The royal road of Kanazawa gourmet in winter! 8 ryokan and Hotels Where You Can Enjoy “Kanogani”

Kanazawa, which flourished as the castle town of the Kaga Domain, is home to Higashi Chaya District, where you can enjoy strolling around in a kimono and sampling the local cuisine, and Kenrokuen Garden, a strolling garden where you can enjoy beautiful views covered in snow in winter. Kanazawa is also a city of gourmet food. There are so many delicious delicacies to choose from, including Japanese cuisine featuring delicious fish from the Sea of Japan, as well as Japanese sweets that have developed alongside the traditions of tea ceremony culture.

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Kanazawa is full of charm, but if you're traveling in the winter, you definitely want to try the crab! In particular, snow crabs caught at fishing ports in Ishikawa are called "Kano crabs," and their densely packed meat is sweet and has an irresistible plump texture. Also, female snow crabs, called "kobako crabs," are a little smaller than males, but have a stronger flavor, and you can enjoy a different taste from male crabs, such as the roe and egg. From here, we will introduce recommended ryokan and hotels in and around Kanazawa where you can enjoy "Kano crabs" and "kobako crabs."

Conveniently located just a 3-minute walk from the Kenrokuen Exit of JR Kanazawa Station, Kanazawa Chaya is a group inn of Kagaya, which has achieved the feat of being ranked number one for 35 consecutive years in the "Top 100 Hotels and ryokan in Japan Selected by Professionals." You will be enchanted by the beautifully decorated ryokan, decorated with traditional crafts from the prefecture, such as Wajima lacquerware and Kutani ware. You can feel the aesthetic sense that evokes the history of the Kaga Domain and the hospitality of Kagaya.

The calming rooms in the main building and annex are purely Japanese-style and perfect for adults to relax in. Lie down on the comfortable tatami mats and relax your body after a long day of sightseeing. For special occasions, we also recommend spending a luxurious time in the special Japanese-Western room "Chikuen" in the annex, where Wajima lacquerware furnishings create an elegant atmosphere.

From mid-November to February, a seasonal menu called the "Kano Crab Kaiseki Plan" will be available. You can enjoy one full serving (about 1kg) of Kano Crab, a representative winter delicacy of Ishikawa for each person, with its springy texture, umami, and sweetness. You'll forget about conversation and get engrossed in the freshness that can only be experienced locally. You'll be so impressed that you'll be glad you came to Kanazawa!

Kanazawa ryokan, which has inherited the commitment to food that Kagaya has cherished, starts the day with a "colorful morning meal" using local ingredients. You will be surprised to see the handcraftsmanship of the artisans at work in front of you. Enjoy the delicious meal with gratitude for the blessings of the earth and its craftsmen.

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ryokan Kanazawa Ryotei Yamanoi is a four-room inn run by a long-established ryotei established in 1890, where you can experience the spirit of "Ichi kyaku ichitei" (one guest, one restaurant) of Kanazawa's tea ceremony culture. Once you pass through the atmospheric gate and step inside the inn, which has been frequented by many cultural figures, including the gourmet "Kitaoji Rosanjin," you will feel as if you have stepped back in time with its stately and dignified atmosphere.

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At Yamanoo, each room is a detached building, ensuring privacy. The Japanese-style rooms, which stand out for their clean beauty typical of samurai culture, have a tranquil atmosphere. They enhance the extraordinary feeling. The winter scenery of the Japanese garden visible from the window, with snow falling softly, is so beautiful you'll want to gaze at it forever. You'll definitely be enchanted by the Kanazawa aesthetic that can be felt in your room.

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From November to March, when crab fishing season is lifted, Yamanoo will be serving up a crab-only course that will allow you to enjoy the deliciousness of Kano crab to the fullest. The Kano crabs, procured every morning from a crab wholesaler at Kanazawa Port, are top-quality products carefully selected by experts. Enjoy luxurious dishes such as steamed crab and grilled crab, which bring out the best of the ingredients' flavor, as well as rice with female Kano crab (kobako crab) and crab hotpot with delicious soup.

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If you like alcohol, having a drink with grilled crab shell is a stylish way to enjoy it. The marriage of nutritious crab miso with added aroma and flavor and sake is a happiness that only adults can feel. Eating delicious food will naturally bring a smile to your face. Time spent with important friends or loved ones will become even more fun and irreplaceable.

Kanazawa Hakucho Hotel Sanraku is conveniently located for sightseeing in Kanazawa, just a 3-minute walk from Kanazawa Castle and a 10-minute walk from Omicho Market. The first thing that catches your eye when you enter the hotel is the cute retro decor of the lobby. Decorated with stained glass that depicts the four seasons of Kaga and classic furniture, the Taisho era romantic atmosphere will make you fall in love♪ The excitement of this space that tickles the hearts of young girls is unstoppable.

The rooms are designed with a Taisho-era romantic theme, with a retro, cute, and elegant atmosphere. The "Romantic Room" is particularly cute, with stained glass and classic wallpaper. In addition, amenities from Ferragamo are provided, and coffee and Kaga Bocha tea are served in Kutani ware cups, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in an extraordinary experience. If you're on a girls' trip, this room is a must-see.

