Best Winter Spots & Tours Near Kanazawa
Winter in the Hokuriku region brings snow, and often lots of it. The beautiful cityscapes and landscapes are enhance with a nice white coating. The bigger cities of Kanazawa and Toyama have beautiful gardens, castles and historical areas to explore, but if you need a place to warm up, they also have an abundance of museums. It’s not just the cities that sparkle, Gokayama and Shirakawago’s thatched roof houses, Eiheiji Temple and Takayama’s old town will give you that nostalgic feel, blanketed with snow. The natural scenery on the Shokawa River, Amaharashi and the dramatic Tojinbo Cliffs. The winter is when the numbers of tourists in the region eases up a bit and you can enjoy many of these amazing sites at your own pace. Come explore the dramatic mountains and return back to the cities for a nice warm meal anywhere in the region!
There is something for everyone and below is a list of those great cultural activities, natural beauty and overall best spots in and around Kanazawa.
— Shokawa
— Takayama
KANAZAWA CITY
The center of business and tourism in the region, Kanazawa feels like a class in and of itself. The top places to see are the Higashi Chaya Tea House District with its beautiful traditional houses, Kenrokuen Garden and its wonderfully curated grounds and the Nagamachi Samurai District with its old fashion Edo-period streetscape. If you are trying to escape the cold, museum are the way to go! The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, the Yasue Gold Leaf Museum, the Ninja Weapons Museum, the National Crafts Museum, the D.T. Suzuki Museum, the Maeda Samurai Museum and the list goes on. This is why it’s a great city to explore the region, it is easy to do half-day trips anywhere and there will always be something else to do in Kanazawa!
Join us for a tour around the city for a full day of some of the top sights in the city. You will not only see some of the great places of Kanazawa but try your hand at some of the traditional arts. The tour includes doing some gold leaf application, making Japanese sweets and even throwing ninja stars. Check it out below!
1 Day Tour
| Kanazawa Walking Tour: Experience Gold Leaf, Japanese Sweets and Ninja Stars | |
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| Period | All Year Round |
| Time | 08:30 – 17:00 |
| Meeting Place | Kanazawa Station |
| Adult Rate | ¥20,800 |
| Child Rate | ¥16,700 |
TAKAOKA & AMAHARASHI
A stunning coast and historically important city, Takaoka, is often skipped over on trips to the region. The most recognizable part of this city is the Amaharashi Coast, which features the small island with the white capped Japan’s Northern Alps in the background. The best time to see Amaharashi is the winter when there are more clear skies and snow on the mountains. In the ferry port of Fushiki is Shokoji, a Japan Heritage Site. Try to find all of its 7 wonders as you explore this temple with over 400 years of history. Closer to main train station are Zuiryuji Temple and the Takaoka Great Buddha, both with long histories and easy access. Don’t forget to head over to the Kanayamachi District where you can see some metalworking workshops that have existed since the Edo period!
If you want to go deeper into the history and traditions of a city that is not frequently visited, Takaoka and its Amaharashi are a great choice. We can show you around some of the most famous sites and you can get some of the amazing pictures featured here. Click on the tour card below for more information.
1 Day Tour
| 1 Day Tour from Kanazawa: Takaoka’s Temples, Metalworking Experience and Stunning Toyama Bay Views | |
| Period | All Year Round |
| Time | 08:00 – 18:15 |
| Meeting Place | Kanazawa Station |
| Adult Rate | ¥21,000 |
| Child Rate | ¥18,000 |
SHIRAKAWAGO & GOKAYAMA
Magical scenes of snow on the tops of thatched roof houses are the real thing when you visit Gokayama and Shirakawago. The two UNESCO World Heritage Sites are a frozen wonderland where you can experience how people used to live. The ways the local people used to live can be enlightening and will leave you amazed. There are restaurants in both villages where after exploring the village you can pop in for some warm soba or udon. Make sure to go into one of the houses, they are much larger, and at times warmer, than you probably realize! The snow on the ground can last into March and on the tops of the surrounding mountains until early May.
It can be difficult to reach both of these easily so join us for a tour of Shirakawago, Gokayama and the wood carving town of Inami. You can try your hand at paper-making in one of the thatched roof houses! Check it out below.
