Hilma

Where Hilma would send you

1. 1 Kenroku-en Attraction Sep 13
   Kenroku-en

   ★★★★★ Hilma's pick

   The headline garden and it earns it — one of Japan's Three Great Gardens, 25 acres of Edo-period perfection with a two-legged stone lantern you will recognise from every postcard. Come at 7am opening to have the Kasumi Pond to yourself before the tour buses arrive.

   1 Kenrokumachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0936, Japan
2. 2 Kanazawa Castle Park Landmark Sep 13
   Kanazawa Castle Park

   ★★★★ Hilma's pick

   Next to Kenroku-en and free to walk — the Ishikawa-mon gate is an authentic original surviving from the Maeda era, and from the bridge you get the classic reflection shot of castle wall over still water. The reconstructed yagura towers are worth the ¥320 if you like carpentry.

   1-1 Marunouchi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0937, Japan
3. 3 Omicho Market Attraction Sep 13
   Omicho Market

   ★★★★ Hilma's pick

   Kanazawa's kitchen, 300 years running. Get the kaisendon — a bowl of chopped raw tuna, shrimp, sea urchin, salmon roe and crab over vinegared rice. Go before 14:00 for peak selection. Mori Mori Sushi has a good conveyor-belt counter if queuing is not your thing.

   50 Kamiomicho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0905, Japan
4. 4 Nomura-ke Samurai Residence Attraction Sep 13
   Nomura-ke Samurai Residence

   ★★★★ Hilma's pick

   A restored samurai townhouse in the Nagamachi district with a rear garden so precise it generates a world in four square metres. ¥550, and the floorboards creak at the same pitch they did in 1740. The samurai armour and wooden sword in the study tell the whole story.

   1-3-32 Nagamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0865, Japan
5. 5 Kanazawa Noh Museum Attraction Sep 13
   Kanazawa Noh Museum

   ★★★ Hilma's pick

   Small noh museum in a former sake warehouse with masks and costumes spanning five centuries. You can try wearing a noh mask (instantly humbling). Until Sept 23 is the Contemporary Noh Mask Art Exhibition with new carvings. ¥310, closed Mondays.

   1-2-25 Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0962, Japan
6. 6 Kanazawa JAZZ Street 2026 Event Sep 13
   Kanazawa JAZZ Street 2026

   Sep 18 – Sep 21 ended

   ★★★★★ Hilma's pick

   Christian McBride & Ursa Major, Toshiki Soejima, Sarah Àlainn, and free street jazz across the city centre. The free Eve Reception on Sept 18 is a great entry point. If you are in Kanazawa this week, do not miss it.

   2-1 Minami-cho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0919, Japan