• Private Tour
• Family Friendly
• Carbon Neutral

Step back in time to the golden age of samurai culture as we trace the echoes of Edo through the preserved historical districts of Kanazawa. This immersive tour will transport you to the 17th century, when the city flourished as a prosperous samurai domain under the powerful Maeda clan.

Destination

Kanazawa, Japan

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

8 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Español

Excluded

• Entrance tickets
• Transport costs
• Meal, drink and snack costs

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Monse.

1. Meeting point

   You will be picked up anywhere in Kanazawa. Your local host will contact you regarding the exact pickup point.

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Samurai District (Naga-machi)

   Wander through the iconic Nagamachi Samurai District, where the stately residences of former samurai lords line the streets. Discover the secrets of samurai family life as you explore meticulously restored bukeyashiki mansions and gardens.

4. Oyama Shrine

   Oyama-jinja is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Maeda Toshiie (1537–1599), the founder of the Kaga domain (present-day Ishikawa and around), and his wife, Maeda Matsu (1547–1617). It was built in 1873, shortly after the abolition of laws that prevented shrines from being dedicated to people other than the shogun.

5. Kanazawa Castle

   From 1583 to the end of the Edo Period, Kanazawa Castle (金沢城, Kanazawajō) was the seat of the powerful Maeda Clan, lords of Kaga, a feudal domain ranking second only to the Tokugawa possessions in terms of size and wealth.

6. Gyokuseninmaru Park

   Gyokuseninmaru Garden is a traditional-style garden on the grounds of Kanazawa Castle. Its stepped design creates a sense of verticality. Design features include a stair-like waterfall that flows from one of the garden’s distinctive stone walls.

7. Matcha and Wagashi experience

   Let's enjoy the view of the Gyokuseninmaru Garden with Matcha and sweets together.

8. Kenrokuen Garden

   Kenrokuen (兼六園) in Kanazawa is justifiably classified as one of Japan's "three most beautiful landscape gardens" alongside Mito's Kairakuen and Okayama's Korakuen. The spacious grounds used to be the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle and were constructed by the ruling Maeda family over a period of nearly two centuries. Opened to the public in 1871, Kenrokuen features a variety of flowering trees which provide the garden with a different look for each season.

9. Local meal

   Enjoy a local meal in Kanazawa at Omicho Market

10. Geisha District (Higashi-Chaya)

    The geisha houses in Higashi Chaya have a stunning traditional appearance. A geisha house is characterised by the beautiful lattice on the outer side of its first floor, called “kimusuko”, and the Japanese-style guestrooms located on the second floor. During the Edo period, the construction of two-story buildings except geisha houses was prohibited, making their appearance all the more striking.

11. Geisha District (Kazuemachi-Chaya)

    Kazue-machi is an old geisha district located along the river between Asanogawa Ohashi Bridge and Naka-no Hashi Bridge.

12. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Jasmin

3 January 2025

My husband and I were on vacation for a week trying to see the real Japan. We saw this tour and didn't know what to expect. We were very happy with the experience. Monse is very knowledgeable and has gone to great lengths to learn about the entire city so she could give us the BEST experience. We learned things we never would have known, saw sites we never would have seen without her, and even found some cute and one-of-a-kind souvenirs thanks to her! We were SO happy with the experience, and we HIGHLY recommend this for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge and experience in Kanazawa!Amazing Experience!

Yamila🇦🇷 Argentina

23 November 2024

Monse hizo que nuestro día en Kanazawa fuera increíble ! Llegamos con lluvia y nos despidió con lluvia, pero gracias a ella pudimos disfrutar el recorrido. Gracias mil ! !!! Hermosa persona, divertida. Euge y Yami Kanazawa en todo su esplendor

Rob

8 October 2024

Monse was a fountain of information and we had a great time albeit that it was a rainy day. Would highly recommend her as guide to anyone visiting Kanazawa. 1-2-3 and pictures taken as a great memory of our visit. Wonderful time in Kanazawa

carlos🇦🇺 Australia

5 January 2025

Monse was a great guide: very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Highly recommended. great guide

Allison

1 January 2025

We had really just one day in Kanazawa so we booked our tour with Monse for as soon as we got in. I'm so glad we did! Monse was so much fun to be around and she knew so much of the rich history. She's really great, ten out of ten, would recommend!Perfect

michael

28 December 2024

We are a family of 5 and have had a wonderful 2 days with mons who organised walks and activities that perfectly fitted out brief to her. Lovely company and informative and helpful at every step. Highlights were views of the Sea of Japan, onsen walk by the river, boat ride to view the bridges and the unesco area. Mons is a delight and I fully recommend her.Kanazawa outing

Kara🇯🇵 Japan

28 December 2024

Monse was an amazing guide! We covered most of Kanazawa in 3 hours. She was fantastic with my three kids and super helpful, capturing many family photos. It felt like a small town and she knew a lot of the people along the way. She was full of knowledge about the history and the hidden gems . One of the most organized and thorough tours I've been on - fantastic!Highly recommend!

