21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art - Located across from Kenroku-en, this modern marvel offers a fascinating juxtaposition to the traditional splendour of Kanazawa. Even if you don't enter the permanent or temporary exhibitions, the building itself is worth a look and there are usually some free exhibits inside. Don't miss the cafe!
Honda Forest (本多の森 Honda-no-Mori). Near Kenrokuen is this pleasant green park-like area which houses the very interesting Prefectural Museum (housed in three long narrow prewar army storehouses of brick), the Art Gallery, and a few other smaller museums, as well as the Prefectural Noh Hall and the National Defence Shrine (護国神社 Gokoku Jinja), a smaller regional version of the main Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. Just outside the shrine, which is built in the pure Japanese traditional style, is a tall pillar commemorating the dead of the "Great East Asia War" (Dai Tou-A Sensou: 大東亜戦争) that was the subject of considerable controversy when erected for its listing of groups that did not wish to be listed on a right-wing commemoration. It takes its name from the powerful Honda family, whose mansion once occupied this area in the Edo period.
Ishikawa Prefectural Museum for Traditional Products and Crafts, 1-1 Kenroku-machi, tel. 076-262-2020, . A craft museum that displays 36 types of traditional arts and crafts cultivated by the people who lived in Ishikawa province. The exhibits are grouped by type and well-displayed. 9AM-5PM (last entry at 4:30PM). Closed Apr-Nov: 3rd Th of the month; Dec-Mar: Th, Year-end and New Year. �250, �200 for seniors, and �100 for children under 17. Group rates are available.
Ishikawa Prefectural Museum Entry �250 (more when special exhibitions are held). 9AM-5PM (last entry at 4:30PM). Housed in three long brick buildings, restored armouries from the time when the area was used by the Imperial Japanese Army, it features a chronological display of local history in a modern and well-laid-out setting. There is also an area for hands-on history, where you can try on various outfits, including samurai armour. As with most tourist sites in Kanazawa, an English-language pamphlet is available.
A bouquet of candy at the Confectionery Culture Center
Ishikawa Confectionery Culture Center (菓子文化会館 Kashi-bunka-kaikan), . Devoted to the fine art of making Japanese confectionery for all those teahouses, the first floor houses a cluster of high-end shops, while the second floor has a museum (�300). While almost all signage is only in Japanese and the main exhibition on the history of candy is predictably yawn-inducing, it's worth the entrance fee just to see the exhibition of jaw-droppingly realistic flower bouquets, sets of samurai armour and more built entirely from candy.
Kanazawa Museum of Modern Literature. 9:30AM-5PM (last entry at 4:30PM). Housed in the Meiji-era brick building of the former Fourth Upper School (preparatory schools for the Imperial Universities), the fore-runner of Kanazawa University, it houses displays relating to famous local (generally) authors from the Meiji to pre-war period. Probably only of interest to students of Japanese literature rather than casual tourists, as many of the displays are original copies of books or manuscripts, written in Japanese.�400.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Kanazawa
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Kanazawa - updated Apr 2024
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Kanazawa Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
