Exploring Kanazawa and Kyoto
For visitors interested in traditional art and culture, Kyoto and Kanazawa are undoubtedly two of Japan's must-see destinations. While Kyoto was the imperial capital for over 1000 years, Kanazawa was the seat of one of the wealthiest and most successful samurai families - today, both are known for their magnificent cultural heritage and well-preserved historical districts, having survived to the present day with only minimal wartime damage.
For this video project, I set out to introduce some of both cities' most immersive locales, from buzzing food markets to centuries-old geisha districts, on a two-night trip with stays at the Mitsui Garden Hotel - a popular chain with stylish and comfortable locations throughout the country at a moderate price point.
Day 1 - Kanazawa
My first destination was Kanazawa, a city in Japan's Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan. Known for its castle, nicely preserved samurai quarter and the beautiful landscape garden of Kenrokuen, the city received a major boost in 2015 when it was connected to the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, making it reachable from Tokyo in under three hours. The subsequent extension of the line as far as Tsuruga, meanwhile, has cut travel time to Kyoto down to a little over two hours.
From the mid-16th century through to the end of Japan's feudal era, Kanazawa prospered under the rule of the Maeda clan - a period locals still sometimes call the Hyakumangoku or "the million bushels of rice" for the wealth and status the city enjoyed. Today, the Maeda legacy can still be seen, from prominent landmarks to an enduring culture of arts and crafts, as well as the three-day Hyakumangoku Festival held every year in June.
Setting off from my hotel on foot, I began my day with a 15 minute walk to one of the city's best known and most lively sightseeing spots - the Omicho Market.
For much of its history until the advent of mass transport, Kanazawa received most of its supplies by riverboat, with markets regularly popping up at various points along the Saigawa and Asano rivers, which criss-cross the city. By the 1700s however, the city had greatly expanded, and the decision was made to create a single, larger market close to Kanazawa Castle, which would ultimately become the Omicho Market we know today.
Due to a combination of factors - a unique confluence of warm and cool currents that create a moderate temperature, while the surrounding mountains and countryside generate a run-off of nutritionally rich water - the seas surrounding Kanazawa are teeming with life, particularly with local staples like yellowtail, squid, crabs and shrimp.
Today, the market is known for its lively atmosphere, with sellers excitedly calling out their wares, or chatting away to customers about what looks especially good today, and how to cook it. Although visitors are requested to refrain from eating while exploring the market, there are a few handy seating areas set aside for snacks and light bites. One great place to start is the Yaki Yaki Corner at Oguchi Fisheries, located close to the center along Kami Omicho Street. Here, I ordered a griller skewer with sazae, or horned turban, scallop and a baby octopus.
By now it was almost lunchtime, so, already feeling hungry from looking at so much delicious seafood, I sat down to the market's signature dish of kaisendon - a bowl of rice topped with fresh seafood - at Kaisen Hirai, one of several restaurants tucked away upstairs. Packed with sliced raw fish, creamy sea urchin, shrimp and salmon roe, it was incredibly fresh and delicious, and exactly what I had been craving.
Leaving the market behind, I took a 15-minute stroll east, then northeast across the Asano River to the Higashi Chaya District - one of several beautifully preserved historic districts within the city. During Japan's feudal age, many kinds of entertainment were strictly controlled by the samurai government. In Kanazawa, this led to the creation of three teahouse districts at the city limits, where people of different social classes could mix freely, eat, drink and enjoy geisha entertainment.
Of these, the Higashi Chaya District is the largest and most impressive, with many traditional wooden buildings and a refined atmosphere. Today, many of the buildings inside the district have become cafes, restaurants and craft or souvenir shops, but a handful are still teahouses, deeply connected to the local geisha culture.
The Shima Teahouse is one former teahouse that still looks much as it has for centuries and today serves as a local museum of sorts. Inside, visitors can see the same tatami-floored spaces where customers once dined, drank and watched private geisha performances - complete with their original decorations and antique musical instruments - as well as a dressing room, kitchen and even the living quarters of the former proprietress.
Rounding off the experience, I took a relaxing pause in a nicely renovated tearoom for a bowl of matcha and traditional sweet, while looking out onto the teahouse's little enclosed garden.
