Information as at 21 August 2026

This page is a relocation summary written by an advanced AI

It is not a personal opinion piece written by a human. An AI gathered official information published on the internet — municipal and national statistics, the Japan Meteorological Agency, railway companies, property portals — and rebuilt it into a form that someone considering a move can read and act on. Every figure carries a source link and the date it was checked, so please confirm anything that matters to you against the original document. Rules and prices change. Always check the latest information yourself before you sign anything.

Moving to Kanazawa

Q: What kind of town is Kanazawa City?

Population 452,627 (estimate for 1 August 2026); this is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture and a core city. It is the castle town of the Maeda family of the Kaga domain, where Maeda Toshiie entered Kanazawa Castle in 1583, and the city writes “because it escaped war damage and major disasters, much of the beautiful townscape of the domain era still remains today”. 🔴 In 2009 it was designated Japan’s first “City of History” and the world’s first “Crafts Creative City”. It covers 468.81 square kilometres, 23.3 km east to west and 37.3 km north to south.

Q: How many minutes is it from Kanazawa to Tokyo or Osaka?

🔴 Tokyo Station is 2 hr 27 min away on the Hokuriku Shinkansen for ¥14,600, with no change of train. Toyama at 18 min and Fukui at 35 min are on the same one train too. Kansai and the Nagoya region need a change — on the fastest services Kyoto is 2 hr 10 min, Osaka 2 hr 46 min and Nagoya 2 hr 23 min (with 1 change, Kyoto is 1 hr 55 min and Osaka 2 hr 22 min). The airport is Komatsu Airport in neighbouring Komatsu City, 42 minutes away.

Q: What is the cheapest house you can buy in Kanazawa City?

SUUMO lists 406 houses (all of them), from ¥800,000 to ¥118,000,000, with a median of ¥19,000,000. 97 are at or under ¥10,000,000 (24%). The median plot is 166 square metres and the median building 115 square metres. 🔴 The median year built is 1984, and 183 = 45% date from 1981 or earlier (the pre-1981 earthquake code) — clearly one of the older markets among the prefectural capitals on this site. The city’s Kanazawa Vacant Home Utilisation Bank held 19 listings as of 21 August 2026.

Q: What is the disaster risk in Kanazawa City?

🔴 Read this from what has actually happened, not from probabilities. J-SHIS puts the chance of shindo 6-lower or above within 30 years at the city hall site at a low 6.6%, and yet the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 1 January 2024 (M7.6) registered shindo 5-upper in Kanazawa, with damage to 5,551 dwellings (30 destroyed, 230 half-destroyed, 5,291 partly damaged) and 9 people injured. Ishikawa Prefecture is not in any of the 3 national earthquake measure zones (Nankai Trough, Tokyo inland, Japan and Chishima Trench).

Q: How hot is summer in Kanazawa, and what is winter like?

🔴 This is a city that writes of itself: you may forget your lunch, but never forget your umbrella. Annual rainfall of 2,401.5 millimetres is 1.5 times that of Tokyo (1,598.2 mm) and twice that of Fukuyama (1,171.7 mm). Winter brings 157 centimetres of snowfall in total, a normal deepest snow cover of 32 centimetres, and 22.8 days below freezing, and in 1963 the snow lay 181 centimetres deep. Summer has only 3.5 days above 35°C yet 19.4 tropical nights — a Sea-of-Japan summer, gentler by day and close at night.

Q: Will I be short of hospitals, shops or schools?

🔴 This is a city of learning. 52 municipal primary schools (21,269 pupils) and 24 municipal lower secondary schools (10,695 pupils), 19 full-time upper secondary schools, 6 universities with 9,165 students and 1 junior college with 749 (1 May Reiwa 7). For children’s medical costs, inpatient care is free of any patient charge to the end of the third year of upper secondary school, and outpatient care to the third year of lower secondary school is subsidised for anything over ¥1,000 in a month. The shops and the culture gather from Kanazawa Station through Musashigatsuji and Korimbo to Kata-machi.

Q: Roughly what does a year cost, water and the rest?

Water and sewerage come to ¥11,599 for 45 cubic metres over 2 months (domestic use) (water ¥5,615 plus sewerage ¥5,984). The tariff is split by “domestic” and “business” use rather than by pipe size, and it is read and billed every 2 months. Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3%. 🔴 Kanazawa is covered by the national relocation support grant, which pays ¥1,000,000 for a household (plus ¥1,000,000 for each member under 18) or ¥600,000 for a single person for moving from the Tokyo area and taking work there (it can close part-way through the year if the prefectural budget ceiling is reached).

Q: Will the house I buy sell again later?

🔴 Residential land is ¥92,800/m², up 2.0% on the year, 1.56 times the Ishikawa average (¥59,400/m²). Commercial land is ¥298,200/m², up 4.3%, 1.80 times the prefectural average. All 5 land-use categories are up. But although land is dear, the median second-hand house is a modest ¥19,000,000 — the difference is the age of the buildings (45% pre-1981 code). When you come to sell, it is realistic to assume most of the value is in the land.

Q: Is the population of Kanazawa City growing?

🔴 It peaked around 2015 and has fallen by about 12,000 since. Against 464,733 on 1 January 2015, 1 August 2026 gives 452,627 — a fall of 12,106 (2.6%) in 11 years. Households, though, rose from 197,786 to 214,580, up 16,794. By age, 11.4% are under 15, 60.5% are 15–64 and 28.1% are 65 and over (resident register, 1 January 2026).

2 hr 27 min to Tokyo Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, with no change of train. Population 452,627; this is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture and a core city. 🔴 The city writes this on its own website — “This is a Sea-of-Japan climate, and it rains so much that people say: you may forget your lunch, but never forget your umbrella.” Annual rainfall is 2,401.5 mm, 1.5 times that of Tokyo (1,598.2 mm), and the annual snowfall total is 157 cm. And “the high humidity suits lacquerware and gold-leaf making, the traditional crafts of this city” — more than 99% of all the gold leaf produced in Japan is made in Kanazawa. In 2009 the city was designated Japan’s first “City of History” and the world’s first “Crafts Creative City”.

Population

452,627 people

214,580 households, estimate for 1 August 2026

Homes for sale

406 listings

¥800,000– / median ¥19,000,000

Tokyo Sta.,

2 hr 27 min

Hokuriku Shinkansen, no change, ¥14,600

Annual rainfall

2,401.5mm

Tokyo is 1,598.2 mm, long-term average

Snowfall, annual total

157cm

The normal for deepest snow cover is 32 cm

Residential land price

¥92,800/m²

+2.0% year on year / the Ishikawa average is ¥59,400/m²

Water + sewerage (45 m³ / 2 months)

¥11,599

Water ¥5,615 + sewerage ¥5,984

City area

468.81km²

23.3 km east to west, 37.3 km north to south

Summer (August daily high)

31.3℃

Kanazawa and Tokyo are the same

Winter (January daily low)

1.2℃

Kanazawa and Tokyo are the same

🏛 Traditional streetscapes4 ♨ Hot springs and day bathing13

Traditional streetscapes: Kanazawa Higashiyama-Higashi (teahouse district, designated Heisei 13.11.14) · Kanazawa Kazue-machi (teahouse district, designated Heisei 20.6.9) · Kanazawa Utatsu-sanroku (temple district, designated Heisei 23.11.29) · Kanazawa Teramachi-dai (temple district, designated Heisei 24.12.28) / Hot springs and day bathing: Nuka Onsen · Yamato Onsen · Kanazawa Yume-no-Yu · Moroe-no-Yu · Waon-no-Yu · Yuwaku Onsen Sou-yu · Manten-no-Yu Kanazawa · Kinjo Onsen Motoyu · Share Kanazawa · Okuwa Onma Onsen · Asanogawa Onsen · Ishibiki Onsen Kame-no-Yu · Kenroku Onsen
Sources: traditional streetscapes from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, “List of Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings” (verified 2026-08-21) / hot springs and day bathing from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) (verified 2026-08-21). 🔴 Only what is present is listed here — it does not mean that a town without these is any lesser.

Last verified 2026-08-21

CHAPTER 01First, what kind of place Kanazawa is

This is the castle town of the Maeda family of the Kaga domain. Maeda Toshiie entered Kanazawa Castle in 1583 (Tensho 11), the city was incorporated in 1889 (Meiji 22) (the year-end estimated population was 94,209 then), and it became a core city in 1996 (Heisei 8). It covers 468.81 square kilometres, 23.3 km east to west and 37.3 km north to south. The population is 452,627 in 214,580 households (estimate for 1 August 2026). The city writes: “because it escaped war damage and major disasters, much of the beautiful townscape of the domain era still remains today, and it is a precious asset of Kanazawa” — the age of the housing stock we look at in §4 is the other side of the same coin.

