Kanazawa isone of the best-preserved Edo-period cities in Japan.Credit:InsideJapan
And while it might be little-known to anybody but seasoned visitors looking beyond the major tourist destinations,it’s becoming increasingly popular thanks to the bullet train link to Tokyo which arrived in 2015,the further,125-kilometre link to Tsuruga which opened this year,and plans to extend again to Kyoto and Osaka beyond that.
Kenrokuen Garden during cherry blossom season.Credit:InsideJapan
The capital of Ishikawa Prefecture,with a population of about 500,000,Kanazawa was one of the few major Japanese cities spared destruction by air raids during World War II and is known for its Edo period-style architecture. Easily walkable and unspoilt by an oversupply of tourists,Kanazawa is worth adding to any itinerary.
Kanazawa Castle:visitors can have a more personal experience with the art and the artisans in the prefectural capital.Credit:InsideJapan
You could do worse than starting in Kenrokuen (Six Attributes) Garden. Known today as one of the three great gardens of Japan,it was first fashioned as a private garden sometime in the 1600s by the Maeda clan. Organised according to the six attributes of a perfect landscape – spaciousness,seclusion,artifice,antiquity,waterways,and panoramas – the garden sits next to Kanazawa Castle and contains 8750 trees. The garden is notable for its winteryukitsuri,the conical rope arrangements which support certain tree branches and protect them from damage caused by heavy snow. Believe it or not,people visit just to gaze at the different types of moss. Moss anoraks? Moss twitchers? Moss spotters?
The first glimpse of Kanazawa Castle and its typical soaring eaves architecture,is quite something. Sadly for the purists,there’s very little of the original castle buildings left and the reconstructions,though impressive,are quite recent. Given that the place was started in about 1580,totally reconstructed in 1592 and various bits of it burnt down in 1602,1631,1759 and 1881,it’s probably best not to light a gasper in the grounds.
Kanazawa Gold Leaf SakudaCredit:InsideJapan