Visit Kanazawa's artistic spots to enrich your mind
Kanazawa, a city of crafts and art, offers a wide variety of old and new art spots. Enjoy contemporary art in a plaza-like museum, admire the fading beauty of Ko-Kutani ceramics, explore Taisho-romantic buildings, and more... Here are six spots that are sure to set your heart aflutter.
＜Recommended Art Spots in Kanazawa
121st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Kanazawa's representative contemporary art center
Opened in 2004, the Museum of Contemporary Art Kanazawa is one of Kanazawa's most popular art spots, attracting more than 2 million visitors annually in recent years. The glass-walled circular building is easy to enter from all sides, and the sun shines through the top lights, giving the museum an air of spaciousness. There is also a free exchange zone, and various artworks are exhibited on the outdoor lawn area. The "Green Bridge" is a work in which both sides of the wall are covered with a variety of plants, as if straddling a glass corridor. Each side of the north-south wall has a different impression, and the plants in each of the four seasons delight the eye.
Some works enjoy the exhibition space itself
L'Origine du monde," located in the paid exhibition zone, is a dimly lit exhibition room that is itself a work of art. The work's expression changes depending on the optical illusion: it appears to dip into the depths, rise up, or seem to come closer to the viewer. There are many other works to be viewed at your leisure, such as Leandro Erlich's "Swimming Pool," which looks like a pool filled with deep water.
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
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1-2-1, Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa MAP
From JR Kanazawa Station, take the Hokutetsu Bus (Kanazawa Castle Town Circulation Bus), 20 min. on the right/left route, a short walk from the Hirosaka/21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art bus stop.
Exhibition Zone: 10:00-18:00, Friday and Saturday: 20:00
Exchange Zone: 9:00-22:00
Mondays (closed the following weekday if Monday is a national holiday); closed for renovation from December 20, 2019 to February 3, 2020
Exhibition Zone fee required (varies depending on the exhibition), Exchange Zone free of charge
076-220-2800
Charged (30 min. free of charge)
2D.T. Suzuki Museum
Touch the philosophy of D.T. Suzuki, who introduced ZEN to the world
D. T. Suzuki was a Buddhist philosopher from Kanazawa who introduced Eastern thought and Japanese culture to the West. The D. T. Suzuki Museum was established near his birthplace to provide a place to learn about and contemplate his ideas and footsteps. The building, designed by a world-renowned architect, has a unique Kanazawa landscape with stone walls and water features, in which D.T.'s world unfolds. Visitors can quietly contemplate his world by walking around the beautiful space consisting of three buildings (the entrance building, the exhibition building, and the contemplation space building) and three gardens (the entrance garden, the open-air garden, and the garden of water mirrors).
Time for quiet contemplation
As you walk through the long interior corridor from the entrance, your mind gradually becomes more peaceful. Since there are no explanations near the exhibited works, visitors are encouraged to follow their hearts. The contemplation space is a place where you can face yourself by looking at the picturesque water mirror garden cut out from the window. The forest spreads out in the borrowed scenery, and you will be welcomed by a landscape that changes with the seasons, from lush fresh greenery to autumn leaves to snowy landscapes. The museum is open until 8:00 p.m. on certain days of the week, and also hosts the "Kanazawa Night Museum," a series of concerts and other events. Visitors can enjoy viewing the fantastic illuminated garden and concerts.
- D.T. Suzuki Museum
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- 3-4-20, Honda-machi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture MAP
- From JR Kanazawa Station, take the Hokutetsu Bus (clockwise/leftward route), about 20 minutes, and get off at "Honda-machi" and walk about 5 minutes.
- 9:30-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
- Mondays (closed the following weekday if Monday is a national holiday), year-end and New Year holidays
- 300 yen, 200 yen for those aged 65 and over, free for high school students and younger
- 076-221-8011
- None
3Ishikawa Prefectural Art Museum
Be enchanted by the beauty of precious Kutani ware "Kokutani".
This museum features traditional works of art related to the Kaga domain, where arts and crafts have flourished since ancient times. The first floor, with its 8.5-meter-high open-air lobby, is the floor for special exhibitions, while the collection room on the second floor features a wide variety of colorful colored porcelain, including Koya porcelain from the 1650s to 1700s and revived Kutani porcelain from the 1800s. Other must-see exhibits include "Maeda Family Swords, Armor, and Jinbaori" and "Tea Ceremony Art," which change 11 times a year under different themes.
The highlight is the National Treasure "Iroe Kiji Koro" (Pheasant Incense Burner)
A must-see is the National Treasure, the Iroe Pheasant Incense Burner by Nonomura Ninsei. The almost life-size pheasant incense burner is a work of extreme skill, and its feathers are beautifully rendered in green, dark blue, red, and other paints and gold. Other national treasures that demonstrate the high level of arts and crafts of the Kaga domain can also be fully enjoyed.
After a leisurely tour of the museum, you can visit the museum store, where you will find pheasant T-shirts, small plates modeled after Ko-Kutani, clear files, and other items. Le Musee de Ashe KANAZAWA, a café where you can taste sweets produced by a famous pastry chef from Ishikawa Prefecture, is also located in the museum.