In 2009, two “firsts” arrived in the same yearThe city’s chronology sets them side by side — 2009 (Heisei 21): designated Japan’s first “City of History” / designated the world’s first “Crafts Creative City”. The Crafts Creative City title is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, and the city calls itself “Kanazawa, the city of handwork”. The Maeda lords of the Kaga domain invited master craftsmen from Kyoto and Edo, and for more than 420 years since the domain era the city met with no great disaster or war — that, the city’s own material explains, is why craft is still part of daily life here.

This is a “city of watercourses”From the city’s own introduction — “the city has both mountains and sea and is richly blessed with nature. Besides the clear Saigawa and Asanogawa rivers there are many springs; it is a town rich in water, and is well known as a ‘city of watercourses’”. Even the name Kanazawa comes from water. “A young man named Togoro, who dug and sold yams, found gold dust clinging to the roots; the spring where he washed that gold dust came to be called Kanaarai-zawa, and that became the place name Kanazawa” — and that spring, the city writes, is Kinjo Reitaku, which is in Kenrokuen today.

It is the prefectural capital, and the centre of HokurikuIn the city’s words, “as the prefectural capital its transport network, commerce and industry are well developed, and it is one of the leading cities of Hokuriku, with great convenience”. The Hokuriku Shinkansen reached Kanazawa in 2015 (Heisei 27), and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 2004. The city tree is the plum (from the Maeda family’s plum-blossom crest), and the city emblem is the character for “gold” inside a plum blossom. Under the fifth lord, Maeda Tsunanori, scholars and books were gathered here from all over Japan, and people said “Kaga is the library of the realm” — the number of universities we look at in §7 is a continuation of that line.

Sources: population and households fromKanazawa City, “Estimated population and households of Kanazawa” (PDF)(as of 1 August Reiwa 8 = 452,627 people, 219,043 men, 233,584 women, 214,580 households, 2.11 people per household, population density 965.5 per km² / the estimate is the latest census figure adjusted by the increase and decrease in the resident register and similar sources) / area, incorporation, the move to core-city status, climate, “city of watercourses”, the origin of the place name, the city tree and “Kaga is the library of the realm” are fromthe same site, “About Kanazawa”(area 468.81 km², 23.3 km east to west, 37.3 km north to south / incorporated in Meiji 22, moved to core-city status in Heisei 8) / the chronology is fromthe same site, “The history of Kanazawa (general history)”(1583 Maeda Toshiie enters Kanazawa Castle / 1822 the garden is named Kenrokuen / 1889 the city is incorporated, year-end estimated population 94,209 / 2004 the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art opens / 2009 designated Japan’s first “City of History” and the world’s first “Crafts Creative City” / 2015 the Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Kanazawa) / the history of craft and the “more than 420 years” are fromthe same city, Creative City Promotion Office, “UNESCO Crafts Creative City — Kanazawa, the city of handwork” (PDF)/ Verified 2026-08-21

What kind of town is Kanazawa City?

Population 452,627 (estimate for 1 August 2026); this is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture and a core city. It is the castle town of the Maeda family of the Kaga domain, where Maeda Toshiie entered Kanazawa Castle in 1583, and the city writes “because it escaped war damage and major disasters, much of the beautiful townscape of the domain era still remains today”. 🔴 In 2009 it was designated Japan’s first “City of History” and the world’s first “Crafts Creative City”. It covers 468.81 square kilometres, 23.3 km east to west and 37.3 km north to south.

CHAPTER 02Six areas, and life in each

We divide the city into 6 parts. The division comes from classifying all 406 houses on the market one by one by their map coordinates, and 0 could not be classified. The cheapest is the centre (median ¥14,990,000). But in that centre, 67% were built before the 1981 earthquake code — the old streets of the castle town come onto the second-hand market just as they are. The most expensive is Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki at ¥25,490,000, where the median elevation is 3.2 metres. For the city as a whole the median elevation is 16.1 metres.

Areas	Listings	median	pre-1981 code	What defines it
Nuka, Shijima, Kubo and Takao (the southern hills)	115 listings	¥21,990,000	44%	The largest number of houses. Median plot 194 m², on the roomy side. Median elevation 32.0 m
Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)	93 listings	¥14,990,000	67%	The cheapest, and the oldest. Median plot 127 m², median year built 1974
Morimoto, Higashi-Kanazawa and Okobata (north)	75 listings	¥16,800,000	43%	The city’s lowest price, ¥800,000, is here. Elevation runs 0.8–177.7 m, the widest range
Nishikanazawa, Yokaichi and Oshino (southwest flats)	52 listings	¥22,140,000	33%	Median year built 1987. Newer flat land, next to Nonoichi City
Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki (the sea and the port)	40 listings	¥25,490,000	28%	The most expensive of the 6. Median building 124 m², the largest. Median elevation 3.2 m
Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (southeast, along the hills)	31 listings	¥15,490,000	32%	Plot 198 m² and building 133 m², the largest of all. Median elevation 87.4 m

Nuka, Shijima, Kubo and Takao (the southern hills) — where the most houses are115 houses (¥1,500,000–¥85,000,000, median ¥21,990,000, 20 at or under ¥10,000,000 = 17%). Elevation 9.1–92.3 metres (median 32.0 metres). Median plot 194 square metres (about 59 tsubo), building 117 square metres, median year built 1984 (51 pre-1981 code = 44%). The nearest stations are Nonoichi 13, Magae 11, Oshino 10, Otomaru 10, Nonoichi Kodai-mae 9, No-machi 9 — stations on the Hokuriku Railroad Ishikawa Line, and stations in Nonoichi City. Nuka, Shijima, Takao and Kubo are housing land opened up south of the Saigawa river.
Who it suits = anyone who wants both a roomy plot and a quiet residential district inside the city
What to watch = 44% are pre-1981 code. Put the cost of seismic retrofitting into your budget

Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno) — the cheapest, and the oldest93 houses (¥1,400,000–¥118,000,000, median ¥14,990,000, the lowest of the 6, 31 at or under ¥10,000,000 = 33%). Median plot 127 square metres (about 38 tsubo), the smallest, and median year built 1974, with 62 pre-1981 code = 67% — 2 houses in every 3 date from before 1981. The nearest stations are Kanazawa 29, No-machi 16. Kanazawa Station, Korimbo, Kenrokuen, the 21st Century Museum and the Kodatsuno plateau are all within walking or cycling distance.
Who it suits = anyone who wants to live without a car, or who would enjoy repairing an old house and living in it
What to watch = there is a reason it is cheap. Weigh the cost of seismic work, insulation and new fittings as heavily as the purchase price. Ask at the counter about the “Kanazawa subsidy for seismic retrofitting of disaster-damaged wooden houses” in §8 as well

Morimoto, Higashi-Kanazawa and Okobata (north) — the city’s lowest price, ¥800,00075 houses (¥800,000–¥88,000,000, median ¥16,800,000, 20 at or under ¥10,000,000 = 27%). Elevation 0.8–177.7 metres, the widest range of the 6 (median 6.4 metres). Median plot 182 square metres, median year built 1985. The nearest stations are Morimoto 20, Higashi-Kanazawa 11, Okobata 3, Mitsuya 3. This is where the IR Ishikawa Railway and JR Nanao Line stations are, and the Kanazawa-Morimoto interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway.
Who it suits = anyone keeping the price down, or commuting towards Toyama
What to watch = there is both low-lying land and hamlets up in the hills here. Check elevation and hazard maps lot by lot (§5)

Nishikanazawa, Yokaichi and Oshino (southwest flats) — the newest of the 652 houses (¥1,500,000–¥52,800,000, median ¥22,140,000, 6 at or under ¥10,000,000 = 12%). Elevation 4.7–38.2 metres (median 8.7 metres). Median year built 1987, with 17 pre-1981 code = 33%, the newer end of the 6. Median plot 139 square metres. The nearest stations are Nishikanazawa 12, Nishiizumi 7, Kanazawa 5, Nonoichi 4, Shin-Nishikanazawa 3 — the belt where the JR Hokuriku Main Line and the Hokuriku Railroad Ishikawa Line run side by side. It joins straight onto Nonoichi City, and shops and schools are dense here.
Who it suits = anyone choosing a newer house for closeness to a station and to the shops
What to watch = plots are on the smaller side, median 139 square metres

Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki (the sea and the port) — the most expensive of the 6, ¥25,490,00040 houses (¥4,000,000–¥52,800,000, median ¥25,490,000, 10 at or under ¥10,000,000 = 25%). Elevation 0.9–20.2 metres (median 3.2 metres) — low land held between the sea and the rivers. Median building 124 square metres, the largest of the 6, median year built 1991, and at 28% pre-1981 code it is the newest of them. Kanaiwa was a port town of the kitamae-bune trade, Ono is a town of soy sauce, and Awagasaki runs up to the Uchinada boundary. Kanazawa Port and the trunk roads through the west of the city are the axes of daily life here.
Who it suits = anyone looking for a newer, roomy house near the sea
What to watch = this is low-lying ground. Always check the tsunami, storm-surge and flood projections for the exact lot (§5)

Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (southeast, along the hills) — the largest plots and the largest houses31 houses (¥2,000,000–¥46,800,000, median ¥15,490,000, 10 at or under ¥10,000,000 = 32%). Elevation 37.2–143.4 metres (median 87.4 metres), the highest of the 6. Median plot 198 square metres and building 133 square metres, both the largest. Median year built 1984 (32% pre-1981 code). The nearest stations shown are No-machi 8, Kanazawa 7 — this is away from the railway, and a car is assumed. It sits at the mouth of the valley that runs up the Saigawa towards Yuwaku Onsen.
Who it suits = anyone who wants a big house and plot 20 minutes by car from the built-up area
What to watch = always check the winter slopes and the landslide warning areas for the exact lot

Prices, counts, elevations and years of construction are fromSUUMOlisted406 listings (all) each listing's map coordinates, grouped here into 6 (all 406 classified, 0 unclassified) / elevation is taken from the map coordinates on each property page through the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API (all 406 obtained) / the names of the districts follow the municipal primary school catchment names, the station names of JR, the IR Ishikawa Railway and the Hokuriku Railroad, and the old town names / retrieved 21 August 2026 / verified 2026-08-21

Which part of Kanazawa City should I live in?

Split into 6, the medians of the 406 houses on the market run from ¥14,990,000 in the centre to ¥25,490,000 in Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki. 🔴 The cheapest is the centre, and there 67% date from before the 1981 earthquake code. For a newer house, look at Nishikanazawa, Yokaichi and Oshino (33% pre-1981 code, median year built 1987) or Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki (28%); for a large plot, Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (median plot 198 m²). Across the whole city elevation ranges from 0.8 to 177.7 metres.

CHAPTER 03Trains and cars — how you get around

Kanazawa Station to Tokyo Station is 2 hr 27 min on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, ¥14,600, with no change of train. Toyama is 18 minutes away and Fukui 35 — both on the same one train. Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya need a change, and on the fastest service they are 2 hr 46 min, 2 hr 10 min and 2 hr 23 min away. “Straight through to Tokyo; a change for Kansai and Chukyo” — that is where Kanazawa sits. Komatsu Airport is 42 minutes away.

Journey times from Kanazawa Station (searched for a departure at 8:00 on Monday 24 August 2026)

Destination	Fastest	Notes
Tokyo	2 hr 27 min, ¥14,600 Hokuriku Shinkansen, 0 changes	You reach the Tokyo area without changing trains
Toyama	18 min, ¥3,390 Hokuriku Shinkansen, 0 changes	Close enough to travel to and from the Toyama page on this site
Fukui	35 min, ¥3,210 Hokuriku Shinkansen, 0 changes	As with the Fukui page on this site, one train the whole way
Kyoto	2 hr 10 min, ¥8,310 2 changes	A service with 1 change takes 1 hr 55 min for ¥7,720 (departing 8:40)
Osaka	2 hr 46 min, ¥10,950 3 changes	A service with 1 change takes 2 hr 22 min for ¥9,410 (departing 8:40)
Nagoya	2 hr 23 min, ¥9,850 2 changes	—
Komatsu Airport	42 min, ¥3,220 1 change	The airport is in neighbouring Komatsu City. Its position is filled in automatically in the box at the foot of this chapter

Tokyo came closer; Kansai moved further awayTravel from Kanazawa changed a great deal when the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened in 2015. Tokyo is 2 hr 27 min away with no change of train. Kansai, on the other hand, now takes a change — as the table above shows, the fastest services reach Kyoto in 2 hr 10 min and Osaka in 2 hr 46 min, and if you pick a service with 1 change it is Kyoto 1 hr 55 min and Osaka 2 hr 22 min. How convenient this city feels depends on which way your business lies. For anyone travelling often to Tokyo, this is among the best-placed prefectural capitals.

Getting about the city means 3 railways and the busesThe railways inside the city are the JR Hokuriku Main Line (towards Nishikanazawa and Matto), the IR Ishikawa Railway (towards Higashi-Kanazawa and Morimoto), the JR Nanao Line, and the Hokuriku Railroad Ishikawa Line (No-machi to Tsurugi) and Asanogawa Line (Hokutetsu-Kanazawa to Uchinada). In the breakdown of nearest stations in §2 they gather at Kanazawa, No-machi, Nishikanazawa, Morimoto, Higashi-Kanazawa, Magae and Oshino. The city trams, though, were withdrawn entirely in 1967 (from the city’s chronology), so the rail network is fine-drawn against the size of the city. Outside the centre and the southwest, take it that a car is assumed.

By car it is the Hokuriku ExpresswayThe Hokuriku Expressway runs north to south through the east of the city, with the Kanazawa-Nishi and Kanazawa-Morimoto interchanges among others. The exact positions of the airport and the expressway interchanges are filled in automatically in the box at the foot of this chapter. Winter here means snow. The annual snowfall total is 157 centimetres and the normal for deepest snow cover 32 centimetres (§6). Winter tyres are essential, and when you view a house always ask how snow clearing is organised and where the snow from in front of the house is put.

Sources: journey times and fares fromYahoo! Transit, searched live for a departure at 8:00 on Monday 24 August 2026 (Tokyo 2 hr 27 min ¥14,600, 0 changes / Toyama 18 min ¥3,390, 0 changes / Fukui 35 min ¥3,210, 0 changes / Kyoto 2 hr 10 min ¥8,310, 2 changes, and departing 8:40 it is 1 hr 55 min ¥7,720 with 1 change / Osaka 2 hr 46 min ¥10,950, 3 changes, and departing 8:40 it is 2 hr 22 min ¥9,410 with 1 change / Nagoya 2 hr 23 min ¥9,850, 2 changes / Komatsu Airport 42 min ¥3,220, 1 change) / the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa and the withdrawal of the city trams are fromKanazawa City, “The history of Kanazawa (general history)”(2015 the Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Kanazawa / 1967 the city trams are withdrawn entirely) / verified 2026-08-21

✈ Airports

The nearest is Komatsu Airfield (a shared civil and military airport), about 28.1 km as the crow flies. Next is Toyama Airport (about 47.4 km as the crow flies). 🔴 These are straight-line distances. They are not road distances or journey times — please check the actual routes in each operator’s timetable.

🛣 Expressway junctions

This area has 4 entry and exit points (interchanges and junctions).
Hokuriku Expressway = Hakusan, Kanazawa-Higashi, Kanazawa-Morimoto, Kanazawa-Nishi

Sources: airports fromNational Land Numerical Information, "Airports", FY2021 edition (category names followthe MLIT list of airports ) / expressway junctions fromthe same, "Expressways time series", 2025 edition, current data only (what is open today). Both were overlaid onthe same, "Administrative boundaries", 2026and judged by machine to fall inside this area / verified 2026-08-21

How many minutes is it from Kanazawa to Tokyo or Osaka?

🔴 Tokyo Station is 2 hr 27 min away on the Hokuriku Shinkansen for ¥14,600, with no change of train. Toyama at 18 min and Fukui at 35 min are on the same one train too. Kansai and the Nagoya region need a change — on the fastest services Kyoto is 2 hr 10 min, Osaka 2 hr 46 min and Nagoya 2 hr 23 min (with 1 change, Kyoto is 1 hr 55 min and Osaka 2 hr 22 min). The airport is Komatsu Airport in neighbouring Komatsu City, 42 minutes away.

