Japan 2026 ✈ Part 9: Kanazawa • Shirakawago

6 weeks. Countless train rides. Thousands of kilometers. One unforgettable journey across Japan. It has been hubby's bucket list to slow-travel all around Japan, and we are glad to finally make this a reality. From vibrant cities to quiet countryside, sn ,ki9ow-covered mountains to coastal towns, ancient temples to modern skylines — we are grateful for the opportunity to experience and see so many different parts of this country. We were also fortunate to experience the cherry blossom season this time around. Arigato gozaimasu, Japan, for the awonderful experiences and memories, and for showing us again what a unique country you are, with amazing culture and people.

6-Weeks Around Japan
24 Feb - 2 Mar 2026: Tokyo
2-3 Mar 2026: Hakone
3-5 Mar 2026: Nagoya, Nakasendo Trail
5-8 Mar 2026: Kyoto, Uji
8-12 Mar 2026: Osaka
12-17 Mar 2026: Sapporo, Niseko, Hakodate
17-18 Mar 2026: Akita
18-22 Mar 2026: Sendai, Ginzan Onsen
22-25 Mar 2026: Kanazawa, Shirakawago
25- 29 Mar 2026: Hiroshima
29 Mar - 4 Apr 2026: Kokura, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki
4-6 Apr 2026: Beppu
6-7 Apr 2026: Fukuoka

22 Mar 2026 (Sun): Sendai - Kanazawa

After spending 4 nights in Sendai, it was time to move on to our next destination...Kanazawa. There weren't any passes that cover both these Shinkansens so we had to buy the tickets individually for 25,110 yen ($162) per pax.

Traveled on 2 different Shinkansens...first leg was a 1hr 10min bullet train ride on Tohoku Shinkansen (JR East) from Sendai to Omiya station.

40 min transfer at Omiya station in Tokyo.

2nd leg was a 2hr bullet train ride on Hokuriku Shinkansen (JR West) from Omiya to Kanazawa.

Arrived Kanazawa at 1.20pm and had to walk 15 min to our hotel. The weather in Kanazawa was warmer than Sendai so we were both overdressed for this walk. Moving from one city to another is getting harder as our backpacks kept getting heavier with all the unplanned shopping.

Stayed at ANA Holiday Inn Kanazawa Sky for 3 nights in Kanazawa. Booked this stay for a total of 26,350 IHG points. We were able to check in early thanks to my IHG Diamond status.

There is also a nice lounge area next to the lobby where we could get free soft drinks, tea and coffee from 7am to 9pm. There was also a microwave at the lounge area, which we fully utilized for our stay.

The rooms in this hotel was definitely dated and needs a refresh but it has all the amenities we needed. Our biggest feedback was that the room was warm and we couldn't open the windows. We were informed that the centralized AC was still in heater mode and the only option we had was to turn off the AC. We ended up using the air purifier to get some cool air.

This hotel is conveniently located in the center of Kanazawa and is one of the tallest buildings in the city. The best part of this hotel is that it offers the best 360-degree view of Kanazawa.

We had nothing planned for the rest of the day so I went shopping at the Marue Hikosoten supermarket while hubby ventured out by himself to look for more video games. 

The route to the supermarket was an easy 8 min walk via a very nice and quiet pedestrian street. They even had speakers playing music.

Went back to the supermarket again at 7.40pm to buy snacks and discounted bentos for dinner.

23 Mar 2026 (Mon): Kanazawa - Shirakawago

Early start for the day with complimentary buffet breakfast at 6.45am. The buffet options at hotel was pretty good.

The Japanese buffet restaurant is located on the 16th floor of the hotel providing good views of the city. I had fun train watching while enjoying our breakfast. This hotel was not busy so we were able to pick out seats by the window everyday.

Left the hotel at 7.30am to walk to Kanazawa station to catch the 8am bus to Shirakawago. We bought the tickets for this bus online one month in advance for 2,800 yen ($18) per pax each way. The bus tickets for this route do sell out so l kiasu bought it as soon as it was available.

