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Kanazawa, Japan
Kanazawa was spared bombing in World War II, leaving its historic districts remarkably intact. Kenrokuen, ranked among Japan's three most beautiful gardens, offers a meditative stroll through ponds, bridges, and carefully pruned pines across six carefully balanced landscape elements. The Higashi Chaya geisha district preserves wooden teahouses with latticed windows where geisha still perform for private guests. The Nagamachi samurai district retains the earthen walls, narrow lanes, and restored residences of the feudal warrior class. Kanazawa Castle Park connects the garden to the city center. The Omicho Market has been the city's kitchen for 300 years, with fresh seafood from the Sea of Japan — particularly crab, sweet shrimp, and buri yellowtail. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, a circular glass building, provides a striking modern counterpoint. Gold leaf craft, for which Kanazawa produces 99 percent of Japan's supply, can be found on everything from temples to ice cream.
explore by interest
Kanazawa's main sights form a loose circuit you can walk in a day — start at Kenrokuen, walk through the castle park, visit the geisha and samurai districts, and end at Omicho Market for a seafood lunch.
April for cherry blossoms in Kenrokuen, November for autumn foliage, or February for the garden's famous yukitsuri rope structures protecting trees from snow.