CHAPTER 04Homes actually on the market right now

SUUMO lists 406 houses, and all 406 of them are included here. They run from ¥800,000 to ¥118,000,000, with a median of ¥19,000,000. 97 are at or under ¥10,000,000 (24%). The median plot is 166 square metres (about 50 tsubo) and the median building 115 square metres. The median year built is 1984, and 183 = 45% date from 1981 or earlier (the pre-1981 earthquake code) — among the prefectural capitals on this site, this is clearly one of the older markets.

Sort

"Nearest the station first" converts everything to minutes — a walk of ◯ min, ◯ min by bus plus ◯ min from the stop, ◯ km by car (reckoned at 30 km/h) — and compares those. Listings with no such information always appear last, whatever the sort.

Okobata-machi ニ¥800,000Morimoto, Higashi-Kanazawa and Okobata (north)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 220 m² (67 tsubo) / Building 93 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1957 / Okobata Sta. 4 min walk9 photos →

Moriyama 1-13-11¥1,400,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 35 m² (10 tsubo) / Building 45 m² (13 tsubo) / built 1935 / Nanatsuya Sta. bus 12 min+12 min walk4 photos →

Irie 1-239番¥1,500,000Nishikanazawa, Yokaichi and Oshino (southwest flats)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 54 m² (16 tsubo) / Building 46 m² (14 tsubo) / built 1965 / Irie 1-chome bus stop 3 min walk8 photos →

Kubo 2¥1,500,000Nuka, Shijima, Kubo and Takao (the southern hills)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 145 m² (44 tsubo) / Building 58 m² (18 tsubo) / built 1965 / Kubo (Ishikawa) bus stop 4 min walk8 photos →

Kikugawa 2¥1,500,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 66 m² (20 tsubo) / Building 82 m² (25 tsubo) / built 1932 / 思案橋 (Ishikawa Prefecture) bus stop 4 min walk5 photos →

Sue-machi 14の60番11¥2,000,000Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (southeast, along the hills)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 80 m² (24 tsubo) / Building 71 m² (21 tsubo) / built 1985 / No-machi Sta. 82 min walk10 photos →

No-machi 3-23番19号¥2,800,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 30 m / Land 66 m² (20 tsubo) / Building 105 m² (32 tsubo) / built 1900 / No-machi Sta. 9 min walk10 photos →

Sanno-machi 1¥3,000,000Morimoto, Higashi-Kanazawa and Okobata (north)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 213 m² (64 tsubo) / Building 89 m² (27 tsubo) / built 1973 / Higashi-Kanazawa Sta. 53 min walk9 photos →

Kodatsuno 4-3番10号¥3,000,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 38 m² (11 tsubo) / Building 60 m² (18 tsubo) / built 1900 / Tentokuin-mae bus stop 5 min walk1 photos →

Sue-machi 17の¥3,300,000Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (southeast, along the hills)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 89 m² (27 tsubo) / Building 71 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1983 / Sue bus stop 6 min walk9 photos →

Okuwa-machi ワ12番5¥3,500,000Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (southeast, along the hills)Elev. approx. 120 m / Land 162 m² (49 tsubo) / Building 152 m² (46 tsubo) / built 1979 / Kanazawa Sta. bus 35 min+6 min walk10 photos →

Yamashina-machi 東¥3,500,000Nuka, Shijima, Kubo and Takao (the southern hills)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 210 m² (64 tsubo) / Building 114 m² (34 tsubo) / built 1981 / Kubo bus stop 15 min walk8 photos →

Sakura-machi¥3,500,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 53 m² (16 tsubo) / Building 65 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1968 / Kanazawa Sta. bus 26 min+6 min walk9 photos →

Moriyama 1-276番地 (street address: 8番3号) property photo

Moriyama 1-276番地 (street address: 8番3号)¥3,600,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 53 m² (16 tsubo) / Building 69 m² (21 tsubo) / built 1965 / Moriyama bus stop 2 min walk4 photos →

Sue-machi 17-97-3¥3,800,000Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (southeast, along the hills)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 132 m² (40 tsubo) / Building 137 m² (41 tsubo) / built 1983 / No-machi Sta. 91 min walk10 photos →

Kodatsuno 3¥3,800,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 228 m² (69 tsubo) / Building 123 m² (37 tsubo) / built 1973 / Kanazawa Sta. bus 27 min+4 min walk5 photos →

Sue-machi 17の¥3,800,000Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi (southeast, along the hills)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 132 m² (40 tsubo) / Building 137 m² (41 tsubo) / built 1983 / No-machi Sta. 86 min walk8 photos →

Kanaiwa Ima-machi 4-12¥4,000,000Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki (the sea and the port)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 176 m² (53 tsubo) / Building 124 m² (38 tsubo) / built 1971 / Okobata Sta. 73 min walk8 photos →

Yamanoe-machi¥4,000,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 50 m / Land 119 m² (36 tsubo) / Building 70 m² (21 tsubo) / built 1959 / Moriyama bus stop 7 min walk1 photos →

Ono-machi 7¥4,000,000Central (Kanazawa Sta., Korimbo, Kenrokuen, Kodatsuno)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 94 m² (28 tsubo) / Building 114 m² (35 tsubo) / built 1966 / Ono Chuo bus stop 4 min walk4 photos →

The photographs are the images carried on SUUMO. They disappear once a listing ends. Check the real condition of a property on site.

See all 406 on SUUMO →

45% pre-1981 code — this is the single most striking thing about Kanazawa’s second-hand marketCounted on the same yardstick, the pre-1981 share is Otsu 23%, Utsunomiya 15%, Fukuyama 34%, Oita 20%. Kanazawa is 45%, clearly higher. In the centre it is 67% (§2). As in §1, the city writes “because it escaped war damage and major disasters, much of the beautiful townscape of the domain era still remains today”. A townscape that has survived also means buildings that are old. Always look at the price of buying and the price of repairing together.

A median of ¥19,000,000 — easy to buy into for a prefectural capitalOn the same yardstick, Otsu is ¥22,800,000, Utsunomiya ¥22,990,000, Oita ¥25,500,000 and Kagoshima ¥18,990,000. Kanazawa is ¥19,000,000, on much the same level as Kagoshima. Land prices (§9), though, are 1.56 times the Ishikawa average and stand out within the prefecture. “High within the prefecture, mid-table among the country’s prefectural capitals” — that is where Kanazawa sits.

The city’s vacant-home bank is the Kanazawa Vacant Home Utilisation BankThe city (Building Guidance Division, Vacant Home Utilisation Office) runs the Kanazawa Vacant Home Utilisation Bank. It handles vacant houses, vacant flats (second-hand condominiums) and vacant lots in the town centre — 3 kinds in all — and anyone who buys a property listed on the bank and lives in it themselves can have part of the interior renovation cost subsidised. Counted on 21 August 2026, the listings came to 19 listings (18 for sale, 1 to rent). Each card carries the school catchment, the age of the building and the notes “subsidy scheme available” and “seismic retrofit not required / recommended”. Kanazawa Vacant Home Utilisation Bank →

Sources: taken from SUUMO, "Second-hand detached houses in Kanazawa City" (see the list here / of the 406 listings, 406 listingsall retrieved on 21 August 2026) / elevations are the map coordinates on each listing page put throughGeospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API / the figures for Otsu City, Utsunomiya City, Fukuyama City, Oita City and Kagoshima City are tallied from the same complete SUUMO data by the same method as on their own pages on this site / the vacant-home bank is fromKanazawa City, “If you want to make use of it (vacant houses and vacant land)”(Building Guidance Division, Vacant Home Utilisation Office / vacant houses, vacant flats and vacant lots in the town centre / anyone who buys a property listed on the bank and lives in it themselves can have part of the interior renovation cost subsidised) andKanazawa Vacant Home Utilisation Bank(the number of listings was counted by this site on 21 August 2026) / verified 2026-08-21

Akiya bank — 18 listings

All 18 houses on the market that are registered with the municipal vacant-home bank (as verified on 21 August 2026). They are listed cheapest first. There is also 1 rental registration. For 18 of them the floor area is not published, so the floor-plan button does not appear.