In winter, there is a limited plan where you can enjoy "kobako crab" for dinner, which is released in early November. In Kanazawa, female snow crabs are called "kobako crabs", and although they are small, they have a strong flavor and you can enjoy both the roe and the eggs, so many people prefer kobako crabs to male crabs! Ishikawa is also a sake-producing region, so local sake is also available, so it is recommended to enjoy it with a marriage of the two.

Breakfast is a luxurious buffet style that focuses on "jiwamon" (local ingredients, local cuisine in Kanazawa dialect) such as Kaga vegetables, Kaga kurumafu (rice flour gluten) with eggs, and Kanazawa oden. It's difficult to try all of Kanazawa's delicious cuisine while traveling, but with a buffet style, you can try a little at a time of your choosing. If you can enjoy Kanazawa's specialties from the morning, your satisfaction with your trip will be even higher.

Kinjoro is a long-established Japanese ryokan that was founded in 1890. It took over a mansion with ties to the Maeda family, head of the Kaga domain, and has a backdrop of the Asano River near Higashi Chaya District. As you pass through the entrance, you'll be greeted by a golden folding screen. The dignified interior gives you a sense of the tradition and beauty of the ancient city of Kanazawa. It may be a little nerve-wracking, but the warm attention to detail from the staff will have you feeling relaxed in no time.

There are six rooms in total, including the Fuji no Ma (photo), which has a 12-tatami Japanese-style room and a Western-style room with a bed, and there are plenty of details to make your stay in Kanazawa enjoyable. All the drinks in the refrigerator are free, so you can enjoy the flavors of Ishikawa whenever you like, such as craft beer and Oku-Noto's specialty salt cider. In addition, natural cosmetics made using rice fermentation techniques from Kanazawa's sake brewery "Fukumitsuya" that will excite women, and Bvlgari bath amenities are provided, so you'll be excited ♡

Kinjoro lavishly uses tableware and artwork that have been passed down for generations, and is thorough in its consideration of allowing its cuisine to be enjoyed with all five senses. A special dish to try in the winter at this long-established restaurant is the limited-time kaiseki cuisine using blue-tagged Kano crab. Using half a Kano crab, the chef carefully determines the appropriate cooking method and puts all his effort into creating a dish that is truly exceptional.

The kaiseki cuisine, which can be enjoyed all year round, is something you can only experience here, packed with Kanazawa's food culture, which proactively uses local ingredients such as Kaga vegetables. And in the morning, the breakfast meal includes seasonal flavors of the Hokuriku region, such as locally cooked rice and seasonal ingredients. Spending time at the table with loved ones while enjoying the food culture of Kanazawa, nurtured by the city's abundant nature, is sure to become a wonderful memory of your trip.

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Located on the banks of the Saigawa River, in a beautiful rural area a short distance from the center of Kanazawa, is Takitei, onsen inn in Kawabata, Saigawa Onsen. There are 27 rooms in total, including the main building, Tsubakikatei, the annex Tatsumitei, and the annex Saigawa, all of which are purely Japanese in style, but also have a stylish interior that exudes a modern atmosphere. The annex Saigawa in particular has an open-air bath and a spacious terrace with a panoramic view of the Saigawa, allowing you to relax to your heart's content, letting time flow. It's also great that Kenrokuen Garden is only a 12-minute drive away, making it easy to explore Kanazawa.

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At "Hanare Saigawa," all rooms have an open-air onsen bath with a great view. onsen is a weak alkaline spring that is said to keep the skin moist and soft. Warming up in the bath with the babbling of the "Saigawa," beloved by the great writer Muro Saisei, who was born in the prefecture, playing in the background, will help you feel refreshed and relaxed in both body and mind.

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For dinner, we recommend the winter-only "Live Snow Crab Plan," which lets you enjoy tagged brand crab "Kano Crab." In addition to crab sashimi and grilled crab, you can also enjoy female "Kobako Crab" in vinegared dishes. You can also enjoy Ishikawa's local dish "Duck Jibuni." This plan, which allows you to experience not only seasonal ingredients but also the traditional flavors of Kanazawa, will leave you very satisfied, both in your stomach and in your heart.

source:Contribution of Korokoro

After a satisfying dinner, it's nice to relax in your room, but it's also nice to spend some time with your loved ones in the "Sakura" lounge (7am - midnight), which is exclusively for guests of "Hanare Saigawa." It's the perfect place to relax, as they provide small snacks, coffee, tea, juice, and more. There are also many books about Ishikawa, so it's a great place to gather travel information.

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About 40 minutes by car from the center of Kanazawa (free shuttle service available from Kanazawa Station, reservation required), Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Kokarian is located in a mountain village onsen onsen where time passes slowly.