1 Day Tour
| 1 Day Tour from Kanazawa: Shirakawa-go, Gokayama and Wood Carving Village | |
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| Period | All Year Round |
| Time | 09:00 – 18:00 |
| Meeting Place | Kanazawa Station |
| Adult Rate | ¥23,800 / 25,800 |
| Child Rate | ¥15,000 / 17,000 |
FUKUI NW COAST & TOJINBO
The cold winds that sweep down from Siberia bring not only snow but the wind and the waves to Japan. This is especially true on the Sea of Japan coast in Fukui Prefecture. The large basalt cliffs of Tojinbo are pounded by the rough waters, creating a powerful awe-inducing scene. You can ride a boat around the area too to see it from a different angle. It isn’t just the Tojinbo Cliffs in the area that you can check out. Oshima is a spiritual island that was created in the same volcanic event 13 million years ago. Also nearby is Echizen Matsushima, a landscape that includes many small islands that are actually cooled magma flows. Although it is incredibly cold, the winter season is the best to see the thrashing sea and white foam!
It can be difficult to reach these different sights easily so join us for a tour of the Tojinbo Cliffs, Oshima Island, Echizen Matsushima as well as the historical Mikuni Port. The beauty of the sea is something that can’t be missed! Check it out below.
1 Day Tour
| 1 Day Tour from Kanazawa: Fukui’s Stunning Cliffs, Spiritual Island and Historical Port | |
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| Period | All Year Round |
| Time | 08:45 – 17:40 |
| Meeting Place | Kanazawa Station |
| Adult Rate | ¥25,300 |
| Child Rate | ¥14,500 |
SHOKAWA GORGE
Deep in the mountains, past the wood-carving town of Inami, is the Shokawa Gorge. There were many dams built along the Shokawa River from the early 1900s onwards. By the 1930s the deeper mountains got their own dams, including the ones that bound the beautiful Shokawa Gorge. The scenery is great all times of the year but the picturesque snow covered mountains will make you think you’ve stepped into a fantasyland. There are two different boat rides, one that takes about 50 minutes round trip and another that goes for 2 hours round trip. If you want to stay at Omaki Onsen Resort, the only way to get there is by boat so it is definitely a unique experience!
EIHEIJI TEMPLE
The mountains of Fukui host a number of almost mystical temples and shrines. Being just far enough away from the former imperial capital of Kyoto to be free from intrusion and just close enough to get the funding and new followers, Eiheiji Temple is wonderful spiritual retreat. Built by Dogen, the founder of Zen Buddhism, in the 1200s, it is currently one of the head temples of the sect. Being an important temple, you can see monks-in-training practice rituals, clean the building and do prayers. The winter brings lots of snow to this area and the monks often do long pilgrimages through these months to another temple over the mountain. The entire area sparkles with a serene spiritual energy that you can only get in such a secluded location.
Eiheiji Temple, as well as, the nearby city of Fukui are often passed by when traveling to and from Kanazawa. To get the most out the trip, join us for a tour and learn about this regions great history and importance to the Japan of today. Check it out below!
1 Day Tour
| 1 Day Tour from Kanazawa: Eiheiji Temple and Fukui City Castle Town | |
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| Period | All Year Round |
| Time | 08:30 – 18:00 |
| Meeting Place | Kanazawa Station Fukui Station |
| Adult Rate | ¥25,300 / 17,800 |
| Child Rate | ¥14,500 / 11,000 |
TAKAYAMA
This city could be a movie set for a period drama and the winter makes the brown and black hues of the architecture pop even more. Takayama is a small city nestled into the Northern Japanese Alps, impressive mountains as far as the eye can see. This means that you will be truly in the heart of snow country here. Skiing is easily accessible from the city but it is the history and traditions of the city that really shine. One tradition that is going strong is the sake brewing industry. Along the main street you can pop into a few of the shops and try it for yourself. This is an easy way to stay warm, inside and out! Also, don’t forget to head a little out of the city to visit some of the onsen. In the winter cold, hot spring baths feel immaculate.
The Takayama area is great base for exploring not just the charm of the city itself but some of the surrounding areas! You can see both Takayama and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakawago. Check it out below.
1 Day Tour
| 1-Day Tour from Takayama: Explore Scenic Old Japan in Takayama and Shirakawa-go | |
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| Period | All Year Round |
| Time | 09:00 – 18:30 |
| Meeting Place | Takayama Station |
| Adult Rate | ¥20,800 / 22,800 |
| Child Rate | ¥12,000 / 14,000 |
PRIVATE TOURS AND CHARTERS
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