Kanazawa City Izumino-machi 2-4- exterior

Kanazawa City Izumino-machi 2-4-¥2,000,000

Year built 36 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Tera-machi 2-chome 14¥2,500,000

The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Higashiyama 2-chome 19¥3,500,000

Year built 60 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Exterior of Jonan 2-chome 3-ban, Kanazawa City

Kanazawa City Jonan 2-chome 3番¥3,900,000

Year built 64 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Exterior of Hokoji-machi To 47, Kanazawa City

Kanazawa City Hokoji-machi ト47¥4,200,000

Year built 58 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City No-machi 3-chome 26 exterior

Kanazawa City No-machi 3-chome 26¥7,000,000

The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Kikugawa 1-chome 31 exterior

Kanazawa City Kikugawa 1-chome 31¥7,800,000

The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Exterior of Chikaoka-machi 290-ban, Kanazawa City

Kanazawa City Chikaoka-machi 290番¥9,500,000

Year built 46 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Honda-machi 1-chome 1 exterior

Kanazawa City Honda-machi 1-chome 1¥9,800,000

Year built 60 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Exterior of Wakamatsu-machi Tsu 271, Kanazawa City

Kanazawa City Wakamatsu-machi ツ271¥9,800,000

Year built 47 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Kasamai 3-chome 27 exterior

Kanazawa City Kasamai 3-chome 27¥12,900,000

The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Exterior of Yokoyama-machi 1-ban 21, Kanazawa City

Kanazawa City Yokoyama-machi 1番21¥13,670,000

The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Shoei-machi 15-6¥14,800,000

Year built 34 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Tera-machi 1-chome 8番¥17,800,000

Year built 35 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Yokaichi 5-chome 2¥27,000,000

Year built 54 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Nagasakadai 15番4¥28,800,000

Year built 48 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Exterior of Mitsukuchi-machi 火 28-ban, Kanazawa City

Kanazawa City Mitsukuchi-machi 火28番¥31,500,000

Year built 45 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

Kanazawa City Nakabashi-machi 9-16 exterior

Kanazawa City Nakabashi-machi 9-16¥34,500,000

Year built 21 years old
The building size is not published (stated in the documents on the listing page)Akiya bank of View listing →

What is the cheapest house you can buy in Kanazawa City?

SUUMO lists 406 houses (all of them), from ¥800,000 to ¥118,000,000, with a median of ¥19,000,000. 97 are at or under ¥10,000,000 (24%). The median plot is 166 square metres and the median building 115 square metres. 🔴 The median year built is 1984, and 183 = 45% date from 1981 or earlier (the pre-1981 earthquake code) — clearly one of the older markets among the prefectural capitals on this site. The city’s Kanazawa Vacant Home Utilisation Bank held 19 listings as of 21 August 2026.

CHAPTER 05Is the ground safe?

Read Kanazawa’s safety from what has actually happened, not from probabilities. In the J-SHIS figures, the chance of shindo 6-lower or above within 30 years at the city hall site is 6.6% — one of the lower figures on this site. Even so, on 1 January 2024 the Noto Peninsula Earthquake (magnitude 7.6) registered shindo 5-upper in Kanazawa. In Ishikawa Prefecture’s tally, damage to dwellings in Kanazawa came to 5,551 buildings (30 destroyed, 230 half-destroyed, 5,291 partly damaged). Casualties were 9 injured and 0 killed. A low probability and an absence of shaking are two different things.

Is this town inside a national earthquake-preparedness zone?

For each major earthquake, national law designates the areas where preparation is to be advanced. Whether a town is designated tells you directly how the national government views the shaking and tsunami expected there.

Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Not applicable (the whole of Ishikawa Prefecture is outside this scheme)
Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area	Not applicable (the whole of Ishikawa Prefecture is outside this scheme)
Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Not applicable (the whole of Ishikawa Prefecture is outside this scheme)
Shaking of intensity 6-lower or above within 30 years	6.6% (shindo 6-upper or above is 2.6%) At the Kanazawa city hall site. Surface ground AVS30 341 m/s, sand-and-gravel plateau

This probability is for the single 250-metre grid square the city hall stands in. The Kanazawa City town hall stands onsandy-gravel plateau(AVS30 341 m/s), and the 6.6% above is the value for that point. Even within Kanazawa itself it varies a great deal between the low ground along the rivers and the plateau. When a listing interests you, look it up by its street address.Enter an address on the J-SHIS map and it shows the probability and the ground for that 250-metre mesh.

Look up an address on J-SHIS → Designations from the Cabinet Office list of designated municipalities (Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area／Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area／Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area ) / probability and surface ground from theNational Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS earthquake hazard information API (2024 edition, average case, all earthquakes), queried at the city hall coordinates / verified 2026-08-21

What happened in Kanazawa in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 1 January 2024

Item	Kanazawa City
Size of the earthquake	Magnitude 7.6 / the epicentre was the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture (focal depth very shallow) / about 16:10 on 1 January 2024
Shindo in Kanazawa	Shindo 5-upper (the highest in the prefecture was shindo 7 at Shika Town, with shindo 6-upper at Nanao City, Wajima City, Suzu City and Anamizu Town)
Casualties	0 killed, 0 missing, 9 injured
Damage to dwellings	5,551 buildings in all (30 destroyed, 230 half-destroyed, 5,291 partly damaged)
Tsunami	A tsunami warning was issued for Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture (the zone that includes Kanazawa) at 16:12 on the 1st. The advisory was lifted at 10:00 on the 2nd
What the city did	Kanazawa set up its disaster response headquarters at 16:10 on the 1st (Ishikawa Prefecture at 16:06)

What “5,291 partly damaged” meansAgainst 30 destroyed and 230 half-destroyed, 5,291 were partly damaged. Kanazawa was some way from the epicentre, so few buildings collapsed; instead roof tiles came down, walls cracked and garden walls fell over, widely. As §4 shows, 45% of the second-hand houses in this city are pre-1981 code, and in the centre 67%. This is what shindo 5-upper looks like in a town with a great many old houses — these figures are the worked example. The city runs a “Kanazawa subsidy for seismic retrofitting of disaster-damaged wooden houses” (Building Guidance Division).

It is not in any of the national priority zonesFor the Nankai Trough, the Tokyo inland earthquake and the Japan and Chishima Trench, Ishikawa Prefecture is in none of the promotion areas or emergency measure zones (see the table above). The J-SHIS 30-year probability is low too, at 6.6%. And yet shindo 5-upper did arrive. This site sets the two side by side. A low probability does not mean “it will not happen”; it means “it rarely happens”.

Water, snow and slopesKanazawa lies between two rivers, the Saigawa and the Asanogawa, and watercourses run through the built-up area like a net (§1). As §2 shows, Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki have a median elevation of 3.2 metres and Morimoto, Higashi-Kanazawa and Okobata go down to 0.8 metres. Okuwa, Tagami and Sue-machi, by contrast, have a median of 87.4 metres, and the range across the city runs 0.8 to 177.7 metres. Flood, landslide, tsunami and snow — there is a good deal to look at here. Always check the city’s hazard maps for the exact lot.

Sources: the size of the earthquake, the shindo, the tsunami and the setting up of the disaster response headquarters are fromIshikawa Prefecture, Crisis Management Office, “On the damage and situation caused by the Reiwa 6 Noto Peninsula Earthquake” (as of 8:00 on 3 January Reiwa 6, PDF)(occurred = about 16:10 on 1 January Reiwa 6 / epicentre = the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, focal depth very shallow / magnitude 7.6 / shindo 7 = Shika Town, shindo 6-upper = Nanao City, Wajima City, Suzu City and Anamizu Town,shindo 5-upper = Kanazawa Cityand others / a tsunami warning at 16:12 on the 1st (Kaga and Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture), the advisory lifted at 10:00 on the 2nd / Kanazawa set up its disaster response headquarters at 16:10 on the 1st) / the numbers of damaged buildings are fromthe same office, “On human and building damage caused by the Reiwa 6 Noto Peninsula Earthquake” (report no. 130, as of 14:00 on 8 May Reiwa 6, PDF)(Kanazawa City = 9 injured / damage to dwellings: 30 destroyed, 230 half-destroyed, 5,291 partly damaged, subtotal 5,551) / the probability of shindo 6-lower or above and the surface ground are fromNational Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS earthquake hazard information API(2024 edition, average case, all earthquakes), queried at the coordinates of the city hall / the seismic retrofit subsidy is fromKanazawa City, “The Reiwa 6 Noto Peninsula Earthquake and heavy rain disaster”(Kanazawa subsidy for seismic retrofitting of disaster-damaged wooden houses, Building Guidance Division 076-220-2059) / verified 2026-08-21

What is the disaster risk in Kanazawa City?

