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Kanazawa
Looking for more culture, shopping, restaurants, music and entertainment choices than Toyama has to offer? Kanazawa is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Toyama-ken’s next-door neighbour. In fact, nearly all cities and towns in Toyama-ken are closer and more accessible to Kanazawa than the majority of towns on Ishikawa’s Noto Hanto (peninsula) are. And for Nanto-city JETs, Kanazawa is closer and easier to get to by car than even Toyama City. So, it’s definitely worth checking out for a change of scenery.
Getting there
Kanazawa can be accessed by car on the Hokuriku Expressway as well as regular roads. Using the expressway, get off at the Kanazawa-Nishi exit for the downtown area. By regular roads, take Route 8 from Niikawa/Toyama/Takaoka, and Route 359 from Tonami and Nanto city (Route 359 goes past Shimaya, through Oyabe city towards Kanazawa). It is also accessible by train on the Hokuriku Line from Takaoka.
Getting around
Kanazawa is quite easy. It has an extensive bus network, with the terminal at Kanazawa JR station. It costs 200 yen to get to most places in the city. There is also a sightseeing bus which costs a little more. Beware when driving, it can be a confusing city and it’s easy to get lost, so bring road maps! Also, parking can be quite pricy downtown.
Information
Inside Kanazawa JR station is a tourist information section, which has an English guide. Also of help is the Kanazawa International Exchange Foundation, in the Rifare building about 200 meters from the station.
Also, Ishikawa has many other delights – for example, Haku-san (white mountain), is one of the sacred top three in Japan along with Fuji-san and our own Tateyama. Noto-hanto (peninsula) is place where you can check out lost Japan and enjoy some great drives and traditional culture. It’s home to Wajima markets and some legendary onsens such as Wagura and camping sites.
You can research Kanazawa and Ishikawa-ken in the Lonely Planet or any other half-decent Japan guidebook. Also, check out our JET neighbours at www.ishikawajets.org and the Kanazawa section of japan-guide.com on the ‘net.
History
Kanazawa was the traditional base of power for the Kaga Domain that straddled the area that is now Ishikawa and into western Toyama (including Takaoka) on the Sea of Japan coast. Ruled by the Maeda Clan during the Edo Period, it was the cultural and financial center of the area. Long periods of peace and prosperity helped Kanazawa to focus on its cultural side. During WWII, it was the second largest city in Japan (after Kyoto) to be spared bombing by allied forces. Luckily, that means that plenty of the attractions of the past have survived to this day.