This is my experience traveling to and touring Kanazawa divided into 3 parts:
Part 1: The Flight
Part 2: Kaga-Komatsu-Hakusan
Part 3: Kanazawa
Part 1: The Flight
The flight from Taoyuan International Airport to Komatsu Airport took approximately three hours. The flight time wasn't that bad. The aggravating part was the 6:35 A.M. departure time, which meant I had to leave for the airport without getting a proper sleep before the trip. To my surprise, a lot of people were already waiting in line to check in and drop off luggages when I arrived there around 4:30 A.M. Fortunately it didn't take long to go through the security check. I still had time to buy some drinks and snacks before the 6:05 A.M. boarding time.
The 3-hour flight was made a lot better with the steam deck I brought with me on board. It's hard to find a better combination than a steam deck and a plane.
Komatsu Airport is a small airport, but that didn't stop it from getting visitors through customs quickly and unloading passengers' luggages in a fast and orderly manner. Getting through immigration and baggage claim was quick and without any hiccup.
Part 2: Kaga-Komatsu-Hakusan
The area was a lovely countryside with great scenery.
We stopped by Kakusenkei Gorges (鶴仙渓), where you could take a walk along a stretch of the Daishoji River. The trail was slippery after rain though.
36.241745, 136.371022
There's an outdoor cafe called Kakusenkei Kawadoko, which provides sittings for us to enjoy desserts, tea, and the scenery or the nature surrounding the Daishoji River.
The street view around the area wasn't bad as well.
Then there's the Hanibe Caves (ハニベ巌窟院), a place where a couple large statues sit, and where you could learn about hell and punishment in a sculpture gallery in a cave. The trail leading up to the cave and an open area surrounded by woods is steep and also slippery after rain. It could be dangerous to climb.
横浜家系ラーメン 野々市魂心家, a ramen restaurant in the countryside, where you could personalize your ramen by choosing your preferred flavor of the soup, toppings, and noodle texture. It makes its soup thicker than a typical ramen restaurant would, which makes the overall flavor saltier. I'm not a ramen enthusiast or someone who would seek out ramen specifically for a meal, but it was one of the better ones I've ever had.
36°28'47.1"N 136°38'47.2"E
It's a spot on the mountainside with a decent view of the town below. Not the best night time scenery but a pleasant one nonetheless. The road was difficult to navigate though.
Part 3: Kanazawa
Kanazawa street view
Inside the Omicho Market:
Here's a look at the map of Omicho Market
Omicho Ichiba Sushi (近江町市場寿し 本店)
Great food, reasonable price (for me), top-tier hospitality. I had salmon donburi and chawanmushi, which were both amazing. I would absolutely visit it again if I ever travel to Kanazawa in the future.
I don't even remember the name of the store, but the oyster is fresh and without any strong odor, I had it with lemon juice. Simply lovely.
Grilled Beef and Pork
Not much to say about this place apart from it's one of the best beef and pork skewers I've ever had (I haven't had a lot of skewers to be fair).
Streets in Kanazawa
Walking in the city of Kanazawa is probably one of my favorite parts about this trip. Nearly all the buildings in the city are maintained and kept in good conditions, both functionally and aesthetically, which makes exploring the city a very enjoyable experience. It's not crowded like larger cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, and the city is well-planned and pedestrian-friendly for the most part.
Gold Leaf Crafts (金箔屋さくだ 本店)
Making my own gold leaf craft was a very special experience, it reminded me of art class back in school. It’s a place that offers not only gifts for beloved ones, but also the opportunity to put your own care and thought into the gift.
Yeah I'm not posting photos of the stuff I made.
Kazuemachi Chaya District (主計町茶屋街)
There are plenty of little shops that sell all kinds of sweets and snacks that would pair well with tea. The Edo-period atmosphere in the area is cool to experience, but it's a popular tourist destination where you would see more people with blonde or brown hair than people with black hair.
Mamba 金沢焼肉楽処 万場 金沢駅前本店
Mamba is a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant within a 10-minute walk away from Kanazawa Station. From what I've heard it's not the cheapest yakiniku restaurant out there, but I still think the quality of food it offers matches if not exceeds the price. Noto beef is the highlight of all the meat the restaurant offers for grilling. The staff recommended us to grill each side of the meat slice for merely 3 seconds only and consume it with minced garlic. The taste, the texture was perfect. Unlike some meat that would leave grease and fat in your mouth, I didn't even need to rinse my teeth and tongue after eating Noto beef. I was incredibly impressed. Mamba has the best grilled meat I've ever had.
Although Kanazawa Station seemed small at first sight compared to some of the railway stations in other major cities in Japan, it has everything one would imagine in a train station and perhaps more. Apart from all the facilities such as ticket machines and information center that a typical train station would have, Kanazawa Station also has gift shops, cafe, convenient stores, a variety of restaurants for not only passengers arriving and leaving the station but also local residents.
Nomura-ke Samurai Heritage Residence, 武家屋敷跡 野村家
A samurai residence with not much to see to be honest. It was pretty crowded with the amount of tourists (including me) entering the building.
Oyama Shrine, 尾山神社
Cool Shrine, one may want to learn about some shrine etiquette and tradition before touring around the place, it's not a big deal but it doesn't hurt to respect the culture.
Ishiura Shrine, 石浦神社
A smaller shrine
Kenroku-en, 兼六園
It's one of the three great gardens of Japan. Taking a walk in it is a very calming experience as nothing much was happening around me as I walked around the garden. It felt like the environment (mostly trees and ponds) was trying to slow me down. But I failed to comprehend what is great about it (I think it's just me not into that sort of thing). The garden didn't really stand out as particularly special, however I might find it more impressive if I visited it during winter when snow became a major part of the scenery.
Kanazawa Castle Park, 金沢城公園
Only one word could describe this place: dull.
Campagne Cucina & Bar, カンパーニュ クチーナ＆バール
It's an incredible Italian restaurant. I had Noto beef salad, garlic bread, and a glass of Oolong tea. Noto beef was top-notched, garlic bread was crunchy (I liked it a lot), and there's nothing to complain about a glass of good tea. I definitely would visit this restaurant again if I have the chance.
Komatsu Udon, 小松うどん 味の中石 名代めん塾 小松空港店
My final meal at the airport before I left Japan. Not bad at all.
Final Thought
Kanazawa is a small city with a lot to offer, it's definitely worth a short stay.
