Much of Kanazawa's charm lies in the atmosphere of its old neighborhoods. Be sure to wear your good walking shoes, as the best way to explore various parts of the city is on your own two feet. One suggested itinerary for tackling the city's sights is to take the Loop Bus to the Higashi Chaya district, then another Loop bus onward to Kenrokuen and the sights in its vicinity, and then reboard the bus or walk the 15 minutes to the Nagamachi Samurai district. Directional English-language signs to major sights are posted throughout the city.
The Nagamachi Samurai (Buke Yashiki) District -- About a 15-minute walk west of Kenrokuen Garden and just a couple minutes' walk west of Katamachi (Kanazawa's main shopping district), the Nagamachi Samurai District is basically a few streets lined with beautiful wooden homes hidden behind gold-colored mud walls and bordered by canals left over from the Edo Period. An unhurried stroll in the neighborhood will give you an idea of what a feudal castle town might have looked like. But only fleetingly: Lord Maeda had as many as 8,000 samurai retainers, who in turn had their own retainers, making the samurai population here very large indeed. Though there is not much to see, the Nagamachi Samurai Rest House, in a samurai house, is free and open daily 9am to 5pm. Volunteer guides, some of whom speak English, are on hand to answer questions and show the area. To reach the district from Katamachi, take the side street to the right of the Excel Hotel Tokyu.
Higashi Chaya District -- There are approximately 50 geisha practicing their trade in three old entertainment quarters in Kanazawa, including this one. A walk here reveals rather solemn-looking, wood-slatted facades of geisha houses dating from the 1820s, where men of means have long come to be entertained with music, dancing, songs, the tea ceremony, poem recitals, and other pleasurable pursuits. Geisha still perform at seven houses in the Higashi Chaya District, but most of the other former geisha homes have been turned into shops and restaurants. For an inside peek at the geisha world, visit the 185-year-old Shima Geisha House, 1-13-21 Higashiyama (tel. 076/252-5675; daily 9am-6pm), a former tearoom where merchants as well as men of letters came to watch geisha perform. Inside, you'll find rooms that were allotted to personal use, as well as to performing, along with displays of ordinary artifacts from combs, pipes, and game boards to cooking utensils. Architectural details worth noting include: several stairways (so that customers could come and go without being seen); a small Shinto shrine at the entrance to the home; a more elaborate family Buddhist altar in a place of honor in a front room; the gleaming wood-lacquered surfaces of furniture; and the cloisonné door pulls on sliding doors. Admission is ¥400 ($3.35/£1.70) for adults, ¥300 ($2.50/£1.25) for children; but you'll probably want to enjoy tea in the new addition facing a garden, which, depending on the accompanying sweet, costs ¥500 to ¥700 ($4.15/£2.15 to $5.85/£2.90) more. It takes 10 minutes or so to tour the house.
In a former chishiya or pawn shop, the Higashi Chaya Resthouse (Kukeikan), open daily 9am to 5pm, has volunteer guides (some speak English) and a map of the area. To reach it, take the Loop Bus to Hashibacho (stop no. 6); walk back to the first street and turn right; they can direct you to the other sites.
Myoryuji Temple -- Myoryuji Temple (1-2-12 Nomachi; tel. 076/241-0888) is popularly known as Ninja-dera (Temple of the Secret Agents) because of its secret chambers, hidden stairways, tunnels, and trick doors. Built by the Maeda clan for family prayer in 1643, it looks rather small from the outside, just two stories high to comply with height restrictions during the Edo Period. Inside, four stories are evident, but even this is false: Three more levels are concealed. The fortresslike structure contains an amazing 29 stairways and a labyrinth of corridors, along with such trick devices as pitfalls to trap unsuspecting intruders, slatted stairs where lances could make stabs at passing legs, escape hatches, hidden stairways, and rooms that could be opened only from the outside -- just one more example of how deep paranoia ran during the Edo Period. Although rumor has it that a tunnel once connected the temple to the castle, a river running between them makes it unlikely.
You must phone ahead for a reservation; chances are good that you'll be able to see it the same day you call. To ensure that you don't get lost (which would be quite easy because of all the trick doors), you'll be grouped with other visitors and led by a guide who, unfortunately, describes everything in Japanese only. However, demonstrations of the various trick devices are fairly self-explanatory and there's an English-language pamphlet. Tours, given daily from 9am to 4:30pm (to 4pm in winter), last 30 minutes and cost ¥800 ($6.65/£3.35) for adults and ¥600 ($5/£2.50) for children (however, the temple does not recommend the tour for children and children younger than 6 are not admitted). To reach it, take the Loop Bus to Jusangenmachi (stop no. 13), cross the bridge you see straight ahead of you, take the second left (Teramachi), and then take the first right. It will be on your right.