🔴 Read this from what has actually happened, not from probabilities. J-SHIS puts the chance of shindo 6-lower or above within 30 years at the city hall site at a low 6.6%, and yet the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 1 January 2024 (M7.6) registered shindo 5-upper in Kanazawa, with damage to 5,551 dwellings (30 destroyed, 230 half-destroyed, 5,291 partly damaged) and 9 people injured. Ishikawa Prefecture is not in any of the 3 national earthquake measure zones (Nankai Trough, Tokyo inland, Japan and Chishima Trench).

CHAPTER 06What summer and winter are like

The city writes it itself — “This is a Sea-of-Japan climate, and it rains so much that people say: you may forget your lunch, but never forget your umbrella. Spring and summer bring many fine days, while winter brings many cloudy and rainy days, and snow lies as well.” Annual rainfall is 2,401.5 mm, 1.5 times that of Tokyo (1,598.2 mm), and annual sunshine is 1,714.1 hours. Winter brings 157 centimetres of snowfall in total, a normal deepest snow cover of 32 centimetres, and 22.8 days below freezing. Summer is gentler by day, with 3.5 days above 35°C and 46.0 days above 30°C, but there are 19.4 tropical nights.

The rain and the snow are this city’s first condition2,401.5 millimetres a year. Compared with others on this site — Otsu 1,566.6 mm, Utsunomiya 1,524.7 mm, Fukuyama 1,171.7 mm — Kanazawa gets twice as much as Fukuyama. January alone brings 256.0 mm, and January’s snowfall total is 67 centimetres with a deepest snow cover of 27 centimetres (normals). The washing, the commute, the school run, the wear on roof and walls — the work of daily life grows by the amount of rain and snow. Whether you can accept that is what decides whether Kanazawa is for you.

And that damp is what built Kanazawa’s industriesThe city’s explanation continues — “the high humidity also suits lacquerware and gold-leaf making, the traditional crafts here”. As §13 shows, more than 99% of all the gold leaf produced in Japan is made in Kanazawa. “It rains a lot” is, in this city, both a drawback and the very reason the place is what it is. The city also writes that the look of Kenrokuen or the Naga-machi samurai quarter under snow is something you find only in Kanazawa.

In 1963 the snow lay 181 centimetres deepThe city’s chronology records — “1963 (Showa 38): a snow depth of 181 centimetres, the greatest in the history of observations at the Kanazawa Local Meteorological Observatory”. The normal is 32 centimetres, but this is a city where such a winter has actually come. Whether the roof needs clearing, how the parking space gets cleared, and where the snow from in front of the house goes. Ask these 3 things when you view a house. Winter tyres are essential.

Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency normals (1991–2020) =Kanazawa (prec_no=56, block_no=47605)(annual rainfall 2,401.5 mm / annual mean 15.0°C / annual sunshine 1,714.1 hours / January rainfall 256.0 mm, daily high 7.1°C, daily low 1.2°C / August daily high 31.3°C, daily low 24.1°C / total depth of snowfall 157 cm a year, 67 cm in January / deepest snow cover 32 cm a year, 27 cm in January) andthe same, day counts by class (view=a2)(year = 22.8 days below freezing, 0.1 days below freezing all day, 19.4 tropical nights, 111.7 days above 25°C, 46.0 days above 30°C, 3.5 days above 35°C) / the city’s words are fromKanazawa City, “About Kanazawa”(“you may forget your lunch, but never forget your umbrella” / the high humidity suits lacquerware and gold-leaf making) / the 181 cm of snow in 1963 is fromthe same site, “The history of Kanazawa (general history)” / the rainfall figures for Otsu City, Utsunomiya City and Fukuyama City are the same Japan Meteorological Agency normals as on their own pages on this site / verified 2026-08-21

How hot is summer in Kanazawa, and what is winter like?

🔴 This is a city that writes of itself: you may forget your lunch, but never forget your umbrella. Annual rainfall of 2,401.5 millimetres is 1.5 times that of Tokyo (1,598.2 mm) and twice that of Fukuyama (1,171.7 mm). Winter brings 157 centimetres of snowfall in total, a normal deepest snow cover of 32 centimetres, and 22.8 days below freezing, and in 1963 the snow lay 181 centimetres deep. Summer has only 3.5 days above 35°C yet 19.4 tropical nights — a Sea-of-Japan summer, gentler by day and close at night.

CHAPTER 07Shops, hospitals, schools

This is a city of learning. Within the city there are 6 universities (including graduate schools) with 9,165 students, 1 junior college with 749, and 19 full-time upper secondary schools with 11,049 (as of 1 May Reiwa 7). The municipal schools are 52 primary schools (21,269 pupils) and 24 lower secondary schools (10,695 pupils). For children’s medical costs, inpatient care is free of any patient charge up to the end of the third year of upper secondary school, and outpatient care up to the third year of lower secondary school is subsidised for anything over ¥1,000 in a month.

Type of school	Schools	Pupils and students
Municipal primary schools	52 schools plus 1 branch school	21,269 pupils (893 classes)
Municipal lower secondary schools	24 schools plus 1 branch school	10,695 pupils (370 classes)
Upper secondary schools (full-time)	19 schools 11 prefectural, 6 private, 1 municipal, 1 national	11,049 people
Universities (including graduate schools)	6 1 national, 1 public, 4 private	9,165 people
Junior colleges	1 schools	749 people

Children’s medical costs: free for inpatient care to the end of upper secondary school, ¥1,000 a month for outpatient care to the third year of lower secondary schoolThe city’s child-rearing support medical cost subsidy — for inpatient care, from the date of birth (or of moving in) to the end of the third year of upper secondary school (the first 31 March after a child turns 18), the whole of the patient’s share of insured treatment is met. For outpatient care, to the third year of lower secondary school, anything over ¥1,000 in the month’s total treatment costs is met (inpatient cover was widened to upper secondary school in October 2023). Compared with others on this site, Otsu has no counter charge for pre-school children and ¥500 a month per medical institution for outpatient care from year 1 to age 18, and Fukuyama charges ¥500 a day to the third year of lower secondary school — the shape of the scheme differs from town to town.

There are 10,000 students hereStudents at the universities, junior college and technical college number 9,914 (9,165 at universities plus 749 at the junior college). Add the upper secondary pupils and it passes 21,000. The temper of the fifth lord’s day, “Kaga is the library of the realm” from §1, still shows in the figures. The city runs the Kanazawa Student City Citizens’ Exchange Centre (opened 2012), and the city assembly has passed declarations such as the “Kanazawa Fashion Industry City Declaration” (2004) and the “World Craft City Declaration” (1995). In a town with many young people, the shops and the transport are less likely to thin out — when you are choosing where to move, this headcount tells.

The shops and the culture gather in the centreThe commercial axis runs from Kanazawa Station through Musashigatsuji, Korimbo and Kata-machi (in the city’s chronology the Musashigatsuji redevelopment was completed in 1973 and Korimbo in 1986). The cultural buildings have opened one after another since the 2000s — the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (2004), the D.T. Suzuki Museum (2011), the Kanazawa Umimirai Library (2011) and the Taniguchi Yoshiro and Yoshio Museum of Architecture (2019). That the “centre” in §2 is the cheapest (median ¥14,990,000) is true inside all of that.

Sources: the numbers of schools and pupils are fromKanazawa City Board of Education, “School education facilities in Kanazawa City” (as of 1 May Reiwa 7, PDF)(52 municipal primary schools, with 1 branch school counted separately, 21,269 pupils, 893 classes / 24 municipal lower secondary schools, with 1 branch school counted separately, 10,695 pupils, 370 classes / full-time upper secondary schools: 1 national corporation, 11 prefectural, 1 municipal and 6 private, 11,049 pupils in all / universities including graduate schools: 1 national corporation, 1 public corporation and 4 private, 9,165 students / 1 junior college, 749 students) / children’s medical costs are fromthe same site, “Child-rearing support medical cost subsidy”(inpatient = from the date of birth or of moving in to the end of the third year of upper secondary school, the whole of the patient’s share of insured treatment / outpatient = from the date of birth or of moving in to the third year of lower secondary school, anything over ¥1,000 in the month’s total treatment costs / up to treatment received in September Reiwa 5 both inpatient and outpatient ran to the third year of lower secondary school) / the cultural buildings and the years of the declarations are fromthe same site, “The history of Kanazawa (general history)” / the schemes in Otsu City and Fukuyama City are from the same sources as on their own pages on this site / verified 2026-08-21

Will I be short of hospitals, shops or schools?

