Eye on Kanazawa | Events

More than six months since the earthquake and tsunami...
We need to support the sufferers and help them recover!

It was a terrible tragedy. Buildings collapsed, countless bodies washed up the shore, and we suffered a nuclear meltdown. We were at a loss for words as we saw it all on TV here in Kanazawa, and felt that we might have been watching the beginning of the end for Japan.
Six months have passed so fast, and most of the victims in Tohoku still live in temporary houses or lost their jobs. Some people moved out to other cities like Kanazawa. We really need to help them return to their normal lives before they truly feel hopeless. Kanazawa city had started to offer them municipal apartments and also to give information about real estate. However, job-hunting is still tough in the local cities. Needless to say, the impact of the disaster seriously damaged the economy of Japan, just as we were starting to recover from the long recession. Well...that’s the way things go, so there’s no use complaining about it, we need to stay positive! We are all lucky to be alive.
Since the disaster, Japan has received lots of support and the deepest sympathies from around the world. It’s really touching, and we really appreciate it! In addition, foreign tourists are coming back to Japan little by little! In the aftermath of the disaster, tourism-related businesses were really hit hard because of all the cancellations. Not only from overseas, but also domestic travelers. We Japanese kind of lost our motivation for leisure, and also felt guilty to have fun. But, we’ve realized that we can’t let our economy die, so we’ve started to move on!
Thank you for coming to Kanazawa! Please enjoy yourself in Japan!



Between November and March is the best season to eat snow crabs, yellowtail, codfish, monkfish, and oysters from the Sea of Japan!

The Tsushima Current is where the current from the warm western boundary meets the cold subarctic ocean current, Liman, at the Sea of Japan. Good phytoplankton and plankton are bred between the warm and cold waters. Due to this, many kinds of fishes gather to follow the feast.
Male snow crabs caught in Ishikawa are called “Kanoh-Gani”, while we call female crabs “Kohbako-Gani”. The season starts at the beginning of November.
Oysters are also bred in the Anamizu-Wan bay, located in the Noto peninsula. They are raised in oyster farms and come out slightly small and flavorful.
Also, make sure not to miss out on winter yellowtail, so-called “Kan-buri”, before the spawning season. It contains much more fat and histidine (an amino acid, one of the elements that composes an excellent taste). Buri-Kama (grilled yellowtail gill), Buri-Daikon (stewed yellowtail and Daikon radish), and yellowtail sushi are just mouthwatering!


Charity concerts performed by Tohoku students, and street jazz everywhere downtown! Three days flooded with music!

Do you like jazz? There are many people who adore the music, and even if you are not thatinto it, you will at least enjoy bustling with the live sounds on the streets during Silver Week (Sep 17, 18 and 19). Some of the top jazz artists are invited for a “Special Concert”, not only from Japan but also around the world! You can also see plenty of local musicians and students during the “Machikado (street) Jazz Live.” This year, the musicians will play with a special intensity to reflect the spirit of Japan. The executive committee has also invited students from the Tohoku area for “Charity Concerts.” Kanazawa will be flooded with kindhearted music, played to pray!

Admission Free Concerts
Street Stages: Tatemachi / Kohrinbo ATRIO / Kohrinbo 109 / Kohrinbo Daiwa / Shiinoki Geihinkan / Kakinokibatake Hiromi / Kohrinbo Nigiwai Hiroba / Oyama-Jinja shrine / Hokkoku Shinbun / Kohrinbo La Moda / Prego / Ohmcho Market / Meitetsu M’za / Higashi Betsuin temple/ Kanazawa Station

Premium Concert [A] at Oyama-jinja Shrine:
9/17 (16:30-18:50): The Big Band Sunset Jazz Rush
9/18 (16:30-18:50): Charity Jazz Live
9/17 (16:30-18:50): The Big Band Sunset Jazz Rush

Premium Concert [B] at Shiinoki Geihinkan and Kanazawa Tsukimi-Kohji street:
9/17 (19:00-20:50): Performed by Aya Fujisaki with Strings featuring Toshihiko Marusugi; (19:00-20:50): Performed by Osamu Shiomura & Prestige Jazz Orchestra
9/18 (19:00-19:50): Kunitachi College of Music “New Tide Jazz Orchestra”; (20:00-20:50): Tokyo Institute of Technology Los Guaracheros
http://www.kanazawa-jazzstreet.jp/

The history, the customs and the mysteriousness.
The more you know about them, the more you love them!

“Gei” usually means art, but in this case skill or accomplishments might be more suitable. “Sha” refers to a professional person.
A long time ago, during the Edo period (1603-1868), male performers, so-called “Taiko-Mochi,” were referred to as Geisha. On the other hand, female performers were called Geiko. Since the Meiji period (1868-1912), Geisha refers to a female performer, except in Kyoto and some local areas. As you may expect, in Kanazawa we still use the traditional title and call them “Geiko-san” in a friendly manner.
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Well... let’s talk about the O-chaya (Geisha club) world. Even if you come with lots of cash, they won’t let just anyone in. It sounds exclusive, and you might think that ordinary people have no chance. However, this isn’t the case! They have been offering each of their guests a fairy-tale experience, and want them to make themselves feel at home. Their guests should come with good references, or even someone else who can guarantee themselves. So, what should a tourist do? Well...the easiest way is asking your hotel in Kanazawa. They will introduce you to a traditional O-chaya. Of course you’ll definitely have to make a reservation in advance, and you should also know how much it costs before arriving. The hotel staff will suggest a plan and tell you the price. Usually, you just pay your hotel after you enjoy the performance.
Don’t worry! If you can’t afford seeing Geiko at an authentic O-chaya, you can at least see a daytime performance at an event, like the ones that Kanazawa City Hall offers. Check it out below, and apply via the website if you want to watch!


Geisha Performance
Date: [2011] 9/10, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 11/26, 12/3, [2012] 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/3. 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31

3,000 yen per person *Reservations required

*Includes Japanese tea and sweets
*15 or 30 seats per day
*Seats fill up fast, check the website below for availability!

http://www.kanazawa-kankoukyoukai.gr.jp/feature_geikonotabi11/ (Japanese)



Available not only for the loop bus but also general Hokutetsu busses downtown!

If you think that you will be taking a bus more than three times a day in downtown Kanazawa, you should definitely get a 500-yen-day-pass for the loop bus. It’s good not only for the loop bus, but also general Hokutetsu busses downtown, so you can easily catch one to move to your next destination. The loop bus is uniquely designed and easy to recognize, so you’ll never take the wrong one. They cycle through every 12 minutes. You can buy a pass in a loop bus, and also at the service centers listed below in advance. Scratch a year on the top, a month in the middle, and a date on the bottom. The first bus leaves the station at 8:36, and the last one at 18:00.

LOOP BUS Fare for A Ride

Ticketing Service Center:
Kanazawa station E-gate bus terminal / Katamachi stop (Kingeki-Pasion) / Musashigatsuji stop (Sky Hotel 1F) / Kenrokuen-Shita (Hokutetsu Bus depot)



Come and listen to the signal at the beginning of winter to start fishing yellowtails in the Sea of Japan!

When you come to Kanazawa in the winter, especially during the stormy weather, you might hear the word “Buri-Okoshi” when you listen to the local people talking. Buri is a yellowtail, and Okoshi literally means waking up. You see, the winter thunder often causes snow to fall, with local fishermen getting a big catch of the fish afterwards. There might be a scientific cause. Anyway, we Kanazawa people welcome the thunderstorms for the seafood!