2025-11-22

Kanazawa is a bit like Kyoto or Nara in the sense that there are a handful of sights you’re absolutely expected to visit: Omicho Market, the huge park, garden, and historical buildings around the Kanazawa Castle site, and the geisha quarter just to the east.

We hit two out of three today, starting with the market. Both kids are seasoned Japanese foodies at this point and know what they like, so they made a beeline for the grilled eel, pork buns, and fresh fruit.

The castle complex was fascinating, and we all found something to get pulled into. For me it was the carpentry and other building work being done to reconstruct the original Kanazawa Castle; it’s an absolutely epic project that’s been running for 25 years already and seems likely to take at least another 25 before the full build is complete.

We continued in our nearly-unbroken streak of amazing weather, and got to see Kenrokuen Garden in full fall color with blue skies overhead. Of course, the fact that it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon meant it wasn’t quite the quiet, contemplative experience that I’ve had in other traditional Japanese gardens; several thousand other people apparently also thought it might be a nice day for a walk in the park.

We also skimmed the edges of the art museum + shopping district; I had thought we’d actually go check out the exhibits once the weather inevitably turned, but the current forecast doesn’t make that likely.

While it was so nice out, we swung down to the old samurai estate just south of the gardens to see the Edo-period houses and craft samples.

After a chill afternoon at the hotel we ventured back out for dinner, and it was once again a highlight. We wound up at a nabe restaurant where our udon, miso soup, and seasoned rice were all cooked in metal bowls over burners built into the table. It was a lot like the Chinese hot pot we’re familiar with, but with 3-4 distinct smaller dishes rather than a single giant pot of soup.