Ticket Hall

Kanazawa Temples Panoramic Landscape Views and Butterflies

5.01 reviewDay trips

  • 8 hours
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • Guided in English
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

A short distance outside of the city center of Kanazawa is Tsurugi, a small town often overlooked by tourists to the area. Tsurugi has 2,000 years of history as an important site for religious worship and two of the shrines in the city have been attested to being local centers since at least the 60s BC. The shrine approach to Shrayama-hime Shrine still maintains that mystical feel as you walk through the forested and moss covered stairs. Nearby is a gondola that takes you to the top of one of the local mountains and gives you a stunning view of the town beneath and as far as the Sea of Japan. The final stop of the day is to see the butterfly house with over 1,000 butterflies. The mix of history and nature so close to the city is epitome of what makes Japan so great.

Inclusions

What's included

  • Transportation to and from Tsurugi
  • English speaking guide
  • Gondola roundtrip ticket
  • Guided Tour at Kikengu Shrine, Shirayama-hime Shrine and all other locations
  • Entry fee at Ishikawa Prefecture Insect Museum (includes Butterfly House)

What's not

  • Lunch

Itinerary

  1. Travel to Tsurugi. We will use the local trains to get out of the city and into the mountains. Arrive at Tsurugi and walk around the area near the station. Here you will see Kikengu Shrine and other traditional buildings. After getting a feel for the town, we will head out to the next spots. It is a nice walk near the river as we see the water systems and old train stations.

    2 h

  2. After a short walk from seeing the water system we will arrive at the sando or ‘approach’ to the shrine. The often moss covered stairs that lead into more forest gives an almost mystical feel. The surviving records say that this shrine has existed in some form since the year 297, with the first building on Mt. Hakusan as early as 91 BC, and is the head shrine for all Shirayama shrines all over Japan. This shrine worships the god of the mountain Hakusan and is prayed to for clean and clear life-giving water. Feel the connection to history, tradition and the mountains. After leaving the shrine, you will be given time to have lunch in the area

    2 h

  3. Arrive at Shi-Shi World Museum, the entrance to the gondola. You'll learn about the history of making the lion heads from the dragon dances. Afterwards, we'll head up the mountain on the gondola and soak in the excellent views.

    1.5 hAdmission included

  4. The next stop is the Ishikawa Prefectural Bug Museum and the Butterfly Garden. Take your time learning about Japanese and local bugs and then enjoy the over 1,000 butterflies up close and personal. After the museum, the tour will start heading back to Tsurugi Station and Kanazawa Station

    2 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

5.0

  • 51
  • 40
  • 30
  • 20
  • 10

Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Meeting point
The meeting point is outside of the Shinkansen Ticket Gates, in front of the information center. Look for a sign depicting a large question mark inside a circle.
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size
Up to 20 travellers
Operated by
Snow Monkey Resorts Tours (Machinovate Japan Ltd.)
  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • The remaining 30 minutes is for the travel time.
  • All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.

How it compares in Kanazawa

  • Its from-price is 36% below the median of the 58 day trips we list in Kanazawa.
  • Its length is typical for the group.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 40 of 58.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Kanazawa

Kanazawa is a castle city on Japan's Sea of Japan coast, with the celebrated Kenrokuen garden, geisha and samurai districts, gold leaf and fresh seafood.

Kanazawa was the seat of the Maeda clan, who ruled the rich Kaga domain through the Edo period, and it escaped the bombing of the Second World War, so its old streets survive. Kenrokuen, one of Japan's three great landscape gardens, spreads over a hill beside the castle, with ponds, stone lanterns and pines that are held up by ropes against the winter snow. The turrets and gates of Kanazawa Castle have been rebuilt.

See all 249 experiences in Kanazawa

Special offers in Kanazawa

See all

Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

Similar experiences

See all

1 / 6

Three steps to add it

Plan with AIYour trip, day by day