Kanazawa

Getting Here and Around

The flight from Tokyo's Haneda Kuko to Komatsu Kuko in Kanazawa takes one hour on Japan Airlines (JAL) or All Nippon Airlines (ANA); allow 40 minutes for the bus transfer to downtown Kanazawa, which costs ¥1,100. By train, Kanazawa is 2 hours from Kyoto; 3 hours from Nagoya; 2½ hours from Takayama, changing trains at Toyama; and 3 hours 40 minutes from Niigata—all by JR Limited Express. Possible railway repairs between Toyama and Takayama may make the three-hour direct bus between Kanazawa and Takayama a better option; there are two daily, and the cost is ¥3,300 one-way.

Ideal for tourists, the shu-yu basu (loop bus) departs every 15 minutes from 8:30 am to 9 pm from Gate 0 of Kanazawa Station's east exit, and delivers you to the major tourist sites. Stops are announced in English and displayed on a digital board at the front of the bus. A single ride costs ¥200; the day pass is ¥500. You can purchase the pass from the Hokutetsu bus ticket office in front of Kanazawa Station.

Kanazawa is a good place to rent a car to explore the Noto Hanto and other parts of the Japan Sea Coast. Eki Rent-a-Car at the east exit from the train station is one reliable option.

The Kanazawa Information Office has two desks at the train station and staff that will help you find accommodations. An English speaker is on duty 1-6 from the Kanazawa Goodwill Guide Network, which offers free guide and interpreting services.