Ishikawa, Hokuriku
Ryokans in Kanazawa & Kaga
Two things in one trip: a craft city with gardens and teahouse streets, and four old hot spring towns half an hour to the south. The city has almost no hot springs, which surprises people.
Where you sleep decides which half you get, and many travellers take one night of each.
Image placeholder: Kaga gorge photography to be added
Kanazawa & Kaga at a glance
- From Tokyo
- About two and a half hours to Kanazawa by shinkansen; a little further to Kaga Onsen
- Two halves
- A craft city with no hot springs, and four hot spring towns half an hour south
- At dinner
- Seafood from the Sea of Japan, and crab from late autumn through winter
- Getting around
- Buses in the city; inn shuttles from Kaga Onsen station
Inns in Kanazawa & Kaga
We are still verifying inns in this region, and we would rather show you nothing than something we have not checked. Kyoto is finished, and this page is next.
Where to stay in Kanazawa & Kaga
Kanazawa is a city; the Kaga towns are four separate villages. They are close together on the map and quite different to stay in.
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Kanazawa city
Gardens, craft museums and the teahouse quarters. No hot spring to speak of, but the best base if the city is why you came.
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Yamashiro Onsen
The largest of the Kaga towns, built around a communal bathhouse at its centre, with a long association with ceramics.
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Yamanaka Onsen
A river gorge and a walking path through it. The quietest and, for many people, the most beautiful of the four.
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Katayamazu Onsen
On a lagoon rather than in the hills, so the views are wide and the buildings larger. Convenient for the station.
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Awazu Onsen
A small, old settlement in the pines, with some of the longest continuously running inns in the country.
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Wakura Onsen, Noto
A seaside hot spring town north of the city. The Noto peninsula was hit by the 2024 earthquake and availability there has varied since, so confirm current operating status before planning around it.
Getting there and getting around
The Hokuriku shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Kanazawa in about two and a half hours and continues south, stopping at Kaga Onsen station, which is the gateway to the four hot spring towns. From Kansai and Nagoya, limited express services approach from the other direction.
Kanazawa itself is compact, with two loop bus routes covering the sights and a walkable centre. The Kaga towns are separate small settlements rather than one resort: each inn runs a shuttle from the station, and moving between towns without a car means buses or a taxi.
What to check before you book
- Whether a city stay in Kanazawa has a bath at all, since most are ordinary hotels or townhouses
- Shuttle times from Kaga Onsen station, which are tied to specific trains
- Whether a winter plan includes crab, and which grade, since this drives the price
- Snow-season access if you are driving between November and March
Our booking guide covers what these terms mean on Japanese reservation pages.
When to visit
| Season | What it is like | Booking |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Gardens at their best, mild weather, and the mountains still white behind | Steady; the early-May holidays are the exception |
| Summer | Hot and humid in the city, cooler in the gorge towns | The easiest season to find a room |
| Autumn | Foliage through the Kaga hills from late October | Busy at weekends, manageable midweek |
| Winter | Grey skies, snow, and the crab season that the region plans around | Weekend crab plans sell out months ahead |
Not set on Kanazawa & Kaga?
Compare it with the other regions we cover, or see every inn currently featured on the site.