Two nights in Kanazawa - itinerary?

Hello,

I will be spending two nights in Kanazawa in mid-April. I'd like to see the main sights in the city and do a day trip to Shirakawa-go (I cannot afford an overnight stay in the village unfortunately).

Currently, my plan is:

Friday (midday): arrive in Kanazawa and spend rest of the day exploring [Omicho, Kenrokuen, Higashi Chaya]
Saturday (all day): spend day in Shirakawa-go (Ogimachi)
Sunday (morning): leave

Is this okay? I have limited time but am quite efficient/energetic. Would it be possible to see Shirakawago on Friday without being rushed then spending all day Saturday in Kanazawa, or is my current plan better? How busy is Shirakawa-go during April weekends? Is a bus reservation necessary?

Thanks for your help!

Shirakawago is great, but you could easily get away with spending just a couple of hours there. Once you've walked round the village (not very big), and maybe popped into one of the houses that are open to tourists, then that's pretty much it. You can make a day out of it by walking slower, and by going up to the viewpoint, but imho you're not adding incrementally all that much by doing so.

For me, the joy of the place is staying overnight, and I note your point about it being expensive, but I'd thought there were options at the cheaper end of the scale (although I guess you've already researched this).

One other thing you might want to consider in Kanazawa is the C21st Art Museum (right by the garden). It's one of the top contemporary art museums in Japan (arguably in the world), and even if you're not "into" this sort of stuff I'd say it's worth a quick look just to see the free exhibits, which I think will make you smile.

Hi Winter Visitor,
Thanks a lot for your reply! Maybe I will go to Shirakawa-go on the Friday then and take my time with Kanazawa on Saturday...we like gardens a lot so we're happy to really take our time with Kenrokuen. The geisha/samurai districts look cool too.
I was really keen on staying overnight in Shirakawa-go but the cheapest I could find was £110 for one night :( I know that might not seem like much to other people but we're students and we have a really tight budget. According to the bus schedule, the last bus is after 7pm on weekdays so we could stay for a few hours at least.

Glad to be of help.

Re staying overnight, we stayed there on our last-but-one trip, a couple of years ago, and I remember that it was really difficult to find any places that offered booking in English over the internet, and they tended to be the more expensive ones.

Following this link from the main japan-guide http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5952.html it says that there's a local tourist office that can help you with a booking, so I don't know if there's a cheaper option available. I *think* that I've seen threads on this forum talking about accommodation options and costs, so a search might throw up something useful for you (although it may have been some time ago - but Japan's had basically zero inflation for years, so the only consideration is the recent rise in sales tax).

As an alternative, Shirakawa-go is not the only Gassho style village. A lot of people recommend Ainokura and Suganuma in Gokayama as well. Apparently much less crowded and more traditional (less modern intrusions) but just as nice. You also might find cheaper options for staying? Plus, it's not as far as Shirakawa-go.

The 21st contemporary art museum is worth a look - some good stuff, some not so good, but that is art. Interesting building and it is next to the gardens. Also check out the castle and the castle garden (separate/free), and head across the road to Oyama Jina shrine (another small gardin/pond, and one of the few stone entrance gates I've seen in Japan. Also I always fond Omi-cho better in the morning, rather than afternoon/evening.

Halfnhalf - thanks for the tips - I'll definitely look into those places. I haven't heard of them before.

JapanCustomTours - thanks for the info about Kanazawa. I'm always a bit iffy about contemporary art (even though I study art!) but it might make a nice change and prevent 'temple overload' :)

hey guys

http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/shirakawago.html

with the new schedule, the last train out from shirakawago to kanazawa is 1.50pm?

other buses do not run to kanazawa (correct me if i'm wrong)

Your itinerary doesn't include any temples, so I doubt you'll get temple overload, but the 21st Century Museum is open later than other attractions, so that is another great reason to visit if you have time and other places are closing.

It's open until 8pm on Friday/Sat and until 6pm on other days.

You could catch the 1.15pm bus to Shirakawa-go on the Friday, arriving at 2.30pm and return to Kanazawa on the 5.30pm bus. We spent the same amount of time and had a relaxed visit. The viewpoint is not to be missed, the view is wonderful.

In Kanazawa if you're in the area of the 21st Century Art Museum and Kenrokuen Garden, there are 2 other places well worth a visit, Seisonkaku Villa (http://www.hot-ishikawa.jp/kanko/english/20037.html) and the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts (http://www.ishikawa-densankan.jp/english/info/index.html). These two are almost next door to each other and about 10 minutes walk from the 21st Century Art Museum. Check on google maps for where they are.

The Museum has an extensive collection of very beautiful objects and the Villa an interesting example of a building when no expense is spared.

TO fatbunneh (guest):
I plan on doing exactly as you plan and I have all the details - bus schedules, maps of bus stops, etc. Also the train schedules form Tokyo to Kanazawa and on to Kyoto.
I can e-mail it to you if you want. Send me a private message by clicking on my name.

I've been to Kanazawa last summer.
First, we chose the taxi as transportation. (we were 3 people)
We started with the Omicho market : http://www.soleilrouge.org/kanazawa-le-marche-omi-cho

Then the neighborhood Chaya : http://www.soleilrouge.org/kanazawa-higashi-chaya-machi

Then the Kenrokuen garden: http://www.soleilrouge.org/kanazawa-kenroku-en-peut-etre-le-plus-beau-...

Finally, the Museum of Modern Art : http://www.soleilrouge.org/kanazawa-le-musee-d-art-contemporain-du-21e...

We went to dinner at an izakaya near the district Samurai : http://www.soleilrouge.org/kanazawa-degustation-et-restauration

We had plenty of time to visit these places starting at 9:00 .

To go to Shirakawago , we rented a car because then we went to Takayama. It takes about two hours to visit the village : http://www.soleilrouge.org/shirakawago-les-mains-jointes-de-ogimachi-1

Have a nice trip at Kanazawa. It's one of my best experiences in japan.

fuchan29 tells perfectly the places to visit. maybe add the fish market also to the list (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4207.html), cause you definatly should try fish in kanazawa!

one remark: all those places can easily be visited just by walking also within one day, if you are not too lazy / old. so i dont think you require some taxi. a city map will do.

I had Wagyu Beef from Noto Peninsular at the restaurant with the golden animal in front.
It is along the way from Kanazawa station to my hotel, Castle Inn.
It serves barbeque dishes and the food was great and cheap. Surely, one of the best meals I had in Japan. Total was less than 80USD for two persons who ate Wagyu Beef A10 great + Sirloin Steak + Vegetables + stuff I forgot
(Google: コリヤンハウス駅前韓の家)

Also Golden Curry is recommended by a friend of mine.
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g298115-d6703010-Revi...