Port
Kanazawa, Japan
Activity Level
Strenuous
Excursion Type
All
Wheelchair Accessible
No
Starting At
$199.95
Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
Duration
Approximately 7 Hours
Meals Included
Meals included
Begin your day with a drive to Kenroku-en -- one of the three celebrated Great Gardens of Japan. The great daimyo of Kanazawa Castle originally developed Kenroku-en's 25-acre landscaped garden. It boasts Japan's first fountain, a teahouse dating to 1774, and a pagoda donated to the Maeda clan by the great warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The celebrated Ganko-Bashi is a bridge comprised of 11 red stones laid out to resemble a formation of flying geese.
Cross the Asano River to the Higashi Chayamachi -- one of the city's four pleasure districts established in the late Edo period (1820). The district is home to traditional tea houses, where wealthy merchants and artisans held drinking parties, and geisha performed just as they still do today. Explore the narrow streets.
After lunch, continue to the Nagamachi District, once home to many of Kanazawa's samurai. Kaga was unlike other Japanese fiefdoms because its samurai lived in Kanazawa town. The remains of their houses can be seen today, along with a few surviving residences, earthen boundary walls, narrow lanes and canals.
Your final destination is Kanazawa's 21st-century Museum of Contemporary Art**. Opened in 2004, this cutting-edge museum focuses on art created after 1980. Moreover, the facility houses site-specific art installations such as Leandro Erlich's Swimming Pool. The museum's architecture is as new and avant-garde as its collection.
Return to ship by coach.
Notes:
Wear comfortable walking shoes. Some of the paths are with gravel. Guests are required to remove shoes at Nagamachi Samurai Residence. Exhibitions at the 21st- century Museum may vary and Erlich’s Swimming Pool may not be available depending on their schedule. Geisha cannot be seen during the tour. Tour does not operate on Mondays or holidays.
** Westerdam Call on 30th September 2024- Due to a business holiday, the visit to the 21st Centuary Museum of Contemporary Art has been replaced with a call to Omicho Market. Omicho Market has 270 years of history and is the largest market in Kanazawa.