Japan Photo Guide

Kanazawa is located on the west coast of Japan in the Ishikawa Prefecture and is often called “Little Kyoto,” and like Kyoto has a nice mix of old Japan with modern Japan. There many old districts such old samurai and geisha districts (photo below) that have been kept in good shape throughout the years and make for nice tourists spots and nice photographs with that “Japanese” feel to them. If you have a limited amount of time, then I recommend going to Kyoto rather than Kanazawa but if you have time Kanazawa is worth checking out. When I was there for 4 days, I was lucky enough to have it rain for 3 and I still enjoyed my trip there.

Of couse, the best time to go to Kanazawa is in the Spring (cherry blossom season) or Fall (koyo leaves); however, the most famous place in Kanazawa is a garden called Kenrokuen. Kenrokuen (below, left, is the most famous latern and symbol of Kenrokuen) might be the most famous garden in all of Japan and is widely believed to be the most beautiful in Japan.

For more information see the Japan-Guide.com or the official homepage of Kanazawa City. Below is a photo outside of Kanazawa Station. From Tokyo it takes about 3.5 to 4 hours by train to get to Kanazawa.

Chūbu (中部地方 Chūbu-chihō) is the central region of Honshu, Japan’s main island. Chubu is most famouThe Chubu, or central, region encompasses nine prefectures in the midland of Japan, west of the Kanto region: Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi. The region is the widest part of Honshu and is characterized by high, rugged mountains. The Japanese Alps divide the country into the sunnier Pacific side, known as the front of Japan, or Omote-Nihon, and the colder Sea of Japan side, or Ura-Nihon, the back of Japan. The region comprises three distinct districts: Hokuriku, a coastal strip on the Sea of Japan that is a major wet-rice producing area; Tosan, or the Central Highlands; and Tokai, or the eastern seaboard, a narrow corridor along the Pacific Coast.

Of course, Chubu’s most famous landmark is Mt. Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain. For more information, please see wikipedia or The Japan-Guide.com.