Samurai Town - Day Trip to Kanazawa

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From ancient samurai houses to beautifully preserved Edo districts, a day trip to Kanazawa is a must for lovers of Japanese culture, history, or architecture. And with the newly expended shinkansen line, it’s possible to reach Kanazawa within two or three hours from popular cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.

Agenda

  1. Kenrokuen Garden
  2. Kanazawa Castle
  3. Ozaki Shrine
  4. Nomura Clan Samurai House

1. Kenrokuen Garden

One of Japan's "three most beautiful landscape gardens," together with Mito's Kairakuen and Okayama's Korakuen, is Kanazawa's Kenrokuen. The expansive grounds were built over nearly two centuries by the reigning Maeda family and were once the outside garden of Kanazawa Castle. Kenrokuen, which first welcomed visitors in 1871, has a variety of flowering trees that give the garden a distinctive appearance throughout the year.

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The name Kenrokuen literally translates as "Garden of the Six Sublimities," a reference to the six characteristics that, in accordance with Chinese landscape theory, are necessary for the creation of the ideal garden: spaciousness, seclusion, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water, and broad views. This landscape philosophy can be better understood by taking a trip through Kenrokuen, where there are several water features, bridges, teahouses, trees, flowers, stones, vistas, and secret nooks to find.

2. Kanazawa Castle

Feel the historical majesty of the affluent Maeda clan, who utilized the castle as their main residence for hundreds of years. Look down onto the castle grounds, moat, and garden from the small windows in the top floors of the turrets. You'll be able to picture what it was like to repel enemy assaults on the castle and realize how crucial the structure's sturdy and thorough construction was for defense.

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The castle also features numerous stone walls that were built utilizing a number of various methods. Some of the walls were constructed in a very refined manner and resemble a mosaic, while others have a more disjointed appearance. The castle park is sometimes referred to as a stone wall museum due to the different eras and styles in which the walls were constructed.

3. Ozaki Shrine

A stunning shrine with many historic structures is Ozaki Shrine. It's in the Ishikawa prefecture city of Kanazawa. It was constructed in Kitanomaru, a fortress-like area of Kanazawa. The majority of the structures were built in 1643 and are listed as culturally significant assets. Since it honors Tokugawa Ieyasu, many of his symbols can be found here.

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Beautiful shrine Ozaki Shrine features numerous old-fashioned structures. It was known as Nikko of Hokuriku because it venerates Tokugawa Ieyasu. It became a reality in 1643. The walls, worshipping shrine, main entrance, and main shrine were all built in 1643.

4. Nomura Clan Samurai House

The Nomura Clan Samurai House is classified as "ruins" because the future owner made changes to the house and grounds, despite the fact that it looks to be mostly unaltered. He didn't do too much damage because it's still a lovely property with a little but exquisite garden of tiered pools.

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During the Edo Period, the Nomura Clan was one of the most formidable samurai families in the Kaga fuedal province.
There are two tea rooms on the second level of the mansion where you can get a cup of matcha green tea for $300.

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