This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 13:00 Hotel, walk from the hotel to Kanazawa Station
- 13:15 Lunch at conveyor-belt sushi or McDonald's inside Kanazawa Station 13:55 Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus from Kanazawa Station to Kenrokuen →
- 14:10 Stroll around Kenrokuen → After the stroll, eat gold-leaf soft serve on the teahouse street
- 15:10 Enter Kanazawa Castle Park through the Ishikawa Gate and stroll around →
- 15:40 Head to Omicho Market through the Kuromon Gate →
- 15:50 Stroll around Omicho Market, buy and eat strawberries
- 16:15 Walk toward Kanazawa Station →
- 16:30 Following Dad's suggestion, take a commemorative photo in front of the Tsuzumi Gate and end the tour
What's a Private Kanazawa Walking Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Kenrokuen and Omicho Market
The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. They were on a 20-day trip covering Sapporo, Hakodate, Aomori, Sendai, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, and Tokyo. They had arrived in Kanazawa from Sendai the previous day and had visited the Nagamachi Samurai District and Oyama Shrine. In the morning they had done some accumulated laundry, so we started at 13:00. After a quick lunch at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant on the second floor inside Kanazawa Station, with some of the guests grabbing hamburgers at a fast-food restaurant, the tour began. We took a bus to Kenrokuen Garden and strolled leisurely, then enjoyed gold-leaf soft-serve ice cream on the teahouse street. After that, we entered Kanazawa Castle Park through the Ishikawa Gate and walked around. Everyone was lively and listened attentively to my explanations. At the guests' request, we then went to Omicho Market through the Kuromon Gate of Kanazawa Castle Park. We browsed various shops and bought strawberries and bananas at a fruit stand, which we ate at Omicho Market. From Omicho Market we walked toward Kanazawa Station, and finally I explained the Tsuzumi Gate and we took commemorative photos to end the tour. When asked about the Pokemon Center, I explained its location at Kanazawa Station, and they said they would go to bed early tonight and stop by before catching the shinkansen after 11:00 the next morning.
Click here for more details: Kanazawa Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Bus | Kanazawa Station／Hokuriku Railroad Bus～Kenrokuen-shita・Kanazawa Castle／Hokuriku Railroad Bus | 220JPY |
| Total | 220JPY | ||
Hello.
My name is Masayo Shirai.
I have been a national licensed tour guide of English since April in 2014.
I was born. raised, and still living near the Higashi Chaya District in Kanazawa.
I have guided lots of foreign guests in my hometown Kanazawa, Gokayama, Shirakawago, Takaymam, Kaga, Fukui, and Toyama.
I have guided FIT, highend FIT, group tour, and bus tours.
I have been learning tea cemoney, flower arrangement, and noh performance of noh chanting and playing the hand drum.
I can take you to the experience spot of such traditional cultural spots in my hometown, Kanazawa,
Oct 5, 2025
L
LightPacker147788
Kanazawa visit
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Very interesting tour with Masayo. She took us…
Oct 5, 2025
L
LightPacker147788
Kanazawa visit
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Very interesting tour with Masayo. She took us to excellent locations including the Samurai
housing district and super location for lunch.
Jun 27, 2025
H6092PZsuem
Pleasant and interesting morning
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 4hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Masayo was our guide for the morning.…
Jun 27, 2025
H6092PZsuem
Pleasant and interesting morning
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 4hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Masayo was our guide for the morning. She met us at our hotel and took us on a very interesting tour of some of the main sites in Kanazawa She was pleasant company ,letting us spend as much time as we wanted at each place. Masayo told us many intriguing facts about the history of the area and the local culture
Mar 16, 2025
952bonnieh
Wonderful!!!
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
We loved our time with Masayo! Thank you for a…
Mar 16, 2025
952bonnieh
Wonderful!!!
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
We loved our time with Masayo! Thank you for a wonderful tour. Jason and I learned so much and enjoyed every minute. We will definitely recommend her to our loved ones who would like to visit Kanazawa. It is such a beautiful city!
We are looking forward to dinner at her sushi restaurant tonight! Thank you for the recommendation.
Just so you know – we went to Huni restaurant for dinner last night and it was fantastic. Chef Takuo is an amazing cook and he is an artist, too! Please recommend it to your travelers.
Jan 3, 2025
U5110ZKjades
A day in Kanazawa with Masayo!
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Masayo Shirai was an excellent…
Jan 3, 2025
U5110ZKjades
A day in Kanazawa with Masayo!
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Masayo Shirai was an excellent guide! We had the best experience & she showed us many
local spots and the best sushi! Thankyou Masayo!!