🇯🇵 Kanazawa – Chasing Snow & Seafood in Japan’s Wild North | The Castle That Refuses to Die
Hi there! We’ve just landed in Japan at Chubu Centrair International Airport! Are you ready to ramble? Let’s go! Our destination this time? The beautiful city of Kanazawa It’s the historic capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, famous for its ancient districts and rich culture Many call it “Little Kyoto”… but without the big crowds Don’t forget your ticket Let’s hurry up to the platform and wait in front of the train door Let’s store our luggage first We asked for seats near the door and the luggage racks It’s a great tip if you’re traveling with big luggage This Meitetsu-Limited Express ride to Nagoya takes 38 miutes to go there We are now in Nagoya While we still have time, let’s find someplace to eat Here’s a ramen shop I’m really craving for some ramen today This ramen shop is Tetsu Their specialty is Tsukemen Ramen But I’ll have miso ramen this time Now let’s just print our pre-booked Shinkansen tickets This time we entered the wrong car train 😅 This ride will take 25 mins to Maibara Station We are riding the Tokaido Shinkansen We’re now on the Hokuriku Line—11 stops to Tsuruga (50 minutes) Then, we’ll transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa (40 minutes) We have finally arrived in Kanazawa! That was a long journey from the airport, but I know it will be worth it While my partner finds us some takeaway food, let’s explore the station I’m impressed by the beautiful interiors—the detailed ceiling and paneling are exceptional Our hotel is just a 4-minute walk from here in the West Exit I admire the column design—the choice of materials and sleek steel beams create a striking architectural statement We are checking in here at the Daiwa Roynet Hotel Look—they offer free drip coffee for guests. So convenient! This machine even accepts credit card payments And here, you can take free bath bombs and amenities for your stay They even have toner, sunscreen and moisturizers Now, let’s go see our room This deluxe twin room is perfect And look what’s waiting in the corner— a massage chair! I’m saving that for tomorrow Now, let’s see the bathroom Wow very nice I always love the deep, economical bathtubs in Japan A long soak is definitely happening later and these for sure will make us smell wonderful Everything is sparkling clean The space is compact, elegant, and minimalist The toilet cover doesn’t open and close automatically, but that’s just fine For dinner, we’re having delicious fried pork buns Now, it’s time to recharge and get some rest Good night! Good morning! I woke up early to a strange sound at the window Oh, wow! It’s raining graupel— soft, white pellets of ice! Let’s wait for this winter weather to calm down, then we’ll explore. First, breakfast Okay, time to ramble! Welcome to the magnificent Tsuzumi-mon Gate! This huge wooden structure is designed to look like a traditional Japanese drum used in Noh theater, called a tsuzumi, This gate was completed in 2005, part of a major station renovation It serves as a monumental welcome, beautifully blending Kanazawa’s rich artistic history with its contemporary vision Now, let’s go to Omicho Market It’s about a 14-minute walk from the station Just across from M’za Mall is our next stop: the legendary Omicho Market! We have to cross again from this statue the intersection here is wide Let’s go inside For over 300 years, this has been Kanazawa’s vibrant kitchen, a bustling network of stalls where locals have come for the freshest seafood and produce Freshness is guaranteed—the area’s thriving ecosystem and proximity to fishing grounds provide the finest seafood The choices are incredible—so much fresh seafood! No wonder this is the heart of the city’s food culture Since it’s still early, let’s find a delicious breakfast This one looks interesting Here’s how it works: you choose and pay at the machine, get a ticket, and hand it to the griller We should try this later But first, let’s try this one because the line is short Let’s have some kani or crab meat a small salad, and uni, the edible part of a sea urchin Pay it all first before eating Itadakimasu 🙏🏻 Incredibly fresh and sweet – some of the best Uni I’ve ever tried. Everything was incredibly fresh and so good! Now, let’s get a big grilled scallop with butter for 250 yen They have small and large scallops and oysters, too! We’ll also have some oden, but let’s find a seat first before joining the queue Everything here looks delicious What I’m most looking forward to is the warm, savory soup Ok let’s pay it here on the other side I’m having these Chikuwa: A tube-shaped fish cake Mochi Kinchaku: A fried pouch of tofu filled with soft mochi rice cake Shiro Baigai: A whelk or sea snail, a classic oden ingredient If you haven’t tried oden before, you must try it; you’ll love it It’s the perfect warm snack for cold weather Wow, this is some of the best oden I’ve ever had! The soup is full of umami flavor And this big scallop is grilled perfectly. So good… Thank you for the wonderful meal 🙏🏻 Now, let’s wait for this graupel to stop With the strong wind and our small umbrellas, the ice pellets would definitely hurt! Now, we’re going to one of Japan’s most historic and striking landmarks: Kanazawa Castle! It’s about 16-minute walk from the market Fun fact: many people don’t know this, but graupel is a typical type of winter precipitation in Kanazawa Kanazawa’s location on the Sea of Japan exposes it to cold, moist air from Siberia This often creates graupel, which are soft pellets of ice that form when snowflakes are coated with frozen cloud droplets Anyway, from the gate, it’s a 15-minute walk to the castle grounds The path takes us through a beautiful park, surrounded by massive, ancient stone walls that show the castle’s former defensive strength Now, we are entering the famous Ishikawa-mon Gate This is one of the few original structures that survived the fires, dating all the way back to 1788 It’s amazing how they combined wood and iron plates for defense The gate looks massive, thick, and incredibly sturdy Yay! We found a place to warm us up And here’s a miniature model showing the entire castle property We’ll stay here at the information center and wait for the weather to calm down It feels great to have a heater and be warm You’ll find the toilets just beside the Information center Now that the weather is better, let’s continue to the castle The brilliant white exterior is made of traditional plaster, which helps protect