Katie🇳🇿 New Zealand

1 December 2024

Monse was a wonderful tour guide. Very knowledgeable and fun to talk to. Would highly recommend. Fabulous tour

Elena🇺🇸 United States

21 October 2024

After our private tour with Monse my wife said, "was it really just 2 hours?". It felt much longer, because we managed to see so many places and discuss so many things. Monse is a de facto expat who came to Kanazawa 5 years ago for a PhD program and learned Japanese - in addition to her native Spanish and a very good English. As such, she is both insider and outsider with respect to the city as well as Japanese culture. She has lived there (and studied history, religion and customs in addition to her main field - biology) enough to know how things are, but she also conveys a flavor of amusement that makes the tour so much more engaging. Very energetic and engaging

Bruna

11 October 2024

We had very little time in Kanazawa and were lucky to get a time with Monse. She met us early in the morning and gave us such a rich tour, we were impressed. We’ve been in Japan for over 10 days and had other 3 privately guided tours that were very disappointing. Monse is sweet, energetic, fun and highly knowledgeable about Kanazawa. After the tour we followed many of the tips she gave us and had an amazing time throughout the day! Highly recommend booking with her 😃Best tour guide experience in 10 days

Mahnaz 🇦🇺 Australia

1 October 2024

We had a great few hours with monse she was informed and kind and super helpful. She knew a lot about the history of the samurai district and was a great photographer helping to capture our memories perfectly Lovely interesting tour

Grace

30 September 2024

Monse is kind, outgoing, and communicative. She contacted me ahead of our tour to confirm and met us on time at our hotel. She made reservations for our meals (which is often necessary in Japan) and knew the owners of the sushi bar. She has lived in Kanazawa for 5 years and is very engaged with the language, culture and community. In addition to bringing us to restaurants to eat good food, Monse brought us to culturally and historically significant sites in the city and shared her knowledge on the history. She even dropped us off back at our hotel. We felt she went above and beyond to make sure we had an enjoyable and memorable experience. Would definitely recommend Monse for your tour.Excellent, personalized tour

Elizabeth🇦🇺 Australia

31 August 2024

I managed to book a private tour with Monse very last minute. She provided an enormous amount of interesting information about the areas of Kanazawa that we walked through, general history of the city as well as stopping for some great food at 2 Izakaya, a bar for matcha beer and some fruit Mochi sweets. Monse gave me some brat insight into living as a foreigner in Japan. I would definitely recommend Monse as a tour guide for a foodie adventure. A good night out!

Hans-Olof🇸🇪 Sweden

21 August 2024

We did really appreciate this tour. It did give you a insight inte the Edo-time culture and the living conditions of the samurai group. The samurai quarters were very well preserved and our visit inside of a couple of the intact house and their beautiful gardens small and large ones. Also the visit to the old geisha part of the town and to listen to the stories of this tradition and sad situation just after the war was interesting. Equally nice was the walk in the extremely breathtaking royal garden. It really was a fantastic park. Our guide Monse was a very kind and knowledge person that we liked very much not just a guide, but as a person. We can really recommend her. A tour that gives you insights and views

Irene🇮🇹 Italy

19 August 2024

Mosse is just lovely and very thoughtful: she really tried to meet all our needs and gave us an amazing tour through all the main locations in Kanazawa! Thank you Mosse! ❤️Great experience!

jimmy.diek

1 July 2024

Montse es una guía que se hacer vivirlo. Transmite muy bien los conocimientos del lugar, te enseña bien detalles del entorno y vives la experiencia a tope. De 10! Y como persona igual. De 10! Repetiremos! De 10!!

