1 Day Tour from Kanazawa: Relaxing Beaches, 400 year old Temples and Outer Space

Beautiful beaches, old temples and shrines and a unique astronautical museum await you in the city of Hakui. Less than an hour north of Kanazawa on the Noto peninsula, this city is truly a slice of rural paradise. The beaches here are long and make for a great escape during the heat of the summer! Historically, this area was a crossroads whether that was during the Sengoku or Warring States Period over 300 years ago, and that importance is still seen today in the National Heritage Site of Myojoji Temple. The Sea of Japan Coast is quite spectacular and diverse, with beaches interspersed between captivating rock formations. Finally, you can experience a unique space museum that has real NASA and Soviet moon landers and satellites. This area is an excellent mix of traditional and natural beauty with the quirkiness of modern Japan. It is definitely a city not to miss when visiting Kanazawa!

Highlights

• Go swimming, see all the sand art and have some snacks at the long and beautiful Chirihama Beach

• Visit the 400-year old Myojoji temple with an original 5 story pagoda and an intriguing history

• See real spacecrafts on loan from foreign museums such as the Smithsonian and learn a bit about the "UFO town"

NOTE: The morning part of the tour is meant for beach people, so if you want to join the tour but aren't a beach person, please either bring something to do or hang out and chat with your guide.

NOTE 2: If it is raining on the day, there may be changes to the itinerary

*For those looking to join the tour from Tokyo or Nagano, please see the FAQ Section below

Description

This tour will start at Kanazawa Station at 8:30 A.M., where your guide will meet you in front of the Information Center near the Shinkansen Ticket Gates. You will have the opportunity to put your belongings in a coin locker at the station as well if you feel the need.

From Kanazawa Station we will then hop on an express train north to Hakui. There are views of the countryside, sea, mountains and cute little towns.

After arriving at Hakui Station, we will first head to Chirihama Beach. The beach is most famous as one of the only in Japan that you can both drive on and swim in. As we walk towards the beach there are interesting statues of Japanese onomatopoeia. There is also a shrine that is open to walk through and see the beautiful golden lamps and old paintings up close. Near the beach there is some art made from the garbage collected in the area, too. When we finally arrive at the beach you will see the large sand sculptures of famous Japanese characters and scenes that they change every year (May to the end of November). After getting a feel for the area you have free time to enjoy the beach in the morning. Swim, take in the rays or walk around the area. If you want ideas for things to do, ask your guide!

Next it’s time for lunch. You can eat at the Rest House, eat at any of the vendors in the area or bring your own bento from a convenience store. We will all meet up at 12:30 in front of the Rest House to start the next part of the trip.

Once lunch is finished and the group is back together, we will head towards Myojoji Temple. The ride there is quite scenic with excellent views of the Sea of Japan as we make our way to the temple. The Myojoji Temple that you can see now was built in the early 1600s and almost all of the buildings are registered as a National Heritage Sites. It was built in the time of the first Maeda Lord and has some unique features. Those features make some historians think that it was built as a citadel to protect trade routes instead of simply as a place of worship.

The final destination will see us go from the spiritual realm to the cosmic one. The Cosmo Isle Hakui museum houses various real space items, such as the back-up lander for the Apollo program. The museum has relationships with many other museums, such as the Smithsonian, so they can have such rare and unusual exhibits. It also shows the history of UFO sightings. This city is took on the moniker of the "UFO Town" because the local cymbals used in religious ceremonies looked like UFOs. Today it collects UFO sights from the around the country. This is definitely a museum that is unique, weird and very Japanese, in a modern sense.

TOUR MEETUP POINT

1 / KANAZAWA STATION @ 8:30 A.M.

The meetup point is outside of the Shinkansen ticket gates, in front of the information center. If you are heading out from the gates, look forward and to the right and you will see a four large sumo wrestlers lined up. This is where we will be meeting. For those coming from outside the station, you will find this sign immediately inside of the East Entrance of Kanazawa Station. You may wait nearby there until the tour begins at 8:30 A.M. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag.

NOTES

Included

• Transportation to and from Hakui
• Transportation to and from Myojoji Temple
• English speaking guide
• Entry fee at Myojoji Temple
• Guided Tour at Chirihama Beach, Myojoji Temple and Hakui Cosmo Isle Museum
• Free time at Chirihama Beach to enjoy swimming, the beach, etc.

Excluded

• Lunch
• Accommodation
• Shinkansen/Transportation to Kanazawa Station start point

Other Information

• This tour involves several hours of walking in the outdoors. We recommend that you wear shoes and clothes which are easy to walk in. Please check the weather forecast before you head to the meetup point and prepare an umbrella or rain coat if necessary.

• In winter the temperatures will be below 10℃ at the high , and in the morning and evening may be close to or below 0℃. Please wear warm clothing and footwear appropriate for snowy and cold conditions. There may also be snow and ice on the road/sidewalk, and so you should take care to not slip by preparing the correct shoes for such conditions.

• There will be free time along the way for guests to enjoy the locations at their own pace. However, please make sure that you are at the respective meetup points at the time stated by your guide. If you get lost or need assistance, feel free to call the number which is listed on your tour pass, and our staff will assist you immediately.