How long are you ashore in Kanazawa?

2–3 hours ashore · 2 hr door to door

The port-side secret

Short calls — the realistic answer this far from downtown

On a 3-hour stop that leaves 1 hr spare — the full hour this site recommends, and then some.

1. +0:00
   Ikiiki Fish Market beside the terminal

   Nodoguro and crab stalls, zero transit

2. +0:45
   Walk to the Ono soy-sauce quarter (1.3 km, ~17 min) or taxi (~5 min)

   Edo-era shoyu warehouses; Yamato Soy Sauce & Miso 10:00–17:00, closed Wednesdays

3. +1:40
   Taxi back to the terminal

   Downtown needs 4h+ — do not force it

Running late? Determined downtown anyway? Only with a guaranteed shuttle seat BOTH ways — taxis thin out at the port.

Transport spend: shuttle/bus in, then ~¥400–600 of local hops. Map, photos and what you will see at each stop →

4–6 hours ashore · 5 hr 30 min door to door

The garden core

Kenroku-en and its neighbors — the reason you docked

On a 6-hour stop that leaves 30 min spare. Comfortable, but do not add to it.

1. +0:00
   Shuttle to downtown (~30 min)

   Photograph the return times before anything

2. +0:40
   Kenroku-en — one of the three perfect gardens

   The two-legged lantern is left of the pond

3. +2:10
   Kanazawa Castle Park through the gate

   Free lawns, lead-tiled roofs

4. +3:00
   Omicho Market — the quick seafood bowl

   Stand-up counters beat the queue

5. +4:00
   Shuttle back to the port

   Board one earlier than the last

6. +4:45
   Back at the gangway

Running late? Garden queue at opening? Reverse: market first, garden at lunch when coaches leave.

Transport spend: loop bus fares + Kenroku-en ¥320. Budget coins for a chaya tea. Map, photos and what you will see at each stop →

10 hours, or an overnight ashore · 8 hr door to door

The grand loop

Long calls — garden, gold leaf, geisha lanes and the pool

On a 9-hour stop that leaves 1 hr spare — the full hour this site recommends, and then some.

1. +0:00
   Shuttle downtown, straight to Kenroku-en

   Opening hour is yours

2. +1:40
   21st Century Museum — stand under the pool

   Free zones cover the famous works

3. +2:50
   Bus/taxi to Higashi Chaya district

   1820s teahouse lanes

4. +3:20
   Gold-leaf soft serve at Hakuichi + ateliers

   A whole sheet of gold, obligatory

5. +4:30
   Omicho Market late lunch

   The bowls calm down after 13:30

6. +5:40
   Nagamachi samurai lanes if legs allow

   Earthen walls, the Nomura garden

7. +6:30
   Shuttle back to the port

   ~60 min margin on a 9h call

Running late? Anything slips past 5:40? Nagamachi is the designated sacrifice — never the shuttle.

Transport spend: bus day riding + Kenroku-en ¥320 + castle grounds free. Omicho lunch ¥1,500–3,000. Map, photos and what you will see at each stop →

Rainy day ashore · 5 hr door to door

The rainy-day Kanazawa

Wet weather — and Kanazawa is wet, by design

On a 6-hour stop that leaves 1 hr spare — the full hour this site recommends, and then some.

1. +0:00
   Shuttle or taxi into the city

   Roughly 20–30 minutes from the port

2. +0:45
   Omicho Market — covered end to end

   Kaisen-don at a counter inside; crab if it is November to March

3. +2:00
   A gold-leaf workshop, indoors

   One hour, a few thousand yen, and you take the piece home

4. +3:15
   21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

   Circular, glass, and entirely under cover

5. +4:15
   Back to the port

Running late? Kenroku-en in heavy rain is beautiful and miserable in equal measure. In real weather, take the market and the workshops instead.

Transport spend: ~¥1,000 pp. Museum ~¥450. Map, photos and what you will see at each stop →