🔴 This is a city of learning. 52 municipal primary schools (21,269 pupils) and 24 municipal lower secondary schools (10,695 pupils), 19 full-time upper secondary schools, 6 universities with 9,165 students and 1 junior college with 749 (1 May Reiwa 7). For children’s medical costs, inpatient care is free of any patient charge to the end of the third year of upper secondary school, and outpatient care to the third year of lower secondary school is subsidised for anything over ¥1,000 in a month. The shops and the culture gather from Kanazawa Station through Musashigatsuji and Korimbo to Kata-machi.

CHAPTER 08What it costs you every year after you buy

Water and sewerage are read and billed every 2 months, and the tariff is split not by pipe size but by “domestic” and “business” use. For 45 cubic metres over 2 months it is ¥5,615 for water plus ¥5,984 for sewerage = ¥11,599 (including consumption tax). Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3%. And Kanazawa is covered by the national relocation support grant — anyone moving from the Tokyo area who then takes a job, teleworks or starts a business receives ¥1,000,000 for a household (plus ¥1,000,000 for each household member under 18) or ¥600,000 for a single person.

Water charges and sewerage charges (2 months, domestic use, including consumption tax)

Volume used (two months)	Water	Sewerage	Total
0 cubic metres the standing charge alone	¥2,200	¥1,980	¥4,180
20 cubic metres	¥2,684	¥2,574	¥5,258
45 cubic metres a guide for a household of 2 to 3	¥5,615	¥5,984	¥11,599
70 cubic metres	¥9,020	¥9,449	¥18,469

The relocation support grant is available in Kanazawa tooAnyone who moves from the Tokyo area (Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa, with some districts excluded) and then takes a job, teleworks or starts a business receives ¥1,000,000 for a household or ¥600,000 for a single person, with ¥1,000,000 added for each household member under 18. Ishikawa Prefecture and every municipality in it run this jointly. Apply within 1 year of the date you move in; for FY Reiwa 8 that means by the end of January Reiwa 9 (applications are normally suspended in February and March). If the prefectural budget ceiling is reached the scheme can close part-way through the year. There is also a condition that if you leave Ishikawa Prefecture within 3 years of the application date the whole amount is repayable. The city runs a relocation support desk (076-220-2034, weekdays 9:00–17:45, online consultations available).

Water has one “domestic” tariff, billed every 2 monthsFrom the Kanazawa City Public Utilities Bureau — “the water charge is made up of a fixed basic charge regardless of the volume used and a volume charge according to the volume used, and it is billed every 2 months as a rule”. Sewerage works the same way, and the volume of tap water or well water used is taken as the volume of wastewater discharged. The table above is read from the city’s “quick reference table of water charges for 2 months” and “quick reference table of sewerage charges for 2 months”. Compared with others on this site, 45 cubic metres over 2 months costs ¥13,066 in Otsu and ¥13,821 in Fukuyama. Kanazawa’s ¥11,599 is at the cheaper end of those.

The taxes are 1.4% and 0.3%Fixed asset tax is the taxable value × 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3%. The exemption thresholds are ¥300,000 for land, ¥200,000 for buildings and ¥1,500,000 for depreciable assets, and if fixed asset tax falls below the threshold no city planning tax is charged either. There are 4 payment dates a year (end of April, end of July, end of December and the start of March). As §4 shows, 45% of the houses here are pre-1981 code, so before you buy, go through the reductions for seismic retrofitting, energy-saving work, long-life quality housing and barrier-free work, and the subsidy for interior renovation of vacant-home bank properties (§4), at the counter.

Sources: the water charges from Kanazawa City Public Utilities Bureau, “Guide to water charges”andthe same bureau, “Quick reference table of water charges for 2 months (including the 10% consumption tax equivalent)” (PDF)(domestic use, bimonthly reading = 0 m³ ¥2,200 / 20 m³ ¥2,684 / 45 m³ ¥5,615 / 70 m³ ¥9,020), and sewerage fromthe same bureau, “Guide to sewerage charges”andthe same bureau, “Quick reference table of sewerage charges for 2 months” (PDF)(general use, bimonthly reading = 0 m³ ¥1,980 / 20 m³ ¥2,574 / 45 m³ ¥5,984 / 70 m³ ¥9,449) / the tax rates, exemption thresholds and payment dates are fromKanazawa City, “Outline of how the tax is calculated”(fixed asset tax 1.4%, city planning tax 0.3% / exemption thresholds = ¥300,000 for land, ¥200,000 for buildings, ¥1,500,000 for depreciable assets) / the relocation support grant is fromthe same site, “Kanazawa City relocation support grant”(¥1,000,000 for a household, with ¥1,000,000 added for each household member under 18, and ¥600,000 for a single person / run jointly by Ishikawa Prefecture and every municipality in it / applications for FY Reiwa 8 close at the end of January Reiwa 9, and the scheme can close part-way through the year if the prefectural budget ceiling is reached / within 1 year of the date of moving in / the whole amount is repayable if you leave Ishikawa Prefecture within 3 years of the application date / relocation support desk 076-220-2034) / water and sewerage in Otsu City and Fukuyama City are from the same sources as on their own pages on this site / verified 2026-08-21

Roughly what does a year cost, water and the rest?

Water and sewerage come to ¥11,599 for 45 cubic metres over 2 months (domestic use) (water ¥5,615 plus sewerage ¥5,984). The tariff is split by “domestic” and “business” use rather than by pipe size, and it is read and billed every 2 months. Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3%. 🔴 Kanazawa is covered by the national relocation support grant, which pays ¥1,000,000 for a household (plus ¥1,000,000 for each member under 18) or ¥600,000 for a single person for moving from the Tokyo area and taking work there (it can close part-way through the year if the prefectural budget ceiling is reached).

CHAPTER 09What happens when you want to sell

Kanazawa stands well above the rest of its prefecture, and all 5 land-use categories are rising. Residential land is ¥92,800/m², up 2.0% on the year, 1.56 times the Ishikawa average (¥59,400/m², +0.9%). Commercial land is ¥298,200/m², up 4.3%, 1.80 times the prefectural average. As the prefectural capital, it is lifting the prefecture’s land prices almost single-handed.

Use	Kanazawa City	Year on year	Ishikawa Prefecture Average	Against the prefectural average
Residential	¥92,800/m²	+2.0%	¥59,400/m² (+0.9%)	1.56×
Commercial	¥298,200/m²	+4.3%	¥165,800/m² (+2.0%)	1.80×
Industrial	¥39,100/m²	+4.8%	¥35,800/m² (+4.7%)	1.09×
Prospective housing land	¥27,400/m²	±0.0%	¥19,200/m² (±0.0%)	1.43×
All uses	¥147,800/m²	+2.9%	¥88,100/m² (+1.4%)	1.68×

Land is dear. Second-hand houses are cheapResidential land stands at ¥92,800/m², higher than Otsu (¥82,300/m²). Yet the median second-hand house is ¥19,000,000, cheaper than Otsu (¥22,800,000) (§4). The difference is the age of the buildings. 45% pre-1981 code, median year built 1984. The land is dear, and what stands on it is old — that is the shape of Kanazawa’s second-hand market. When you come to sell, it is realistic to assume most of the value is in the land.

What commercial land at +4.3% is telling youOf the 5 categories the biggest rise is commercial land at +4.3% (twice the prefectural average of +2.0%). Next is industrial land at +4.8% — and there Kanazawa is much the same as the prefectural average (+4.7%). So what is rising in Kanazawa alone is commercial land. The 20,000 students of §7, the tourism of §17 — it is the price of the places where people gather that is going up.

At the exit, the districts pull apartThe medians in §2 run from ¥14,990,000 in the centre to ¥25,490,000 in Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki. But the centre is 67% pre-1981 code, and Kanaiwa, Ono and Awagasaki have a median elevation of 3.2 metres — there are reasons behind both the cheapness and the dearness. Whatever was explained to you when you bought will be explained again when you sell. Seismic standard, flooding, landslides — check them for the exact lot before you buy (§5).

