Kanazawa

Kanazawa (金沢市; -shi) iscapital cityIshikawaJapan. It sits onSeaJapan, bordered byJapan Alps, Hakusan National ParkNoto Peninsula National Park. The city haspopulation450,000,sits onSaiAsano rivers.

Kanazawa literally means "marshgold":namesaidderive fromlegend ofpeasant called Imohori Togoro who washed gold dust from potatoes intowell (known as Kinjo Reitaku). Kanazawa was once ruled byMaeda family from 1583 untilMeiji Restoration1868.

The cityfamousteagold flakes, whichconsidered byJapanese peoplebe goodhealthvitality. Gold leaf playsprominent part incity's cultural crafts, toextent that there isgold leaf museum (Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum).

Kenrokuen Gardenby farmost famous partKanazawa. Originally built asouter gardenIshikawa castle,was opened topublic1875. Itconsidered one of"three most beautiful gardensJapan"is filled withvarietytrees, ponds, waterfallsflowers stretching over 25 acres. In winter,parknotableits yukitsuri—ropes attached inconical arraytreesbreak up snow asfallsthereby protecttrees from damage.

OutsideKenrokuenIshakawa-mon,gateIshikawa Castle. The castle itselfgone, destroyed by fire. The gateits outer wallssome stone blocksall that remainits ruins.

Kanazawa also boasts100-year-old former geisha house:Higashi Geisha District, acrossAsano river (with its old stone bridge) out from central Kanazawa. Nearby isYougetsu Minshuku sits at one endone ofmost photographed streetsJapan. It retains, almost completely,lookfeelnineteenth century Japan, its two-story wooden facades plainaustere. The effectaccentuated byearly morning mist: late at night,streetlit byperiod streetlamps.

The temple Oyama-jinja, whichconsidered an Important Cultural Asset,alsoKanazawa.

The cityalso renowned astraditional hauntninjas.

As2003,city has an estimated population456,627 anddensity976.18 persons per km². The total area467.77 km².

The city was founded on April 1, 1889.

External Links

• Official websiteEnglish