My guide to exploring Kanazawa

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Kanazawa is a city bordering the Sea of Japan. It's known as Little Kyoto for its temples, gardens and shrines and is also known for its fresh seafood due to its proximity from the sea.How to get there: These days, it's even easier to visit Kanazawa. The city recently got a new bullet train to serve it, so it is a direct ride from both Kyoto and Tokyo.Getting around Kanazawa: When it comes to getting around the city of Kanazawa, it's best to catch the Kanazawa loop bus, which is a tourist oriented bus that takes you to all the major sites and attractions. You can buy a day pass at the bus ticket office for 500yen, or pay 200yen for per ride. Kenrokuen garden: Probably the most well known attraction of Kanazawa is Kenrokuen Garden, which is often regarded as one of the top 3 most beautiful gardens in Japan. In Autumn, Kenrokuen is especially beautiful with the red maple trees in the garden's eastern side. The garden is especially nice when enjoyed in the morning.Omicho Market: For foodies and seafood lovers, definitely head to Omicho Market where you can try fresh oysters, sea urchin, scallops and of course, the local specialty - the kegani crab. There's so much seafood to try here and there are also sushi restaurants here too! Try Uouma for their seafood bowls - so good.Kanazawa Castle: Kanazawa Castle's convenient location next to Kenrokuen Gardens makes it an easy place to visit right after. It's also got a garden here where you can enjoy more autumn leaves. Bonus - it is free entry into the grounds.21st Century Contemporary Art: For contemporary art fans, the museum here in Kanazawa is not to be missed. There are installations both inside the museum and outdoors around it. One of the most popular exhibitions at the moment is Leandro Erlich's 'Swimming Pool'Sushi lunch at Kanazawa Maimon Sushi: When in Kanazawa, you definitely have to eat up on the sushi. There's a really good place at the train station called Kanazawa Maimon Sushi. It's recommended to try either the lunch set or local set which gets you a selection of different nigiri.Oden: A local specialty of Kanazawa is oden - a simple soup based dish served with ingredients such as eggs, tofu, vegetables and fish balls. It's commonly eaten in winter and you can try it out at numerous places in the city, including Kuroyuri Oden which is located inside Kanazawa station and Oden Miyuk which is located near Omicho Market.Higashi Chaya District (hakuichi): The popular geisha district in the area is Higashi Chaya District which is a small block of streets with the traditional style buildings. Whilst here, you can check out Shima Teahouse which is a Geisha museum where you can walk through the rooms of a Geisha house and learn about the layout, what it's like living and performing as a geisha there. Also here is Kaikaro Teahouse, a teahouse that holds Geisha evenings which you can book to watch. Lastly, definitely check out all the gold leaf product available in Kanazawa and in this area - Kanazawa is where all the gold leaf production in Japan is done and you can even try gold leaf ice-cream at a store called Hakuichui!21st Century Contemporary Art: For contemporary art fans, the museum here in Kanazawa is not to be missed. There are installations both inside the museum and outdoors around it. One of the most popular exhibitions at the moment is Leandro Erlich's 'Swimming Pool'MORE FOODSushi lunch at Kanazawa Maimon Sushi: When in Kanazawa, you definitely have to eat up on the sushi. There's a really good place at the train station called Kanazawa Maimon Sushi. It's recommended to try either the lunch set or local set which gets you a selection of different nigiri.Oden: A local specialty of Kanazawa is oden - a simple soup based dish served with ingredients such as eggs, tofu, vegetables and fish balls. It's commonly eaten in winter and you can try it out at numerous places in the city, including Kuroyuri Oden which is located inside Kanazawa station and Oden Miyuk which is located near Omicho Market.