the wooden structure from fire and moisture Now we can see the castle from here The castle grounds are vastly impressive We spent roughly 30 minutes walking, including a few stops and we are now making another stop Let’s stop here at Mamezarachaya Cafe This place is very nice and spacious, located right beside the castle A great spot to pick up Kanazawa handicrafts and treat yourself to local pastries, desserts, and beverages It’s the perfect spot for a drink or a snack with a castle view Kanazawa Castle isn’t just a single building; it’s a vast, sprawling fortress complex Kanazawa Castle is a magnificent reconstruction Its long, white plastered warehouses and watchtowers are connected by elegant, dark timber beams, creating a powerful and elegant facade against the sky I think we’re here Finally, the entrance! Now, let’s go inside As we step inside, we see we need to leave our umbrellas here The entrance fee is 320 yen for adults and 100 yen for children We also leave our shoes on this rack before we begin our tour Don’t forget to put the number tag on your shoes Ok let’s start the tour! Let me tell you about the castle grounds That entrance along the bridge is Hashizume-mon gate, a key defensive entrance that leads into the main bailey, protected by massive, ancient stone walls A key fact about this castle is that it’s a modern masterpiece of restoration After being destroyed by fires multiple times throughout history, most of what we see today has been meticulously rebuilt using traditional methods Come and take a look at this They have a full miniature model of the complex, and I can’t believe how vast the original grounds were Look at these huge ceiling beams! They are made from Japanese cypress wood, known for its strength and beautiful grain Wow The restoration was a long labor of love From 1996 to 2020, craftsmen worked to rebuild the main structures, reviving the castle’s former glory for us to experience today This diagram shows the brilliant construction layers and materials, like the plaster, used for the exterior walls This one explains how the intricate roof was made And this is an actual model of that roof structure It’s a true complement to Japanese craftsmanship; they turned castle building into a precise art form Here, we can see the actual structure of the columns and how they were formed It showcases the incredible Japanese technique of joining wood like a puzzle, often without using any nails What’s that over there? Wow, a detailed wooden art model of the castle! Cool! Here, you can see the entire foundation, from the base and columns to the beams and roof support I love that they never gave up, rebuilding this symbol of resilience again and again after fires The castle’s history is long. It began in 1583 under the powerful Maeda clan and was continuously developed for over 200 years, becoming a center of power and culture Look at this gallery— a beautiful Japanese painting of two tigers hangs on the wall What does this represent here? Do you have any idea? And these are the designs and wallpapers used in the castle before it was destroyed by the fire and these ornaments were the decorative fittings found in the palace Here, we can watch a curated video about the castle’s architecture Let’s sit and watch for a moment This is the northern side of the castle, showing us the landmarks we can see from here That small area upstairs is not open to the public Now that we’ve seen everything up there, let’s see what else there is to see down here I’m not sure, but this diagram looks like it shows the plaster and layering of the walls And here, we can see a view of the moats from the watchtower This cool glass feature on the floor lets you see the water underneath the watch tower! This one also shows how these massive columns are connected to the base Care for a souvenir? Okay, we’ve seen the castle. Where to next? Our next destination is one of the top three gardens in all of Japan As we exit through the sturdy wooden gate reinforced with iron plates, I can say this was an incredible tour. The history and craftsmanship here are unforgettable Thank you so much for your time and for joining me today I truly appreciate it 😊 Please join me again as we continue our exploration to the beautiful Kenrokuen Garden and more amazing places here in Kanazawa This is the Ishikawa-mon Gate it directly connects to Kenrokuen Garden This is the pathway to Kenrokuen Garden I’ll see you there!
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Join us on our unforgettable journey to Kanazawa, Japan! We flew into Chubu Centrair International Airport and embarked on a scenic train ride to the cultural heart of Ishikawa Prefecture. Known as “Little Kyoto,” Kanazawa is famous for its well-preserved Edo-era districts, incredible seafood, and rich history, without the massive crowds.
In this video, we:
🚪 Walk through the stunning Tsuzumi-mon Gate at Kanazawa Station and check into our convenient hotel near the station.
☔ Battle unexpected graupel (snow pellets) on our first morning!
🦀 Feast on the freshest seafood at Omicho Market – from giant buttered scallops and sweet crab to creamy sea urchin (uni).
🍢 Warm up with delicious and comforting oden, the perfect winter street food.
🏯 Explore the majestic Kanazawa Castle, a symbol of resilience rebuilt after numerous fires using traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
Chapters:
0:00 – Welcome to Kanazawa!
1:15 – Our Hotel Tour (Daiwa Roynet)
2:45 – Surprise Graupel Weather!
4:20 – Omicho Market Food Adventure
8:10 – Kanazawa Castle Exploration
15:30 – The Amazing Restoration
19:45 – Japanese Wood Joinery Magic
22:10 – Heading to the Garden (Next Video!)
Planning your trip?
📍 Hotel: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa
🚆 Transport: Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo
🎫 Castle Entry: 320 Yen for Adults
Thank you for watching! If you enjoyed our adventure in Kanazawa, please give this video a thumbs up and subscribe for more travel guides and adventures across Japan. We appreciate your support!
Next Up: Exploring Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s Top 3 Gardens!
We dive deep into the history and architecture of the castle, marvel at the Japanese joinery techniques that use no nails, and give you a complete guide on what to see, eat, and do.
(I hope you understand some of the subtitles may be misspelled or inaccurate, I use google translate for my videos. Thank you for your understanding)
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