Visitors who step into any of the nearby shops or cafes will most likely notice another of the city's specialties - gold leaf. Kanazawa's affinity for gold is paralleled in legend - one popular story tells of a local farmer who discovers gold dust while digging for sweet potatoes - and even in its name, Kanazawa, which can be read as "gold marsh". While Japan was once one of the world's major gold producers with various sources found throughout the country, it was Kanazawa that became the center of gold leaf production, and to this day produces close to 100% of the material used in the country.
For gold leaf products, one speciality shop in the area especially worth a visit is Hakuza Hikarigura. Set inside one of the neighborhood's many historic buildings, the store displays a wide range of items decorated in the gleaming metal, from tableware and interior furnishings to accessories. The store also boasts an historic warehouse building or kura, its exterior coated in an original gold-platinum alloy while its interior is decorated with dazzling pure 24-karat gold.
Visitors can also celebrate this aspect of Kanazawa's culture with ice cream coated in gold leaf at various cafes, restaurants and sweet shops. To give it a try, I made a stop at Kanazawa Shitsurae - a mix of shop and cafe housed inside an especially eye-catching red-painted building, itself over 200 years old. While it may seem strange, the material itself - placed between bundles of traditional washi paper, beaten by hand and stretched thin over many days - is only one to two ten thousands of a millimeter thick and chemically inert, making it quite safe to eat!
After exploring the district, it was time to retrace my steps to my accommodation for the night, the Mitsui Garden Hotel Kanazawa - a stylish, modern hotel, conveniently located in the heart of the city within walking distance of popular sightseeing spots like the Omicho Market, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden. Stepping into the lobby, I was soon able to pick out some references to local arts and crafts in the decor, from gold leaf to intricate wood patterning.
The guest rooms, although more neutral, continued the theme with bright fabric headboards featuring colors and patterns borrowed from classic kimono designs. My own room - a Superior King type - was spacious as well as attractive, with plenty of room to stretch out or manage large suitcases.
After getting settled in, I had one final stop to make at the hotel's top floor public baths, where I ended my day with a long and relaxing dip while looking out through floor-to-ceiling windows over the darkening city, towards Mount Iozen in the distance.
Day 2 - Kyoto
My second day began with an early morning dip in the baths as the sun rose over the city, before making my way down to the restaurant to try the extensive breakfast buffet. This turned out to be a nice balance of the usual western fare and traditional Japanese staples - the latter beautifully presented and often in neat, bitesize portions - ideal for newcomers looking to try something different.
After a quick return to the front desk to return my room key and say my thanks to the staff, I jumped into a taxi for a 5 minute drive to Kanazawa Station. From here I took a Hokuriku Shinkansen as far as Tsuruga on the Sea of Japan Coast, changing to a Limited Express Thunderbird for the second leg on to Kyoto, the whole journey taking about two hours.
Arriving at Kyoto, I made a short stop just three minutes from the main exit at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Station. Here, guests at four other Mitsui Garden Hotel branches throughout the city can take advantage of a baggage delivery service, allowing them to drop off any extra bags at a price of 500 yen per item and start sightseeing straight away, without the need to check-in. Guests using the service are also welcome to grab a complementary hot or cold drink in the downstairs lounge and take a few minutes to recover from their journey before setting off again.
Free of heavy bags, I was ready to start the day's sightseeing in earnest. Retracing my steps back into Kyoto Station, I took a Karasuma Line Subway train to Shijo, from where an easy 10-minute stroll brought me to my next stop at the Nishiki Market.
Known as the "Kitchen of Kyoto", the market lies at the heart of a complex web of supply chains, connecting the city's homes and restaurants with a dazzling array of fresh and traditionally processed foodstuffs from the surrounding countryside and beyond. Its significance and enduring appeal, however, go far deeper than commerce - for centuries, locals from all walks of life have rubbed shoulders here, sharing the ingredients, recipes and techniques that would define Kyoto's unique food culture.
While the market's historical record extends only as far as 1615 when it was mainly a place for fish wholesalers, local lore puts its origins centuries earlier during the Heian Period (794-1185). The reason for its location isn't quite certain, but the most likely explanation points to the area's supply of exceptionally cold and pure groundwater - something essential for the preservation of fresh fish before the advent of modern refrigerators.
Today, the market comprises around 130 stores arranged along 390 meters of covered arcade on Nishiki-Koji Street, under a pointed roof of red, yellow and green glass tiles that has become something of a local symbol. Exploring it is a real feast for the senses - there are the crowds that ebb and flow throughout the business day, delivery staff pushing effortlessly through them with refrigerated boxes, shop owners chatting or calling out their wares, food products of all kinds and of course, everywhere you look, mouthwatering food of all shapes, colors and sizes.
