Ishikawa Prefecture

Best things to do in Ishikawa Prefecture

Ishikawa Prefecture: The Absolute Essentials

Ishikawa’s capital, Kanazawa, serves as a living museum of Edo-period heritage. This collection features Kenrokuen, a premier landscape garden designed by the Maeda clan, alongside the preserved geisha districts of Higashi Chaya and Kazuemachi. The region's craftsmanship is showcased through gold leaf artistry at the Yasue Museum and Kaga Yuzen silk dyeing at Nagamachi Yuzenkan. Architectural highlights range from the original 1881 Ishikawa Gate to the futuristic Kanazawa Station and the circular 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. Myoryuji Temple offers a glimpse into defensive design with its hidden tunnels and traps.

Ishikawa Prefecture: The Absolute Essentials — Map

663highland / CC BY 2.5

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Kenrokuen Park

Kenroku-en, located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, is a strolling style garden constructed during the Edo period by the Maeda clan.

松岡明芳 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Omicho Market

A busy food market offering variety of local products. Experience for all your senses!

くろふね / CC BY 3.0

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Higashi Chaya District

This district is named after chaya - a traditional house where the guests would come to see a performance by geishas.

663highland / CC BY 2.5

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Kanazawa Train Station

Kanazawa Station is a major railway station in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company, the private railway…

ajari / CC BY 2.0

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21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is a museum of contemporary art located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.

金沢市 / CC BY 2.1 jp

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Ochaya Shima

Once a carefully polished place where geishas showed their skills of entertainment, it now houses a nice museum where you can see how the…

Irina Gelbukh / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Myôryûji (Ninjadera Temple)

Myōryū-ji, commonly known as Ninja-dera, is a Buddhist temple belonging to Nichiren sect located in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.

金沢市 / CC BY 2.1 jp

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Kazuemachi

This old geisha district is a labyrinth of traditional houses where geishas used to perform.

(WT-shared) Kagaland at wts wikivoyage / CC BY-SA 1.0

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Ishikawa Gate

This gate survived the huge fire in 1881 so you can see it in its original beauty. It is the main entrance to the Kanazawa Castle Park.

藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani) / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Kanazawa Confectionary Museum

Visit this museum and explore the exhibition on typical Japanese sweets.

金沢市 / CC BY 2.1 jp

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Yasue Gold Leaf Museum

This museum was built in order to preserve the art of gold leaf craft for the future generations.

金沢市 / CC BY 2.1 jp

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Nagamachi Yuzenkan

Visit this craft centre and see how the beautiful kimonos of this region are made.

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Kanazawa Editor's Picks Kanazawa Museums & Galleries Castles and Historical Sites Japanese Religious Sites Japanese Culture & Crafts Nature and Viewpoints