Kanazawa

During the Edo Period, Kanazawa served as the seat of the Maeda Clan, the second most powerful feudal clan after the Tokugawa in terms of rice production and fief size and accordingly, Kanazawa grew to become a town of great cultural achievements. During World War Two, Kanazawa was Japan's second largest city after Kyoto to escape destruction by air raids. Consequently, parts of the old castle town, such as the Nagamachi samurai district and chaya entertainment districts, have survived in pretty good condition.

Today, Kanazawa remains an important city in its region and serves as the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Your holiday to Kanazawa takes you to a city made up of three hills; the Kodatsuno Plateau that stretches southeast between the Asano-gawa and Sai-kawa rivers and Mt. Utatsu-yama and Teramachidai, which spread out on both sides. unchallenged main attraction to see on a Kanazawa holiday is Kenrokuen, one of Japan's "three best landscape gardens" and by many considered the most beautiful of them all.

There are numerous historical attractions to explore on your holiday in Kanazawa such as restored residences and districts, as well as modern museums. Holidays to Kanazawa would be incomplete without visiting the cluster of Buddhist temples in Tera-machi on the southern bank of the Sai-gawa River. The wooden facades of the former geisha district, located north of the Asano-gawa river are another must visit during holidays in Kanazawa. Modern art, fashion, music, and international dining thrive in the downtown core of Korinbo, and in the shopping districts of Tate-machi and Kata-machi. The Japan Sea provides great seafood and a somewhat dreary climate. Fortunately, cold, gray, and wet weather is offset by friendly people and only adds to the sad, romantic air of the city. Between sightseeing, shopping, and sampling Kanazawa's many restaurants and cafés, it is worth staying here a couple of nights.

Tokyo and Kanazawa are directly connected with each other by the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen. The one way ride takes 2.5 to 3 hours, costs around 14,000 yen and is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass. Kanazawa's airport is located in the city of Komatsu, a 40 minute bus ride from central Kanazawa. JAL and ANA operate several flights between Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Kanazawa's Komatsu Airport each day. Flight time is one hour.

Though the atmosphere of the city changes with each season, it is an excellent place to visit any time of the year.

Weather in Japan is very predictable. Generally, the country has four clear seasons: spring (dry/sunny), summer (hot/humid), autumn (rainy) and winter (cold/snow). Spring is a popular season for visiting Japan, as the cherry blossoms peak around April and weather is pleasant, with little rain. The summer months, July and August, can be oppressively hot and humid. It does get cold in the winter and it does snow in Japan, which many people do not realize. In fact, there is great skiing in Nagano or Hokkaido during the winter months.