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
- 9:30 Meet in front of the Hotel – go to Kenrokuen by taxi
- 9:45 Stroll through Kenrokuen
- 10:30 Tour the Ishikawa Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts and enjoy shopping
- 11:15 Tour the Kaga Honda Museum
- 11:45 Walk toward the Nagamachi Samurai District via Korinbo, entering the free zone of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa on the way.
- 12:30 Stroll through the Nagamachi Samurai District, take a break at a cafe
- 13:00 Tour the Nomura Family Residence,
- 13:30 Walk via the Takada Family Residence site to a shop named Samurai GIFT in front of Oyama Shrine
- 14:10 At Samurai Gift, discuss purchasing a genuine sword
- 14:30 Take a taxi to the Sakuda Main Store of gold leaf near Higashi Chaya District
- 14:45 At the Sakuda Main Store of gold leaf, tour the gold leaf manufacturing process and enjoy shopping
- 15:15 Walk toward Higashi Chaya District
- 15:30 In front of Shima in Higashi Chaya District, recommend entering Shima, and end the tour
- Afterwards, the guests said they would tour Shima on their own and enjoy strolling around.
What Is a Private Kanazawa Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were looking forward to their Kanazawa tour and had done a lot of research beforehand, so I guided them according to their wishes. Some of the guests were very interested in the traditional culture of Kanazawa, and enjoyed shopping a great deal at the shop of the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum for Traditional Products and Crafts. Some of the guests were interested in samurai and samurai culture, and asked many enthusiastic questions about the samurai. They enjoyed the exhibits at the Kaga Honda Museum, and since they said they wanted to buy a genuine sword, I introduced them to a shop. Today, the day after the tour, they told me they wanted to visit the shop once more to hear more about it. The guests were also deeply impressed by the tour of the gold leaf production process at Sakuda's main shop, and came to love Kanazawa, a city where the wonderful old Japanese culture and craftsmanship still remain.
Click here for more details: Kanazawa Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
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!!