While it may be a common sight within the market, eating while walking is often disruptive and is in fact against the rules, so I chose Uoriki - a lively grilled fish stall with a long history and its own seating area - to pause for a few well-earned bites.
Having thoroughly explored the market, it was time to continue on to my hotel for the night. Much like its counterpart in Kanazawa, the Mitsui Garden Hotel Sanjo PREMIER turned out to be an attractive and well-placed building, in this case located just five minutes' walk away on Sanjo-dori - a street known for distinctive early 20th century buildings with some striking flashes of art deco design.
Inside, the hotel felt airy and spacious, creating a peaceful refuge from the crowded streets outside. Combining a modern, minimal look with traditional design elements, the building is arranged around a series of enclosed courtyard gardens, its large, open lobby leading into a cozy cafe bar and an open plan restaurant called curd. Built on the site of a 400-year-old kimono atelier, the hotel keeps a collection of its pieces with one always on display in front of the check-in desk.
The smart visual design continues into the guest rooms, with glass walls creating a nice, open feel and a soft color palette drawn from kimono fashion subtly reinforcing the sense of place.
Once I was settled in, it was time to make my way down to the basement level for a refreshing dip in the hotel's public baths. Designed to evoke the impression of a cave, the baths managed to feel private and enclosed while at the same time perfectly matching the hotel's modern aesthetic.
Before setting out for the evening, I made a quick stop at the hotel's bar, a sleek, dimly lit and very stylish space known simply as bar Y. Created in partnership with the local Takeno Sake Brewery, the bar offers an impressive list of hard-to-find sakes, with a food menu created by talented young chefs in the city.
For the final sightseeing stop of my trip, I jumped in a taxi bound for Pontocho, a narrow alley connecting the main thoroughfares of Sanjo and Shijo, lined with restaurants and bars of all kinds and known as one of the city's most atmospheric spots - especially after dark when it is illuminated by shop signs and countless paper lanterns.
Some of the establishments on the east side of the street look out onto the Kamo River, to which the history of the neighborhood is closely tied. In fact, the whole street sits on land reclaimed in 1670 as a flood barrier. Over time, teahouses began to pop up catering to the crew and passengers arriving by riverboat, with the area ultimately receiving an official license to handle geisha entertainment in the early 19th century. Its role as one of Kyoto's Hanamachi, or geisha districts, continues to the present, and elaborately dressed geisha can still sometimes be glimpsed along the streets around dusk as they make their way to appointments.
Today, stepping into Pontocho from one of Kyoto's busy shopping streets feels rather like slipping through a time portal - the buildings and passersby may have changed, but the narrowness of the street, the light from hanging lanterns and the chatter of customers from inside the various bars and restaurants all combine to create a uniquely intimate sense of atmosphere.
For my own dinner, I chose Yakitori Kyoto-en - an understated little restaurant with only counter seats, located about a quarter of the way down the street from the Sanjo side and specializing in charcoal-grilled chicken skewers. Here I enjoyed a series of chicken pieces - hatsu or heart, a kind of chicken meatball called tsukune, tender momo or thigh and lean, meaty chicken breast called sasami, laced with wasabi - all beautifully cooked and seasoned with a sweet, sticky sauce.
After my meal, it was time to make my way back to the hotel for one last treat that day - a pre-reserved slot at the luxurious private bath. Located on the basement level facing out onto one of the Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Sanjo PREMIER's neat little courtyard gardens, the bath and its connected relaxation space are the perfect way to find a peaceful moment and unwind after a busy day of sightseeing.
Hotel Information
Mitsui Garden Hotels
Mitsui Garden Hotels is a highly recognizable brand with over 33 locations spread across Japan, known for providing calm surroundings akin to a well-tended garden, and thereby allowing guests to recharge and relax in comfort.
sequence
With three locations in Tokyo and Kyoto, sequence is a boutique lifestyle hotel brand combining its philosophies of understated luxury, modern design elements and thoughtfully curated local experiences. Thus, providing an elegant blend of service for its guests
THE CELESTINE HOTELS
Also with three locations in Tokyo and Kyoto, the higher-end THE CELESTINE HOTELS brand emphasizes quality, comfort and a high standard of service in tranquil and welcoming surroundings.