Article Kanazawa Travel Guide

Kanazawa (金沢) is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture and the political, economic, and cultural centre of the Hokuriku Region. Kanazawa developed in the 15th century as a de facto autonomous temple town of the Ikkō sect. In 1580, the Ikkō movement was destroyed by Sakuma Morimasa, who built Kanazawa Castle. Later, the city was ruled by the powerful Maeda clan under whose rule the arts and learning prospered. Kanazawa is still famous for its Kutani ware (九谷焼 Kutani-yaki), maki-e (蒔絵, Japanese lacquerware), and Kaga yūzen (加賀友禅, printed silk fabrics). Kanazawa was not destroyed in World War II and retained its unique character as a castle town.

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JR Kanazawa Station (Photo credit: Ame Otoko -...

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The Kanazawa government's tourism policy section shared that Ishikawa Prefecture has seen around 1,116,000 non-Japanese travelers stay at lodgings with 10 or more staff during the first eight months of 2024. This figure from the Japan Tourism Agency's Overnight Travel Statistics Survey already exceeds 933,000 tourists fo all of 2023. "So many travelers from overseas have said they wish to experience Japanese culture," said a member of the Kanazawa government's tourism policy section. Visitors from Western countries, such as Italy, France and Spain, account for about half of those numbers. This makes Ishikawa an outlier as those from Western nations make up only about 25 percent of visitors to other prefectures; officials said this was also reflected in Kanazawa. Over the course of about 10 years, the city government has poured its efforts into promoting tourism in Western countries. According to officials, this involved participating in travel industry expos in Italy and elsewhere for business negotiations and inviting travel agency representatives on people on tours, among other pursuits. Kanazawa continues to aim higher, with its mayor in support of refining its offerings further.

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thomas said:

...without the throngs of tourists.

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