisha district, and that he was able to manage the group well and keep the experience engaging for everyone. It’s great that you enjoyed the local tastings and the gold leaf demonstration, and got to learn more about Kanazawa’s history, culture, and food along the way. Thanks from all of us at Kanazawa Tours, we truly appreciate your kind review!

F
Fearless113105
May 16, 2026
Great introduction to Kanazawa

This tour was fantastic. We covered the history of the market and discussed where the vendors get their food. We stopped to try some select foods that included pork and fish. Our guide (Nicola) was sure to meet all the allergy and food diet requirements of our group while making sure we enjoyed our time. After the market, we took a tour of the geisha district, Nicola got us local treats, pointing out local shops, explained the area’s history and took us to a gold leaf shop. Absolutely great experience and highly recommend!

Operator response

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. We’re really glad to hear you had such a great experience exploring Omicho Market and the geisha district with Nicola, and that he was able to accommodate your group’s dietary needs while still making the tour enjoyable and relaxed. It’s great to know you enjoyed the local food tastings, cultural insights, and the stop at the gold leaf shop as well. Thanks from all of us at Kanazawa Tours, we truly appreciate your recommendation!

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