Kaga Onsen

A cluster of hot springs southwest of Kanazawa, including Yamanaka Onsen with its Kakusenkei Gorge, Yamashiro Onsen's old bathhouse, and the rock formations of Nata-dera Temple. Bathing, admiring autumn foliage, and exploring Kutani ware and Yamanaka lacquerware make for a slow journey.

Kaga Onsen lies in southwestern Ishikawa Prefecture, about 40 km south of Kanazawa. It consists of the Yamanaka, Yamashiro, and Katayamazu hot springs in Kaga City, and the Awazu Onsen in Komatsu City. It is the most representative hot spring area in the Hokuriku region, backed by Mount Haku and facing the Sea of Japan to the west. Hot springs can be enjoyed in every season. In November, the autumn foliage at Kakusenkei Gorge and Nata-dera Temple is at its most beautiful. From November to March, you can eat Echizen crab (Kano crab). Winter brings occasional snowfall, spring brings cherry blossoms and fresh green leaves, and in summer Kakusenkei has riverside tea terraces called kawayuka.

The sightseeing area divides into three parts. In the south, the mountain hot spring village of Yamanaka has the Kakusenkei Gorge trail, linked by Cricket Bridge and Ayatori Bridge, and Yamanaka lacquerware. In the center, Yamashiro Onsen centers on the old Furu-Sōyu bathhouse and the Kutani ware kiln ruins, and to the west in Daishōji is the Kutani Ware Museum. In the north, Katayamazu Onsen lies on the shore of Shibayama Lagoon, with the Snow Science Museum nearby, and along the coast is Hashidate, a settlement of Kitamae-bune ship owners. To the east in Komatsu City are Nata-dera Temple, Awazu Onsen, the Yunokuni no Mori Craft Village, and an automobile museum.

Getting there: take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kaga Onsen Station (about 3 hours from Tokyo and 10 minutes from Kanazawa), then use the CAN BUS, which connects the hot springs and sights (1-day and 2-day passes are available). Komatsu Airport is also very close. Plan to stay 1–2 nights.

Top sights

• Yamanaka Onsen & Kakusenkei Gorge – One of the Kaga Onsen hot spring villages. The Kakusenkei Gorge trail along the Daishōji River links Kōrogi Bridge and the S-shaped Ayatori…
• Natadera Temple – An ancient temple founded in 717, with its main hall built into the white tuff cliffs of the Wonderland of Strange Rocks. Its autumn foliag…
• Yamashiro Onsen – The largest hot spring town among the Kaga Onsen villages. Visitors can experience the reconstructed Meiji-era Ko-Sōtō bathhouse and visit…
• Katayamazu Onsen & Lake Shibayama – A hot spring town on the shore of Lake Shibayama. The glass-walled Sōtō bath lets you watch the lake while you soak, and on clear days you…
• Awazu Onsen – A thousand-year-old hot spring discovered by Taichō, home to the inn Hōshi, which is said to be one of the oldest hotels in the world.
• Yunokuni no Mori Traditional Crafts Village – A craft village made of relocated old farmhouses, where visitors can try about 50 handicrafts, including Kutani ware painting, gold leaf ap…
• Kutani Kiln Site Exhibition Hall – A museum beside Yamashiro Onsen that preserves the Edo-period climbing kiln remains, where visitors can try Kutani ware painting and potter…
• Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Ware Museum – A Kutani ware museum in the Daishōji castle town, displaying famous old Kutani pieces in separate galleries for the Gosai, Aode and Akae st…
• Nakaya Ukichiro Museum of Snow and Ice – A science museum honoring the physicist who first created artificial snow crystals. Designed by Arata Isozaki, it offers ice-crystal experi…
• Kitamaebune Ship Museum – A former shipowner's residence in the Hashidate village, where kitamaebune trading ship owners lived. The museum shows the prosperity of Se…
• Motorcar Museum of Japan – A large private museum with about 500 vehicles from past and present around the world, from vintage classics to Showa-era Japanese models.

Where to eat

• Kame Sushi – The most popular sushi restaurant in Yamashiro Onsen, serving chef's nigiri made with seasonal Sea of Japan fish. It ha…
• Higashiyama Bonheur – A forest-style café by Kuroyu Bridge in Yamanaka Onsen, serving a single beef stew rice set in a cast-iron pot, along w…
• Kappo Kaga – A kappo restaurant in Yamashiro Onsen run by three generations. Its lunch sets and sashimi gozen are affordably priced…

Itineraries

• Hokuriku Shinkansen Slow Travel – Travel along the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Fukui through Kaga and Kanazawa to Toyama, connecting temples, coastlines, an…