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
- 10:00 Hotel, take the local bus to Kenrokuen Garden
- 10:20 Visited Kenrokuen Garden and the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum for Traditional Arts and Crafts.
- 11:20 Entered Kanazawa Castle Park through Ishikawa Gate and strolled around, then went from Gyokusen'inmaru Garden through Nezumita Gate to Oyama Shrine.
- 12:10 From Minamicho, took the local bus to Musashigatsuji.
- 12:20 After strolling through Omicho Market, had lunch at Ichiba Sushi Main Store.
- 13:20 Headed toward the Hashibacho area, passing through Owaricho. Strolled through the Kazuemachi Chaya District.
- 14:00 At Kinpaku no Sakuda, observed the gold leaf manufacturing process and did some shopping.
- 14:30 Strolled through the Higashi Chaya District.
- 15:00 Walked toward Katani in Owaricho.
- 15:20 Had a gold leaf experience at Katani. The husband applied three types of gold leaf patterns to a large hand mirror and the wife to a round plate, then experienced applying gold leaf on top.
- 16:00 The gold leaf experience ended, explained the way back to the hotel, and concluded today's tour.
**Title:** What's a Full-Day Private Tour of Kanazawa Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visitors from North America who were traveling in Japan. After visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Himeji, they chose to spend two days in Kanazawa as their final destination, wishing to enjoy a relaxed sightseeing experience there. It was a beautiful day, so we enjoyed a stroll through Kenrokuen and took many photographs at Kenrokuen and the Gyokusen'inmaru Garden. Since the guests were fond of sushi and frequently visited a Japanese-run sushi restaurant back home, they requested local sushi and were delighted with the sushi at Ichiba Sushi Honten. They were then impressed by the Akari-zaka slope and the old teahouse architecture of the Kazuemachi Chaya district, and at a gold leaf shop they became very interested in the gold leaf manufacturing process. So I made a reservation at Katani and they enjoyed a gold leaf application experience. They were very skilled and the piece turned out beautifully, which pleased them. I provided information about the Nagamachi Samurai District and Shima in the Higashi Chaya district, which they planned to visit the following day, and we finished at 16:00.
Click here for more details: Kanazawa Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Bus | Hokuriku Railroad Kanazawa One-Day Free Pass～Kanazawa One-Day Free Pass | 800JPY |
| Total | 800JPY | ||
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!!