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Kanazawa Half Day Tour: An Authentic Exploration of the Historical Samurai and Geisha Districts
4.9
164 Ratings
Kanazawa
Immerse yourself in the rich history of Kanazawa with this half-day tour. Explore the iconic Higashi Chaya District, visit the Samurai District, and stroll through the stunning Kenrokuen Gardens.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Kenrokuen Garden - Since the Edo era Kenrokuen Garden has been regarded as one of the most beautiful feudal gardens in all of Japan. We will take you on a special tour of this remarkable garden
What's Included
- Professional, English-speaking guide
- Native English customer support
- Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off
- Customizable itinerary
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Optional Entrance Fees
Additional Information
The places below are examples of what you may choose to see on the day, during this 4-hour tour.
Higashi Chaya District (and Kazue Machi)
The most famous tea district and Geisha/Geiko area in Kanazawa. It is also the home of Kinpaku (Gold leaf crafts). You will have the option to make your own gold leaf creation there.It is also possible to drink authentic green macha tea.
The Samurai District
Visit the streets where the Samurai lived. You will enter the houses of the Ashigaru (footsoldiers), and then view the larger residences of the more powerful samurai.
You will have the option of entering the Nomura Samurai house. A kutani pottery museum and tea gardens are also en-route. There is also the option of taking a break for tea or a bite to eat here.
Kenrokuen Gardens
The famous gardens of the six attributes, facing Kanazawa Castle and Utatsu Mountain.There are opportunities to take a break, and to enjoy tea ceremony.
- If your hotel is not listed, please let us know so that we can arrange the pick up
Location
Kenrokuen Garden
1-1 Marunouchi,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(164 Ratings)
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J9252kivanessah
Jun 17, 2024
Experience the city with a true insider! - Nozomi was an amazing host and guide for Kanazawa! She is a true gem of a person and such an insider. We ran into several locals that knew her personally, and you could tell had such a fond spot in their hearts for her. And because of that, we got special privileges at several places! Very lucky to have gotten the chance to experience the city with Nozomi, a must! She also went above and beyond and helped me to retrieve my charger that I had left on the shinkansen, thank you so much Nozomi!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joey_c
Jun 11, 2024
Great way for quick Kanazawa taste - Tetsuro was great guide. Lots of great info, history & personal stories. We were able to see the gardens, samurai, gold leaf production, and geisha districts in 4 hours. Which was great as we did this tour by catching the bullet train to and from Tokyo in a day. It would be great for Viator to make it clearer in description that taxis are required and at own cost.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_t
Jun 11, 2024
DELIGHTFUL - Sachiko was a wonderful guide. She provided insight to what we were seeing, particularly in the house of the samurai and the geisha. Highlight of the trip was the gold leaf experience creating our own creations.
Review provided by Viator
S2055pygregt
Jun 4, 2024
Hand painted Kimono tour - We toured the Nomura Samurai House and went to a Kimono artist's studio to see a demonstration of painting Kimonos by hand, which sell for upwards of $7,000! Our guide, Tetsuro Aiba was fantastic and very knowledgeable. He answered many questions about Kanazawa and Japan in general.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z7098pkadamb
May 30, 2024
Lovely tour with local artisans - A lovely and informative tour. Nozomi-san was kind, considerate, and did an amazing job of facilitating meaningful engagement with local artisans and tailoring the tour to our specific interests. She was really knowledgeable and engaging. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jiri
May 26, 2024
Review of Kanazawa Tours - We had wonderful guide Sachiko Nakai who showed us a lot of wonderful secrets , ancient stories as it relates to current life and culture.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H9174zbstevens
May 24, 2024
A great day in a great city with a great personal guide - We had a great time with our guide Jorge exploring this very interesting city. This was only a day trip to get away from our week in Tokyo but it was well worth the trip. Kanazawa is an interesting town, modern yet rich in history. Jorge took us through the fish market, the geisha discrict, up to a "secret" graveyard and temple with a view over the city and finally to the castle and garden. Jorge has been living in Japan for 8 years and has a newcomers eye for cultural differences yet extensive knowledge of the history of Kanazawa. If you are lucky you will get him as your guide for a very full day of exploring this interesting city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Resort60240962992
May 20, 2024
MUST DO tour in Kanazawa - We had the most incredible experience on our half day tour in Kanazawa. Our guide - Nozomi - was so kind, knowledgeable, funny and informative. We learned so much about the fascinating history and culture of this beautiful city. Thank you so much Nozomi, we appreciated every moment!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
201francesca
Jun 2, 2024
Kenrokuen Garden - This city is considered one of the most beautiful in Japan. We visited the beautiful Kenrokuen Garden which is considered one of the three largest gardens in Japan. The samurai house and the neighborhood dedicated to them are certainly worth a visit. Also worth visiting is the neighborhood and the geisha house.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Huiching_n
Jun 14, 2024
Overpriced - Should be made clearer on the site that:
- the half day tour would only cover 2 (max 3) of the 4 sites listed
- we would be expected to pay the bus/taxi fare for travelling with the guide around
Our guide was decent. Compared to other walking tours I've been on, the price is way too steep for the standard of the tour.
Review provided by Viator
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