The bus ride from Kanazawa to Shirakawago took about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Arrived Shirakawago at 9.25am and headed straight to the observation deck. 

There is a shuttle bus to the observatory but we opted for the easy 10 minutes hike up. Glad we took the first bus from Kanazawa and came early while the sky was still clear. 

There were some people there but fortunately it wasn't crowded yet. 

Didn't realize that I coincidentally planned our trip to Shirakawago on the exact same day as my last visit with the family 14 years ago on 23 Mar 2012. Same place, same season, but totally different scenery.

Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for its unique, steep-roofed gassho-zukuri farmhouses, which are built to withstand heavy snow. 

A lot more tour groups started arriving later in the morning. Another good reason to arrive earlier to enjoy the tranquil town before it gets busy.

Spent about 1.5 hour strolling around the town. 

We were done sightseeing earlier but had to wait till 12.20pm for our bus back to Kanazawa.

Left Shirakawago at 12.20pm and made it back to Kanazawa at 1.35pm.

We didn't have anything else planned for the rest of the day so I stopped by Uniqlo and 3coins at Kanazawa station before heading back to the hotel while hubby ventured out for more video game shopping.

Wrapped up the day with another supermarket discounted bento dinner. :)

24 Mar 2026 (Tues): Kanazawa

Our final full day in Kanazawa was a chillaxing one. Started our day with breakfast at 9am before heading out for sightseeing at 10.30am.

Walked about 15 min from our hotel to Nagamachi Samurai District. Nagamachi was once home to Kanazawa's powerful samurai families, and today it's one of the city's most atmospheric neighborhoods. The narrow, stone-paved streets, clay walls, and preserved homes of Namagachi Samurai District give you a sense of what life was like during Japan's feudal era.

We then walked another 15 min to Kanazawa Castle, passing through a mall and Kanazawa Castle Park. Spotted some cherry blossoms along the way.

Our next stop was Kanazawa Castle. We could actually see this castle from our hotel. The castle park is famous for its varied stone walls, which show the evolution of defensive building techniques over the centuries. 

The expansive castle park is completely free to enter, making it a great budget-friendly stroll.

Our 'Kanazawa walk' continues to Higashi Chaya District.

Higashi Chaya District is a beautifully preserved geisha district with traditional wooden tea houses, gold leaf shops, and nostalgic street. Kanazawa produces 99% of all gold leaf in Japan, and gold leaf soft-serve ice cream is popular here. Kanazawa is often referred to as Little Kyoto because of the well-preserved Edo-era neighborhoods. It is a good alternative for visitors looking for a less crowded option as compared to Kyoto.

The last stop in our Kanazawa walk' was the Omicho Market, which was located right across our hotel. Omicho market is Kanazawa's bustling "kitchen" offering fresh seafood, local produce, and excellent sushi. 

Finished our sightseeing at 1pm and headed back to the hotel to rest and chill for the rest of the afternoon. This hotel has a body fat machine that we could use for free so I had fun using it a few times during ours stay.

Walked to the supermarket at 7pm to shop for our dinner. So nice to see this neighborhood supermarket employing older aunties and uncles as cashiers. One nice touch is that they arranged everything into the basket nicely after scanning them.

25 Mar 2026 (Wed): Kanazawa - Hiroshima

After 3 nights in Kanazawa, it was time for our 6-hour journey to Hiroshima. Had breakfast at 6.50am and checked out at 7.45am to walk to the train station.

Japan 2026 ✈ Part 8: Sendai • Ginzan Onsen • Matsushima

6 weeks. Countless train rides. Thousands of kilometers. One unforgettable journey across Japan. It has been hubby's bucket list to slow-travel all around Japan, and we are glad to finally make this a reality. From vibrant cities to quiet countryside, snow-covered mountains to coastal towns, ancient temples to modern skylines — we are grateful for the opportunity to experience and see so many different parts of this country. We were also fortunate to experience the cherry blossom season this time around. Arigato gozaimasu, Japan, for the wonderful experiences and memories, and for showing us again what a unique country you are, with amazing culture and people.

