Take some paid leave and head to Kanazawa! Visiting on weekdays is ideal
Compared to weekends and public holidays, accommodation is more reasonable, parking is cheaper, it is easier to book at restaurants and museums and the queues are shorter, so a weekday trip to Kanazawa has many advantages. We recommend Kanazawa as a destination worth your paid leave. Getting around is more efficient, so you can truly have your cake and eat it too with sights, or you can enjoy getting off the beaten track too.
And for those hoping to get some work done as they travel, here are some of our coworking spaces.
Is Kanazawa busy on weekends and holidays?
Since the Hokuriku Shinkansen arrived at Kanazawa Station, traffic jams, full parking lots and queues at popular venues are a frequent sight on weekends and public holidays. During the peak periods such as cherry blossom season, Golden Week and the summer holidays, visiting three hotspots like Omicho Market, Higashi Chaya District and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is going to take all day.
On the other hand, you can get around easily on weekdays, bringing Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa Castle Park and Nagamachi Samurai District into play. If you want to take in all the top sights of Kanazawa and eat all the delicacies, we strongly recommend coming on a weekday. Bear in mind though that many venues and shops have their regular closed day between Monday and Wednesday, so do not forget to check the attractions and shops you hope to visit ahead of time.
So, what is a weekday trip to Kanazawa actually like? Let’s look at the three places that are especially crowded on weekends and holidays: Omicho Market, Higashi Chaya District and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
See the Kanazawa Sightseeing Comfort Map here, which forecasts crowding at tourist sites based on population flow data
Check on the closing days of tourist attractions at the Quick Guide to Regular Closing Days
(Be sure to check the website of the actual venue for the latest updates about temporary closures and the New Year period)
Omicho Market: Visit on a weekday to see the market in its true identity as the kitchen of Kanazawa
If arriving through Kanazawa Station, many would think about getting lunch at the market first thing. It is busy between 11am and 2pm every day. Often on weekends and holidays, popular restaurants have queues snaking out the door, nearby parking lots are full and your time can slip away.
On the other hand, eating and shopping are easier on weekdays and the time saved can be used to visit other attractions. Weekdays are also when the locals shop, so a more authentic atmosphere is found in the market as customers negotiate in the local dialect. Be aware, however, that Wednesday is a regular closing day for many fish shops and it can be a little quiet, so that day may be best avoided if you want a buzzing market atmosphere. But if you just want to eat a meal, the restaurants will be open.
Higashi Chaya District – For the most photogenic shots of the streets, come here on a weekday morning
After lunch at Omicho Market, many travelers set their sights on Higashi Chaya District, where the peak crowds descend around 2-3 pm. The district is quiet in the morning and after 4 pm, but be aware that shops begin to close at 5 pm.
On weekends and holidays, there can be wait times of 1-2 hours to get into popular eateries and venues such as Shima offering insights of traditional teahouse architecture. Finding a carpark also takes time and you may have to queue for the bathroom, so Higashi Chaya District on weekends and holidays can take up a lot of your time before you even realize it.
The crowds can be so thick that you can’t see the ground in front of you, so if you are trying to photograph the townscape or soak up the quiet castle town atmosphere, weekday mornings would be best.
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa – Weekdays are quiet and you can take your time to appreciate the works
Since the introduction of online ticketing, the crowds at the door have reduced considerably, but if you visit the museum without having pre-purchased a ticket or you wish to view a collection that does not have online ticketing, you may have to queue for 30-40 minutes on weekends.
Additionally, should you wish to visit the basement under The Swimming Pool, you will need to sign up for the waiting list on the day. On weekends and holidays, the list may fill up within minutes of the museum opening.
If you wish to have an unrushed viewing of the art, even at popular photo spots subject to long queues on weekends and holidays, weekdays are best. Take your holiday snaps from all sorts of angles! On Fridays and Saturdays, exhibitions have extended hours until 8 pm and they are sparsely attended after 4 pm, even on a Saturday.
For details about booking tickets, please visit the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa official website.
The best nights in Kanazawa are weeknights!
Due to large numbers of tourists and locals choosing to eat out on Friday and Saturday night, dining at a famous or popular restaurant will likely require booking in advance.
Many establishments are closed on Sunday, so there can be disappointment if you are looking forward to a particular restaurant.
Any trending or well-known eatery will have queues on weekends, but dining is relatively smooth on weekdays from Monday to Thursday and you can relax and take your time.
However, due to the large number of smaller restaurants in Kanazawa, we recommend booking in advance even on weekdays if possible.
It is also fun to use time differences to your advantage.
Before heading to a major restaurant popular with tourists offering oden, sushi or seafood, try hopping around famous eateries where seats are limited on a weekday like the locals do. Then, by dining in the main restaurant after the peak time - from around 8 pm - you may enjoy a more pleasant dining experience.
Sample Kanazawa fine dining at a discount
Using the Kanazawa Bimi gourmet ticket allows you to easily search for the restaurant you want by area, price or a range of other conditions. There are so many special menu items and discounts for Kanazawa Bimi ticket holders only.
The tickets have a set value, so if you are visiting a restaurant for the first time you can relax. For details about purchasing or using Bimi tickets, please go to the Kanazawa Bimi website.
