Hands on with Samurai Culture in Kanazawa

📍 Tokyo Station to Kanazawa Station: 2 h 30 min Kyoto Station to Kanazawa Station: 2 h 15 min

Today is a self-guided day.

Arrive in beautiful Kanazawa via train and prepare for an immersive look into the lives of Japan’s historic warriors, the samurai. The afternoon is left at leisure to explore the city independently.

Suggested Self-Guided Itinerary:

Stop for lunch in Omicho Market, known throughout Japan for its fresh seafood and fine sushi.

Start with the pristine Kenroku-en Garden, which is ranked as one of Japan’s top three gardens. Here you will find the oldest water fountain in the country, several charming wooden teahouses, and a large villa that used to be the retirement home of one of the richest clans in Kanazawa.

Adjacent to the garden is Kanazawa Castle, easily accessed through the Ishikawa-mon Gate, a designated Important National Cultural Asset. This was the home of the Maeda clan for centuries, and while most of the castle is gone, a central fortification has been beautifully rebuilt and is fully explorable. This is an excellent spot to learn about castle architecture and samurai warfare.

Optional Evening Activity: Flavours of Kanazawa Food Tour

Today's tour will begin at 17:00. Kanazawa has long been considered the home of Japanese high culture and traditional crafts, but the cuisine of the city should not be overlooked! The freshest local seafood is complimented with premium sake made using pure mineral water from the Japanese Alps. Enjoy an evening food tour that reflects the city’s beautiful natural surroundings, and also its well-preserved traditions and rich history.

With a food-loving guide along for the evening, start the tour in the back alleys of the lively Korinbo District. Enjoy local dishes at two restaurants serving some of Kanazawa’s most beloved cuisine. From fresh sashimi platters to warm soups and delicious meat dishes, the seasonal fare of the region is served plate after plate. Guests will discover a whole other side of Japanese cuisine that exists only on this beautiful stretch of coast.

Time

Start: 17:00

Duration: 3 h

Overnight in Kanazawa

Inclusions:

Meet the local guide in the hotel lobby at 0900 at and set out on a full day adventure to learn about the samurai heritage of Kanazawa.

Begin with a quintessential Japan martial arts experience: a kendo lesson in a real training dojo. This sword technique dates back to the Edo period, when samurai no longer fought in wars but wanted to retain their martial skills. Using wooden training swords, guests will learn the basic skills, stances, and movements that were essential to the samurai in battle. This is a rare chance to don a full set of kendo armor and mask for some training and commemorative pictures.

After a stop for lunch, continue on with a visit to the Nagamachi samurai district, a former neighbourhood of opulent traditional villas. Walk the walled streets where high level Kaga Clan samurai once lived, and enter the beautifully preserved Nomura Samurai House. The elegant rooms here offer fine views of an expertly designed garden.

Visit the Maeda Samurai Museum, a small but fascinating exhibition space of antique armor, swords, calligraphy, and other daily items from the samurai era. This is a great spot to appreciate how samurai were not only warriors, but also cultural elites who valued skills like calligraphy and tea ceremony.

Finish the day with a special hands-on viewing of authentic samurai swords. A local business owner from a former samurai family has opened his private collection of artifacts for personal inspections, and guests will have the opportunity to see the swords up close and hear their history. Feeling the weight of a centuries-old samurai sword in one’s hands is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Part ways with the guide and continue exploring the city independently with a new appreciation for the role that the samurai once played in Japanese society.

Overnight in Kanazawa

Time:

Start (guided tour): 09:00

Duration: 8 h

*including pick-up/drop-off and transit times

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Kanazawa Station to Tokyo Station: 2 h 30 min Kanazawa Station to Kyoto Station: 2 h 15 min

Meet the guide in the hotel lobby at 09:30 and set out for the Ishikawa Prefectural Budokan, a prestigious martial arts training facility. This is the setting for today’s kyudo archery experience, where guests will learn another major element of what made the samurai such feared warriors.

In this 90 minute archery workshop, guests will wear the traditional kyudo kimono and learn the posture and technique required to fire arrows with a samurai longbow. Under the helpful instruction of a local archery expert, even first-timers should gain enough skill during this training to successfully hit the target set up 28 meters away. The exhilaration upon firing a successful shot will transport the participant back to the battlefields of the samurai era, and bring the Kanazawa samurai experience to a fulfilling close.

Change back into modern clothing and head to Kanazawa Station for a train to the next destination in Japan.

Time:

Start (guided tour): 09:30

Duration: 4 h

*including pick-up/drop-off and transit times

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast