Kanazawa right now

Saturday · 2026/10/31

USD ¥157.3
EUR ¥175.7
SGD ¥123
AUD ¥110.5

Festival · Ishikawa · Chubu

Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival

The Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival marks the change of season with purification rituals and Mamemaki, the traditional throwing of roasted soybeans.

Kanazawa · 3 Feb 2027

Shrine · Ishikawa · Chubu

Onominato Shrine

A Shinto shrine dedicated to Hachiman Okami, the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami and Sarutahiko Okami, god of guidance, with four sub-shrines on the grounds.

Kanazawa

Illumination · Ishikawa · Chubu

The Four Seasons of Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden: Spring Illuminations

Spring illuminations at Kenrokuen Garden coincide with the blooming of azaleas and early cherry blossoms, creating an interplay of seasonal colors.

Kanazawa · 30 Apr – 2 May 2027

Area & Points of Interest · Ishikawa · Chubu

Kazuemachi Chaya District

Geisha district in Kanazawa preserving traditional chaya houses and restaurants along the riverside, designated a cultural asset in 2008.

Kanazawa

Festival

Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival

The Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival marks the change of season with purification rituals and Mamemaki, the traditional throwing of roasted soybeans.

3 Feb 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Illumination

The Four Seasons of Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden: Spring Illuminations

Spring illuminations at Kenrokuen Garden coincide with the blooming of azaleas and early cherry blossoms, creating an interplay of seasonal colors.

30 Apr – 2 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Festival

Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival

Kanazawa's Hyakumangoku Festival honours Lord Maeda Toshiie, whose 1583 entry into the castle established the city, and is now a major regional cultural event.

5–7 Jun 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Firework

Hokkoku Fireworks Display

A fireworks display lights the night sky with over twelve thousand pyrotechnic bursts, creating a spectacular visual and auditory show.

25 Jul 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Festival

Summer Grand Festival

The Summer Grand Festival honours Onominato Shrine's deities with Kanazawa's largest mikoshi procession, traditional dances, and rituals from the 1600s.

30 Jul – 2 Aug 2027Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Festival

Kanazawa Jazz Street

One of Japan's largest jazz events transforms Kanazawa's historic streets, shrines, and public spaces into stages for world-class musicians each September.

19–21 Sep 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Quick poll

Public Facility

Kanazawa City Hall

Kanazawa City Hall blends traditional Japanese craftsmanship with modern design across two buildings serving this UNESCO Creative City of 460,000 residents.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Shrine

Onominato Shrine

A Shinto shrine dedicated to Hachiman Okami, the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami and Sarutahiko Okami, god of guidance, with four sub-shrines on the grounds.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Park & Garden

Kenrokuen Garden

A strolling garden in Kanazawa laid out by the lords of Kaga over two centuries, counted among the Three Great Gardens of Japan.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Built in 1580 and ruled by the Maeda clan for 14 generations, this castle's reconstructed structures reflect its appearance in the 1850s.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Shrine

Utasu Jinja Shrine

Kanazawa shrine founded over 1,250 years ago for Hachiman and Bishamon, honouring Maeda Toshiie, and counted among the city's five great shrines.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Area & Points of Interest

Kazuemachi Chaya District

Geisha district in Kanazawa preserving traditional chaya houses and restaurants along the riverside, designated a cultural asset in 2008.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Historic Site

Nishi Chaya District

Historic geisha district in Kanazawa with traditional wooden teahouses where shamisen performances evoke an authentic atmosphere each evening.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Park & Garden

Gyokusen'inmaru Garden

A garden built in 1634 within Kanazawa Castle, notable as the first to use creatively patterned stone walls, reconstructed beginning in 2013.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Area & Points of Interest

Higashi Chaya District

The most prominent geisha district in Kanazawa, known for traditional architecture featuring lattice work and a 200-year-old geisha house now open to visitors.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Festival

Amamehagi

Ancient Noto folk ritual where children masquerading as demons parade through streets to symbolically drive away laziness and encourage diligent work.

3 Feb 2027Exact date not confirmed yetNoto · Ishikawa

Festival

Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival

The Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival marks the change of season with purification rituals and Mamemaki, the traditional throwing of roasted soybeans.

3 Feb 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Festival

Snowman Festival

Thousands of handmade snowmen are lit after dark in two mountain towns in winter, with local food vendors selling regional specialties.

6 Feb 2027Exact date not confirmed yetHakusan · Ishikawa

Festival

Takewari Festival (Gogan Shinji)

An ancient Shinto ritual held on February 10 features young men in white ceremonial clothing splitting bamboo stalks to symbolize strength and readiness.

10 Feb 2027Kaga · Ishikawa

Festival

Camellia Festival

A spring celebration in Nonoichi showcases the camellia, the city's flower, through exhibitions of art, markets, and traditional tea ceremonies.

21–22 Mar 2027Exact date not confirmed yetNonoichi · Ishikawa

Cherry Blossom

Noto-Kashima Station Cherry Blossoms

Over 100 cherry trees create a picturesque tunnel at this railway station, illuminated at night for spring viewing.

11–23 Apr 2027Exact date not confirmed yetAnamizu · Ishikawa

Illumination

The Four Seasons of Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden: Spring Illuminations

Spring illuminations at Kenrokuen Garden coincide with the blooming of azaleas and early cherry blossoms, creating an interplay of seasonal colors.

30 Apr – 2 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Festival

Seihakusai Festival

This Ishikawa festival of over 1,000 years parades three huge wheeled floats with life-size Kabuki figures, recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

3–5 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetNanao · Ishikawa

Festival

Otabi Festival

A spring celebration in Komatsu blends Shinto ritual, elaborate festival floats, and children's kabuki performances at two historic shrines.

8–10 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKomatsu · Ishikawa

Festival

Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival

Kanazawa's Hyakumangoku Festival honours Lord Maeda Toshiie, whose 1583 entry into the castle established the city, and is now a major regional cultural event.

5–7 Jun 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKanazawa · Ishikawa

Festival

Abare Festival

Illuminated lanterns parade through coastal Ushitsu in a celebration rooted in legend, featuring frenzied rituals to honor spiritual protection from epidemics.

3–4 Jul 2027Exact date not confirmed yetNoto · Ishikawa

Festival

Koiji Fire Festival

A coastal festival where young men carry ornate floats representing lovers into the sea before Benten Island, under fireworks and ceremonial fires.

19 Jul 2027Exact date not confirmed yetNoto · Ishikawa

Onsen & Wellness

Wakura Onsen

A hot spring town on Nanao Bay, said to date back about 1,200 years, with a salty spring that once rose from the sea and a white heron founding legend.

Nanao · Ishikawa

Public Facility

Kanazawa City Hall

Kanazawa City Hall blends traditional Japanese craftsmanship with modern design across two buildings serving this UNESCO Creative City of 460,000 residents.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Shrine

Juzo Shrine

Shrine in Wajima, Ishikawa, dedicated to Amenofuyukinu no Mikoto and his son Okuninushi, god of nation-building and matchmaking, with subsidiary shrines.

Wajima · Ishikawa

Shrine

Okutsuhime Shrine

Okutsuhime Shrine on remote Hegurajima island was founded by traditional female divers and preserves centuries of maritime worship traditions.

Wajima · Ishikawa

Shrine

Onominato Shrine

A Shinto shrine dedicated to Hachiman Okami, the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami and Sarutahiko Okami, god of guidance, with four sub-shrines on the grounds.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Shrine

Sugo Isobe Shrine

Shinto shrine in the Kaga region, said to date to 585 when an imperial kami was moved here, and among the region's most historically significant shrines.

Kaga · Ishikawa