6-Weeks Around Japan
24 Feb - 2 Mar 2026: Tokyo
2-3 Mar 2026: Hakone
3-5 Mar 2026: Nagoya, Nakasendo Trail
5-8 Mar 2026: Kyoto, Uji
8-12 Mar 2026: Osaka
12-17 Mar 2026: Sapporo, Niseko, Hakodate
17-18 Mar 2026: Akita
18-22 Mar 2026: Sendai, Ginzan Onsen
22-25 Mar 2026: Kanazawa, Shirakawago
25- 29 Mar 2026: Hiroshima
29 Mar - 4 Apr 2026: Kokura, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki
4-6 Apr 2026: Beppu
6-7 Apr 2026: Fukuoka

18 Mar 2026 (Wed): Akita - Sendai

After 1 night in Akita, it was time to continue to our journey to Sendai. We took the 12.13pm Akita Shinkansen to Sendai. This ride was also included in our JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass. 

The 2.5 hours Shinkansen ride was pretty uneventful. We were heading south leaving the snowy sceneries.

Arrived Sendai station at 2.30pm and walked about 10 minutes to our hotel.

Made it to our hotel - ANA Holiday Inn Sendai at 2.45pm. Booked this 4-nights stay in Sendai for 37,000 IHG points using the 4th night free benefit. The hotel felt dated and it was pretty dark in the room but we were glad to get a corner room with view of the Shinkansen and railway tracks. This hotel was conveniently located within a 10 min walk from the train station and 2 min walk from the supermarket. I chose the complimentary breakfast for my HG Diamond welcome amenity and received 8 breakfast vouchers. Japan really like using papers. 

Japanese bathrooms are small but very practical and functional. The non-fog mirrors, double toilet paper holder (in case of big emergency), Toto washlets, and easy to figure out showers.

Hubby ventured out by himself in the afternoon for video game shopping while I enjoyed train watching from our room. Took way too many train videos from this room. Took too many same same but different videos with this view from our hotel room...lol!

Walked to the supermarket close by at 7.40pm to get some discounted bentos for dinner. There was a microwave at the 2nd floor which we fully utilized during our stay.

19 Mar 2026 (Thurs): Ginzan Onsen

Started our day early to travel 3.5 hours to Ginzan Onsen. The hotel breakfast didn't start till 7am so the hotel prepared a bento box for us to pick up earlier at 6.15am when we informed the staff that we had to leave early. Sendai station was empty and quiet when we arrived at 7am.

3.5 hours of travel on 2 trains and a bus. We were able to use our JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass for the 2 train rides.

Our train ride was so quiet and 'mystical' passing through the mountains into the snowy region. 

 Arrived Ooishida station at 9.30am and hopped on the bus to Ginzan Onsen at 9.40am. Had to pay 1,000 yen/pax ($6.40) in cash for this bus ride. This bus doesn't run very often so we had to time our transportation strategically.

Arrived Ginzan Onsen at 10.30am and it started drizzling. The bus drop off area was a quick 3 min downhill walk to the famous hot springs town. 

The area was actually very small with Taisho-era wooden inns lining on both sides of the rivers. This place is widely believed to have inspired scenes in Studio Ghibli's movie Spirited Away. 

I'm sure a lot of us have seen the beautiful photos of Ginzan Onsen lit up at night and covered in snow, but this is how it looks like during the day. Instagram vs reality check. 

Most people will either spend a night here or visit in the evening to to see the lights but not for us. Thankfully the town was pretty quiet and empty when we visited, which we liked. 