- Ishikawa Prefectural Art Museum
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- 2-1 Dewa-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture MAP
- 16 min. on the Hokutetsu Bus from the East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station to the Kenrokuen shuttle stop. 2 min. walk from the Prefectural Museum of Art Narutatsumikaku-mae stop.
- 9:30-18:00 (last admission at 17:30), Le Musée de l'Ashe 10:00-19:00 (L.O.18:00)
- Open daily (closed during exhibition change periods and year-end and New Year holidays) *Le Musee de Ashe is open
- 360 yen, 290 yen for university students, free for high school students and younger
- 076-231-7580
- Free of charge
4Shinonoki-Geihinkan
Enjoy the architectural fusion of old and new, prestigious and modern
Shiinoki Geihinkan is a renovated version of the former Ishikawa Prefectural Office Building. The front of the building has a prestigious appearance that retains the design of the 1924 building, and stands solidly together with a 300-year-old shinoki tree. On the other hand, from the opposite side, the modern all-glass exterior gives a completely different impression. The view at night, when the lights inside the building spill out, is also wonderful. The vast "Stone Square," which blends in with the modern atmosphere of the building, is used for music festivals and other events, as well as a place for relaxation.
Admire the retro interior decoration of the museum
Inside the three-story building, there is a general information center for the Kenrokuen Garden area, a gallery, a rest room, a restaurant and café, and a select store, creating a new level of interaction and liveliness. The select store features a large selection of quality craft products made by Kanazawa artists.
Looking up the large marble staircase from the entrance hall, the most eye-catching feature is the lacquered map of Ishikawa Prefecture displayed in front of the building. The stained glass decoration at the top of the staircase, which has been in place since the building was first constructed, gives the building a Taisho modern feel all around.
- Shijinoki Guest House
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- 2-1-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa MAP
- From JR Kanazawa Station East Exit, take the "Left Route" of the Hokutetsu Bus "Shirokamachi Kanazawa Shuyu Bus". 10 min. ride, 5 min. walk from Korinbo Bus Stop.
- Free admission (hours vary by store)
- Open daily (hours vary by store)
- 076-261-1111
- Admission charged (30 min. free, procedures at General Information)
5Kanazawa College of Art Yanagi Sori Memorial Design Institute
Feel the "beauty of use" by seeing and touching directly
Sori Yanagi was one of the leading industrial designers in postwar Japan. Because he taught at Kanazawa College of Art for about 50 years, approximately 7,000 pieces of his works and other design-related materials have been deposited by the Yanagi Industrial Design Research Association. Upon entering the permanent exhibition room, visitors will feel as if they are in a stylish living or dining room, with furniture, tableware, kitchen tools, and other items on display. Visitors can touch and sit on the exhibits. There are no explanatory notes about the works, and the hope is that visitors will face the objects without any unnecessary knowledge or preconceptions and honestly feel the beauty with their own eyes and hands.
Cross-genre designs from cooking utensils to pedestrian bridges
The products on display are all items that are still available for sale to the general public. You may find items that you "have at home" or "used to use at home. The simple designs and ease of use that have not faded away are still evident today. Be sure to check out the chronology of Yanagi Sori's works introduced on the panel. Visitors can learn about Sori Yanagi's wide range of designs, including the torch stand for the Sapporo Olympics, a water fountain in a subway station, a car (auto tricycle), and a pedestrian bridge, as well as his ideas and attitude.
- Kanazawa College of Art, Yanagi Sori Memorial Design Institute
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- 2-12-1, Owari-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture 1F MAP
- From the East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station, take the Hokutetsu Bus (Kanazawa Castle Town Circulation Bus "clockwise route"). 12 min. ride, approx. 3 min. walk from Hashiba-cho stop.
- 9:30-17:00
- Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday)
- Free of charge
- 076-201-8003
- Free of charge
6KiKU
Jewelry and daily utensils made by goldsmiths
Atelier and store by Kanazawa-born metalwork artist. In the renovated space of a former stationery store built in the Taisho era (1912-1926), the owner's works, including jewelry, tea ceremony utensils, tableware, and cutlery, are beautifully displayed. He specializes in all kinds of metals such as gold, platinum, brass, copper, iron, aluminum, and titanium, and selects materials and techniques according to what he wants to create. The jewelry, which is their starting point, has a casual design that can be worn by both men and women. They can also be repaired, so they can be used with love for a long time.
Original cutlery with a classical appearance
His neat cutlery also has many fans. The cutlery (three items on the right in the photo above), which is made of brass and silver-plated to give it an antique look, attracts people with its unique, dignified appearance. There is also a series of stainless steel cutlery (two items on the left) designed by a product designer using old molds, pressed by a cutlery manufacturer in Tsubame, Niigata, and supervised and finished by the owner. The cutlery has a classical atmosphere, but unlike silver, it is easy to clean. They are gems that look beautiful on the dining table.
- KiKU
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- 3-37 Shin-Tatemachi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture MAP
- From the East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station, take the Hokutetsu Bus (Kanazawa Castle Town Circulation Bus), approx. 10 mins. on the left-hand route, alight at Korinbo, and walk approx. 10 mins.
- Open 11:00-20:00
- Wednesday
- 076-223-2319
- None
Local Guide who was in charge of this article
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