Ishikawa

Kenrokuen Garden (Kenroku-en)

One of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, along with Kairakuen of Mito and Korakuen of Okayama, the garden has been designated as a Special Scenic Place. It is in the strolling garden style, but features a forest grove as well as a pond. The forms of the winter straw protection for the trees as well as the flowering plum trees of spring are both famous throughout Japan; the beauty of the autumn maples, summer's azaleas, the delicacy of early summer's iris, and the like, make this garden a mecca for visitors in every season.

Yamashiro Spa (Yamashiro Onsen)

With a history of 1,300 years, this hotspring resort is known for its luxurious hotels and inns. According to legend, the hotspring was discovered in the year 725, when the Priest Gyoki, while he was traveling through the Hokuriku region, saw a crow heal a wound in a hotspring . In June, the town holds a Flag Bath Festival (it is a general custom in Japan to put the leaves of flags or iris in the bath water, usually in May). Various performances and events are held throughout the year.

Kanazawa's Omi-cho Market (Omi-cho Ichiba)

With a history of some 300 years, this market even today is considered to be the kitchen for the citizens of Kanazawa, offering fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, meat and other foods as well as flowers, clothing and the accoutrements of daily life. It houses about 170 shops and stalls and is bustling from early in the morning until closing. The market is a source not of only bargain prices, but of foods and products found only in the Kanazawa area and on the adjacent Noto Peninsula.