Bjarte

24 June 2024

Thank you so much for accepting a last-minute booking, I really appreciated that. Monse is very energetic, and she is a very knowledgeable person. We visited all the places I wanted and we ate a super delicious Ramen in a local restaurant. She helped and even taught me some useful phrases in Japanese. Thank you for everything, I hope to cross paths again with you in Norway. All the best!Amazing day in Kanazawa

Rainer

6 June 2024

Thx for a wonderfull Tour. Danke für eine wundervolle Tour. Monse is the pefect Guide, thx for allPerfect Tour

Lydia

5 June 2024

By the time I went to Kanazawa, the cherry blossom period already passed. But Monse was very perseverant and took me to some hidden spots with a few cherry blossom trees. She took very nice pictures of me in the cherry blossom trees. Thank you for your dedication and passion for what you do! Also, she recommended me some places to visit at night (local bars and restaurants). Thank you and hope to see you in Hawaii one day!Cherry blossom tour

Hanspeter and Nicole

31 May 2024

Monse, thank you for the magnificent tour in Kanazawa. We spent a very beautiful day with you, and that gold-leaf ice-cream at the end of the tour was the best. We learned a lot about Kanazawa in a very interesting way, thank you for that! Good luck with your future plans and school!Perfect and interesting tour

Alejandro y Mariana

17 May 2024

Monse desde que estabamos planeando el tour se portó muy buena onda. Incluso nos dio la idea de visitar un museo con una exhibición limitada de Pokemón. La verdad nos la pasamos increíble, y se siente muy bonito tener una paisana viviendo en Kanazawa que te expliqué las cosas muy bien y de manera neutral. Aprendimos mucho de la cultura, comida, historia pero sobre todo nos divertimos muchisimo con ella. Totalmente recomendada para sus tours, te esperamos de vuelta en México para ir a tomar un buen tequila en Jalisco. Saludos!Visita al museo Pokemón

Pam, Vince and Sophie

16 May 2024

Thank you Cynthia for showing us the sights of Kanazawa. We had an amazing time exploring the city with you. If you ever come to Australia be sure to contact us, we could you part of Australia.Kanazawa historical adventure

Fergus

12 May 2024

Monse came and picked me up at my hotel. She is a very optimistic person and told me great tips to make my time in Japan better. I told her that I was more interested in knowing more about the local life as a foreigner in Japan, and she was very happy to share that with me. We drank matcha in a very lovely tea house inside the Kenrokuen garden and ate some delicious local ramen (The best I´ve ever had). If you have the chance to book a tour with her, do it!The best tour I have ever had

Marisol y familia

11 May 2024

Monse fue un encanto! Nos llevó a recorrer Kanazawa y de una manera diferente y distendida!!! Sin duda la recomendaría!Excelente fotografa y culta en historia

Olivia Hu

9 May 2024

I am writing to express our sincere gratitude for the wonderful tour in Kanazawa. Our visit to the Ninja Temple was truly delightful, and your guidance allowed us the opportunity to explore places out of our itinerary, such as the Samurai House and Kanazawa Shrine. Your photography skills also enhanced our experience :-) Additionally, your cheerful and optimistic personality left a lasting impression on us. We appreciate the effort you put into making our visit special. Once again, thank you, Monse, for making our time in Kanazawa so memorable! We look forward to the possibility of crossing paths again in the future.Wonderful visit to Kanazawa

Silvia

3 May 2024

I loved my tour with Monse, she is super energetic and cool to hang out. A nice and generous soul who welcomed me so well in Kanazawa and made me feel at home. I also learned a lot about Japanese culture from her and hope to see her soon in Portugal! Muchas gracias por todo!Super energetic tour

David and Kate

10 April 2024

Monse is a really nice person, during the tour she taught us a lot about Japanese way's. She is very intelligent and interesting person, we shared a lot. Thank you for a lovely evening and the excellent restaurant recommendations. Lovely evening

Michaela

31 March 2024

A very pleasant contact right from the start. We were able to state our individual wishes and the tour was tailored to our individual needs. We had the luck to have a second guide (a local) with us who was able to add "hidden Knowledge" and so we were also able to experience contact with locals. We would plan a tour with Monse again at any time, the impressions will resonate for a long time.Memorable visit in Kanazawa

Renata and John

5 March 2024

We were celebrating our recent engagement, and Monse had this bright personality that cheered us up right away. She is a very humble person, and she took us photos in all the iconic spots in Kanazawa. She made us feel like friends, and she was a very knowledgeable person in history. We loved the photos you took, and we are very happy to meet you. All the best.Engagement celebration tour