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Kanazawa Shinise Memorial Hall (Old Merchant House)

金沢市老舗記念館

The Old Merchant House was Kanazawa's leading Chinese medicine shop in Minami-machi during the 18th century. The shop was established in 1759 and provided medicine for the feudal leaders. The merchant's family was given high status by the elders of the town. The shop was instrumental in maintaining the elegance of the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and haiku during the time period in which it was open. The shop has a bridal exhibit on the second floor with examples of bridal gifts and a large flower arrangement made entirely out of sugar.

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Kanazawa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Nagamachi Samurai District
Nagamachi Buke Yashiki or 長町武家屋敷
Towards the coast from Oyama Shrine, this is an area of a few streets where considerable effort has been expended in order to recreate the feel of the samurai housing areas. The fact that almost none of the actual samurai houses remain does little to daunt the enthusiasm of the tourists. While historically dubious, it is a pleasant area to stroll, and one of the best of the remaining samurai districts in Japan. In Nagamachi, the Nomura House is open to the public (¥500), and boasts a small but exquisite garden. A short walk from there the city has relocated and restored two ashigaru (足軽: the lowest rank of samurai) houses that are open for free, and provide a lovely place to rest and enjoy the peace of a traditional Japanese house. Towards the Asano River to the north, there are a couple more samurai houses, not preserved or set aside as museum pieces, but actually lived in (and not open to the public).
Drink
Machrihanish
マクリハニッシュ
The best selection of single malts in Kanazawa, bar none. The English-speaking owner spent several years working at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and has visited every distillery in Scotland! If whisky is your thing this is the place to visit. Draft Kilkenny is ¥900 a pint, cocktails start at ¥750, and the vast whisky selection kicks off at ¥700. The fish and chips is recommended.
Mon-Sat 18:30-02:00
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Ishikawa Museum of Modern Literature
石川近代文学館
09:30-17:00 (last entry at 16:30). Housed in the Meiji-era brick building of the former Fourth High School (preparatory schools for the Imperial Universities), the fore-runner of Kanazawa University, it houses displays relating to famous local (generally) authors from the Meiji to pre-war period. Probably only of interest to students of Japanese literature rather than casual tourists, as many of the displays are original copies of books or manuscripts, written in Japanese. ¥400.
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Shinmeiguu Shrine
神明宮
This shrine is famous for the more than 900-year-old Zelkova tree (keyaki) in its grounds. The shrine used to be on the banks of the Sai River, before land was reclaimed, and the tree was used as an anchor point for boats. Iron bars driven into the trunk so that boat hooks could be attached are still visible half-way up the tree. The rest of the grounds are used for parking and you will be kept at a safe distance from the tree by 3 fences: one bamboo, one steel and of course one made of concrete!