Kanazawa

Around 200 km from Kyoto, the tiny city of Kanazawa is loved by art and history enthusiasts owing to its temples and ancient residences. The capital of the Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa is a castle town that luckily survived the bombings of the Second World War, unlike most other places that weren’t spared. Interestingly, this was one of the most important cities during the Edo period, surpassing giants like Tokyo and Kyoto. During your time here, you could pray at the Ninjadera Temple, and behold the sight of contemporary art at the 21st Century Museum, while also discovering the mysterious lanes and alleyways of the Geisha district of Higashi Chaya. The icing on the cake is the fact that the city is home to Kerokuen, one of the best landscape gardens in Japan. Moreover, the food market of Omicho is a great place to indulge in some retail therapy. The perfect end to your day would be an authentic Japanese meal at the Kotobukiya restaurant.

Kanazawa is a popular day trip from the former capital of Japan because the distance between Kyoto and Kanazawa is roughly 2 hours. If you take the Thunderbird Express Train, you would have to pay around 6000 Yen if in case you do not have a JR Pass. Leave early in the morning so that you can be back by nightfall.