Our original plan was to spend about 3 hours here (because of the infrequent bus schedule) but after seeing how small the town is and the fact that it was raining, we decided to wrap up our visit within 30 min to catch the 11am bus. Yes we were crazy enough to travel 3.5 hours each way just to visit Ginzan Onsen for 30 min.

We managed to catch the 11am bus to head back to Oishida station, and were the only 2 passengers on the bus.

Came out from the washroom at Oishida station and saw this gaijin being "interviewed' by 2 local high school students. Hubby was the only white person at the station at that time so he was an easy target for the students to practice English. It was nice to see their English teacher bringing them out of the classroom to the train station to talk to foreigner visitors and practice English. They needed the teacher to help clarify their questions and were quite shy, but l applaud their courage and effort to learn and speak a foreign language.

3 hours train ride back to Sendai.

Went to Yodobashi mall at Sendai station to shop at 3coins and Uniqlo before heading back to the hotel. 

Uniqlo haul for me. :) Went to Coop supermarket again to buy discounted bento for dinner.

20 Mar 2026 (Fri): Matsushima Island

Complimentary buffet breakfast at 9am.

 Even though the food options were not as much as Hilton or Crowne Plaza, they had a separate section for Sendai/Miyagi specialties such as green soy beans and simmered Sanma in sweetened soy sauce.

After a leisurely morning, we took the 10.30am train and traveled an hour from Sendai to Matsushima.

It was the start of a 3 day weekend for Vernal Equinox Day (National Holiday in Japan) so a lot of Japanese were traveling.

Matsushima is famous for its bay, which is dotted by pine-covered islands and has been ranked one of Japan's three most scenic views. It is famous for ancient temples, island-hopping cruises, and fresh oysters.

Thought about having the matcha tea set at Karantei Tea House while enjoying the views but decided to skip it.

Quick photo stop at Godaido of Zuiganji Temple.

Thought about visiting the Zuiganji temple but weren't interested in visiting another temple for 700 yen/pax so we just people-watched and flower-watched.

Spent about 1.5 hours randomly strolling around Matsushima. 

It was nice strolling around in this early spring weather.

Visited some shops but didn't buy anything. Japanese souvenirs are always so nicely packaged which make them super tempting. I need that t-shirt "I go for a trip. Please do not look for me"...lol!

Left Matsushima at 12.50pm to head back to Sendai. Since this was the last day to use our JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass, we decided to fully utilize it by taking a detour to Mitsui Outlet Park before heading back to Sendai.

Ended up buying 2 sneakers and a hoodie at Nike. More stuffs to lug around for the rest of our trip...lol!

Went to Coop again to buy discounted bentos for dinner. I like that Japanese supermarkets have a separate area for people to bag their stuffs (slowly) without holding up the cashier lines. This supermarket even had a photocopy machine.

21 Mar 2026 (Sat): Sendai

Our final full day in Sendai was a pretty chillaxing day. Had breakfast at 9.15am and didn't leave the hotel until 11.30am.

We decided to get more steps in and walked 30 min to Zuihöden - Grave of Date Masamune. It was a windy and chilly day. My new Uniqlo Pufftech jacket came in handy.

Spent about 30 min taking some photos around Zuihōden - Grave of Date Masamune. We didn't bother paying to enter coz it didn't look interesting.

Walked back to Sendai station to check out some stores. We noticed that bookstores in Japan are very much alive and they are everywhere. Japanese still loves physical stuffs in this digital era. The best part, they take good care of things so you can find good quality used items here.

One last discounted bentos run at Coop for dinner before we leave Sendai tomorrow.

22 Mar 2026 (Sun): Sendai - Kanazawa

After spending 4 nights in Sendai, it was time to move on to our next destination...Kanazawa. Had breakfast at 7.30am before checking out at 8.30am to walk to Sendai station. Time for hubby's farmer's carry of his precious games. The stuffs he bought was getting too heavy for the duffle bag we brought so we bought a transparent storage bag from coins to put all his games.