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Yuwaku onsen is a famous hot spring with a long history, where the head of the Kaga clan often visited. All rooms at Kokarian have an onsen spring bath on the first floor and a semi-open onsen spring bath on the second floor. The soft hot onsen is known as a "beauty bath" and moisturizes skin that tends to dry out in winter. It's luxurious to be able to relax your tired body from sightseeing in an open-air bath attached to your room, which gives you a sense of freedom. Relax your body and mind with a bath time that you can enjoy without worrying about others around you.

source:Posted by Kawachiya Shinuemon

At Kokarian, you can enjoy a delicious original kaiseki meal using ingredients from the Hokuriku region. Only guests staying in the winter can enjoy the "Live Crab Kaiseki," where the "Kano crab" that was alive just moments ago is cooked. No frozen crabs are used, so you can be sure of the freshness. The crabs are freshly caught, so you can enjoy their bouncy texture and melt-in-your-mouth texture. In addition to grilled crab and sashimi, the "Gensenmushi" crab, steamed in onsen spring water, is a dish that can only be found at a onsen inn. You definitely can't miss it ♪

source:Posted by Kawachiya Shinuemon

Don't be surprised by the luxurious dinner featuring everything crab. Breakfast is also one of Kokorian's specialties. The menu includes rice cooked in a clay pot, side dishes using Kaga vegetables, local fish marinated in kelp, and the main course is "specially selected beef shabu-shabu"! A luxurious breakfast will satisfy both your heart and your stomach. It's the perfect way to recharge your energy for sightseeing.

It is about a 20-minute drive from JR "Matsuto Station" and about a 25-minute drive from Komatsu Airport (free shuttle service available from Matto Station and Komatsu Airport with prior notice). Located in Kanazawa's inner sanctum, "Kanazawa Tatsunokuchi onsen," the long-established ryokan" Kanazawa Tatsunokuchi Onsen Matsusaki" was the setting for a novel by the literary master Izumi Kyoka. The inn's charm lies in its vast courtyard, which changes in beauty with the seasons, and onsen. In particular, the new wing "Ho-o," surrounded by a garden, has an open-air onsen bath in every room (see photo). It is a luxurious place perfect for a stay on a special occasion.

Matsusaki has a kitchen in both the main building and the new building, so you can enjoy freshly cooked food right away. During crab fishing season, the main building offers a "Live Kano Crab Kaiseki" accommodation plan, and the new building "Ho-oh" offers "Kano Crab" and "Kobako Crab" as optional dishes. Splurge here and give yourself an early reward for working hard this year.

In the morning, you can enjoy a freshly prepared Kaiseki breakfast or a Western-style breakfast in the main building or the new building. The Kaiseki breakfast is a healthy breakfast made with carefully selected local ingredients that go well with freshly cooked rice made with Koshihikari rice from Tatsunokuchi. It's a luxury to be able to enjoy dried blackthroat seaperch in the morning.

The baths at Matsusaki are Tatsunokuchi onsen, which is drawn from within the premises. You can enjoy onsen not only in the large public bath in the main building, but also in the three open-air observation baths (one of which can be reserved for private use) on the top floor of the new building, overlooking the Hakusan mountain range. The baths in the new building are also available to guests staying in the main building. Refresh yourself in your favorite onsen and you'll be sure to revitalize your mind and body.

Located in Kanazawa Tatsunokuchi onsen, the inn has a total of nine rooms spread across a vast site of approximately 6,690 m2. Tabitei Manyo is a luxurious inn for adults where time flows at a leisurely pace. Seven of the nine rooms have onsen baths. The calm Japanese atmosphere exudes tradition and formality, and is high-quality yet relaxing and comfortable. It is recommended for those who want to soothe their body and mind in a quiet hot spring inn away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Tatsunokuchi onsen is known for its "beauty baths" that make your skin smooth. If you have a room with an open-air hot onsen bath, you can enjoy a relaxing bath whenever you like without worrying about others around you. The baths in the rooms with open-air star-gazing baths, "Kotobashiragusa" and "Sazanaka," have glass ceilings, so you can enjoy bath time bathed in pleasant light in the morning and gazing at the beautiful starry sky at night.

What you should enjoy at the winter Manyo is the seasonal "Kanon crab" and the "Kani Kiwami Kaiseki" course, which uses delicious seasonal ingredients including local produce. Take a bite of the "Kanon crab" and you'll be impressed by the deliciousness of its plump, sweet flesh. It can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, such as sashimi, porridge, and grilled. The nutritious crab miso is also a great snack to go with your alcoholic drinks.

Guests staying at Manyo can use the large public bath, which includes an indoor bath, a semi-open-air bath, and a sauna, as well as the sister hotel's mixed-gender open-air bath, Tanbo no Yu, for free. You can rent yukatas to wear at Tanbo no Yu, so even if you're not comfortable being seen naked, you can enjoy onsen with friends or your boyfriend without any worries.

Kanazawa, an ancient capital steeped in the glorious history and traditions of the Kaga Domain, is a place where you can enjoy delicious seafood from the Sea of Japan and a mature food culture. The star of Kanazawa cuisine in winter is undoubtedly crab! In particular, the prefecture's brand crab, the "Kano crab," has an irresistible sweet, chewy texture. ryokan and hotels introduced here are all recommended places where you can eat "Kano crab" and female "Kobako crab"♪ Please use this as a reference for your winter trip to Kanazawa.