Top Kanazawa Day Trips

This one-day tour from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go and Takayama was one of the most memorable experiences of our trip through Japan. The journey itself is part of the pleasure, travelling through the dramatic landscapes of the Japanese Alps before arriving at the remarkable village of Shirakawa-go. The traditional gassho-zukuri houses, surrounded by mountains, create a scene that feels almost timeless. Takayama offers a different charm. Its beautifully preserved old town, wooden merchant houses, sake breweries and small shops provide a wonderful glimpse into historic Japan. The tour was very well organised, the coach comfortable, and the guide professional and attentive. The schedule allowed enough time to explore each destination while still keeping the day relaxed. For travellers staying in Kanazawa, this tour is an excellent way to experience two of central Japan’s most atmospheric places in a single day.

We absolutely loved the tour, from telling us the history to showing us all the good spots for photos. We were supposed to be a group of 4, but two people bailed last minute so it turned into a private tour! We had great weather (heavy snow at Shirakawago) and had so many opportunities for great photos and memories

Shirakawa-go was amazing - loved the traditional houses with their steep triangle roofs. Yasushi was guide and he was amazing. He was informative and kept everything running smoothly. Yasushi always had a smile on his face and his energy just made you smile. Going early in the morning is the way to go as it gets busy! In the afternoon we went to Kenrokuen Garden. This was our second time we visited the garden and we learnt even more history. Yasushi took us around a different path and we saw things that we didn't see the first time. To top off the day we made a gold leaf postcard. What a way to finish the day.... oh wait have the gold leaf ice-cream as well - it's delicious! Highly recommend this tour plus Yasushi - thankyou!

Kayo was an awesome guide. We met her at the Kanazawa train station and took a bus to the Samarai district. We got to go in an upper Samarai’s house that was beautiful. We walked through the castle area over to the Kenrokuen Garden. It was spectacular! Last we made a quick stop in the Geisha district. We fit in a lot as Kayo was a perfect guide. Since this was a day trip for us, we arrived to Kanazawa early and walked through the Omicho Market on our own. Overall, it was a wonderful day!

Ai, our guide from Kanazawa Tours, met us at the train station. She spoke excellent English. She explained our itinerary and we were off to catch a bus to our first stop. As we discussed before, when we booked our tour, we paid for her transportation and her lunch. She showed us the morning market where they sold fresh seafood and other products. She explained about the tea they have which uses the stems of the tea plant, not the leaves. We toured the Samurai section and she had so much knowledge about this area it was amazing! Someone even tried to tag along with our tour. She firmly told them that this was a private tour. If we had gone on our own we wouldn't have learned so much about the area and the Edo period. Also, she pointed out that during WW2 Kanazawa was spared from the bombings so a lot of the area retained it's historic buildings. We visited the geisha district and Ai was again so knowledgeable. She also asked if we wanted her to reserve a gold leaf activity which is located in the geisha district. Thank you, Ai, for such a great tour and we learned so much from you! For anyone else booking this tour I hope you are lucky enough to have Ai be your tour guide.