#Eda85daysinJapan | Chapter 4 (Hokuriku) | Kanazawa – Kenrokuen & Omicho Market

🗓️ 16 May - 13 June 2026

📍Kenrokuen Garden

Two famous places you’ll hear about a lot in Kanazawa, and ones I also spent some time at, are Kenrokuen Garden and Omicho Market.

Kenrokuen is one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens. It started in the late 17th century as the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle under the Maeda clan and was developed over generations. The name means a garden that combines six ideal qualities — spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways and panoramic views. These are usually hard to balance in one place, but Kenrokuen somehow manages to hold all of them.

The garden is really big. You need at least two hours if you want to walk through most of it, and I’d suggest giving yourself half a day if you want to take it slow. Japanese-style gardening has this way of making you feel like you’re part of the landscape rather than just looking at it from the outside. It felt a bit surreal, and quite different from the feeling of being out in the mountains.

📍Omicho Market

Omicho Market has been around for over 300 years. It started in the early 18th century as the main market for the Kaga Domain and is still known as Kanazawa’s kitchen. Fresh seafood, local produce, small stalls, and that lively market energy. One practical note: the market itself closes around 2pm, so if you want the fresh seafood it’s better to go earlier. There are also quite a few restaurants around, but the lines can get long with tourists.