Ishikawa Prefecture lies on the west coast of Japan\’s main island, a part of Hokuriku in the larger Chubu region. It is best-known perhaps for its capital city of Kanazawa, an old castle town rich in history. The present Kanazawa Castle Park has been itself the site of the Maeda\’s family castle, since Toshiie Maeda first entered the castle in 1583 and basic fortifications began. In 1881 all the castle walls apart from Ishikawa-mon Gate, were destroyed by fire. Finally, over period of 3 years, three structures Hishi-yagura, Gojukken-nagaya, and Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki-yagura were restored in 2001. They are the largest scale wooden castle structures built since the Meiji Period (1868 – 1912) in Japan.

Opening hours:
365 days a year: 7 am to 6 pm (8 am to 5 pm from Oct. 16 to end of Feb.)

Admission fee:
Free

credit: Tomoaki INABA

Kanazawa Station, completed in 2005, is gorgeous and weird at the same time. A glass dome called Motenashi Dome and a wooden gate called Tsuzumi-mon welcome you when you get off the station. The underground of the dome serves as an information corner and event space. There are many hotels, a few big shopping centers and many shops around the Kanazawa Station.

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