Sources: land prices fromLand Information Centercompiled the “[Published land prices] (Reiwa 8) average prices and year-on-year average rates of change by prefecture and municipality and by land use” (compiled 27 April Reiwa 8); the rows for Kanazawa City and Ishikawa Prefecture (Kanazawa City = residential land ¥92,800/m² +2.0%, prospective housing land ¥27,400/m² ±0.0%, commercial land ¥298,200/m² +4.3%, industrial land ¥39,100/m² +4.8%, all uses ¥147,800/m² +2.9% / Ishikawa Prefecture = residential land ¥59,400/m² +0.9%, prospective housing land ¥19,200/m² ±0.0%, commercial land ¥165,800/m² +2.0%, industrial land ¥35,800/m² +4.7%, all uses ¥88,100/m² +1.4%) / the second-hand market is the same 406 SUUMO listings as §4 / land prices for Otsu City are from the same source as the Otsu page on this site / verified 2026-08-21

Will the house I buy sell again later?

🔴 Residential land is ¥92,800/m², up 2.0% on the year, 1.56 times the Ishikawa average (¥59,400/m²). Commercial land is ¥298,200/m², up 4.3%, 1.80 times the prefectural average. All 5 land-use categories are up. But although land is dear, the median second-hand house is a modest ¥19,000,000 — the difference is the age of the buildings (45% pre-1981 code). When you come to sell, it is realistic to assume most of the value is in the land.

CHAPTER 10Who lives here, and how many

The estimated population is 452,627 in 214,580 households (1 August 2026). 219,043 are men and 233,584 women, there are 2.11 people per household, and the density is 965.5 per km². The population peaked around 2015 and has fallen by about 12,000 since. Against 464,733 on 1 January 2015, 1 August 2026 gives 452,627 — a fall of 12,106 (2.6%) in 11 years. By age, the resident register (1 January 2026) gives 11.4% under 15, 60.5% aged 15–64 and 28.1% aged 65 and over.

Year (1 January)	Population	Households	Per household
1889 (Meiji 22) the year the city was incorporated	95,202 people	27,391 households	3.48 people
1950 (Showa 25 (1950))	248,899 people	58,055 households	4.29 people
1970 (Showa 45 (1970))	357,759 people	98,171 households	3.64 people
1985 (Showa 60 (1985))	428,642 people	139,874 households	3.06 people
2000 (Heisei 12 (2000))	456,077 people	176,735 households	2.58 people
2015 (Heisei 27) about the peak	464,733 people	197,786 households	2.35 people
2026 (Reiwa 8 (2026))1 August	452,627 people	214,580 households	2.11 people

In 130 years the population grew 4.8-fold and the households 7.8-foldFrom 95,202 people in 27,391 households in 1889 to 452,627 in 214,580 households in 2026. The population is 4.8 times larger and the households 7.8 times. People per household went from 3.48 to 2.11. Even after the population started to fall, the households kept rising. From 197,786 households in 2015 to 214,580 in 2026 — 16,794 more in 11 years, which means demand for housing has not fallen as far as the population has.

The age profile is close to the national averageOn the resident register (1 January 2026, 441,947 people): 50,323 under 15 (11.4%), 267,402 aged 15–64 (60.5%) and 124,222 aged 65 and over (28.1%). The largest single band is 50–54 with 37,149, then 75–79 with 31,246 and 45–49 with 31,015. That 20–24 has 25,626, more than the bands on either side (21,023 aged 15–19 and 22,898 aged 25–29), is the effect of the 9,165 university and 749 junior-college students from §7.

These figures rest on the 2025 censusA note on the city’s estimated population — “the population and household figures from October Reiwa 7 onward are estimated on the basis of the preliminary tabulation of the census carried out as of 1 October Reiwa 7”. They therefore rest on a census one round newer than the other pages on this site. By the same token, the city notes that the figures from November Reiwa 2 to September Reiwa 7 will be interpolated and corrected once the confirmed census results appear. Figures move, so line up the reference dates when you compare.

Sources: the estimated population and households and the year-by-year series are fromKanazawa City, “Estimated population and households of Kanazawa” (PDF)(1889: 95,202 people / 27,391 households; 1950: 248,899 / 58,055; 1970: 357,759 / 98,171; 1985: 428,642 / 139,874; 2000: 456,077 / 176,735; 2015: 464,733 / 197,786 — all as of 1 January / 1 August 2026: 452,627 people, 214,580 households, 2.11 people per household, density 965.5 per km² / from October Reiwa 7 the figures are estimates based on the preliminary tabulation of the Reiwa 7 census, and November Reiwa 2 to September Reiwa 7 will be interpolated and corrected when the confirmed results are published) / the age breakdown is fromthe same site, “Population and households of Kanazawa City by age” (resident register, as of 1 January Reiwa 8, PDF)(total 441,947 / 0–14: 50,323, 15–64: 267,402, 65 and over: 124,222 / 50–54: 37,149, 75–79: 31,246, 45–49: 31,015, 20–24: 25,626). The totals and shares for the 3 age bands, and the changes, are calculated by this site / verified 2026-08-21

Share of foreign residents

2.06%national average 3.26%

Of the 441,947 people living in Kanazawa City, 9,094 are foreign residents. That is below the national average (3.26%).
Nationwide, foreign residents are 3.26% of the total population (4,031,159 out of 123,767,642). 34 municipalities in the country are above 10%.

Source: calculated by this site from the municipality-level tables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Population, population change and households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8, published 2026-07-29). The ministry's publication page / verified 2026-08-17

Is the population of Kanazawa City growing?

🔴 It peaked around 2015 and has fallen by about 12,000 since. Against 464,733 on 1 January 2015, 1 August 2026 gives 452,627 — a fall of 12,106 (2.6%) in 11 years. Households, though, rose from 197,786 to 214,580, up 16,794. By age, 11.4% are under 15, 60.5% are 15–64 and 28.1% are 65 and over (resident register, 1 January 2026).

CHAPTER 11Community life and the year's events

The centre of the year is the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival. It is held in memory of the great deed of Maeda Toshiie, founder of the Kaga domain, who entered Kanazawa Castle in Tensho 11 (1583) and laid the foundations of the city, over 3 days around the first Saturday in June, at venues all over the city. Besides the Hyakumangoku parade there are the Hyakumangoku tea ceremony, the Hyakumangoku street dance and the Hyakumangoku takigi noh. The first was held in 1952 (Showa 27).

The Hyakumangoku Festival takes the whole city for 3 daysFrom the city’s description — “led by the sumptuous Hyakumangoku parade, the traditional events handed down in this place for more than 400 years unfold in high spirits”. It is run by the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival Executive Committee (the city’s Tourism Policy Division and the Kanazawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry). On the day of the parade there are large-scale traffic restrictions in the city centre, and the city asks visitors to come by park and ride. Live here and you move from watching it to working out how to use the roads that day.

Tea and noh chant reached the townspeople hereIn the words of the city’s own material — “in Kanazawa, which for more than 420 years since the domain era met with no great disaster or war, and where the cultural policies pursued by successive lords carried tea and noh chant down as far as the townspeople, a great many traditional crafts still live within people’s daily lives”. That the Hyakumangoku Festival includes a Hyakumangoku tea ceremony and Hyakumangoku takigi noh follows from that history. Local life is not confined to festival days; it enters the everyday through lessons and neighbourhood associations — that, from the published material, is the character of neighbourly life in Kanazawa.

The declarations the city assembly has madeThe city’s chronology lines up the declarations passed by the assembly — the “Green City Declaration” (1974), the “Townscape City Declaration” (1992), the “World Craft City Declaration” (1995), the “Environmental City Declaration” (1998), the “Kanazawa Fashion Industry City Declaration” (2004), the “Safe and Secure City Declaration” (2006), the “Good Manners in Practice City Declaration” (2007) and the “Gender Equality City Declaration” (2013). The assembly has put the shape of the city into words and kept them — reading down this list before you move tells you what this city has held important.

Sources: the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival is fromKanazawa City, “I want to know about the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival”(held in memory of the great deed of Maeda Toshiie, who entered Kanazawa Castle in Tensho 11 (1583) / 3 days around the first Saturday in June / venues all over Kanazawa City / the Hyakumangoku parade, the parade departure ceremony, the entry celebration, the Hyakumangoku tea ceremony, the Hyakumangoku street dance and the Hyakumangoku takigi noh among others / run by the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival Executive Committee) andthe same site, “Come into town by park and ride to watch the Hyakumangoku Festival!”(large-scale traffic restrictions in the city centre on the day of the parade) / the first festival (1952) and the years of the city assembly’s declarations are fromthe same site, “The history of Kanazawa (general history)” / “tea and noh chant carried down as far as the townspeople” is fromthe same city, Creative City Promotion Office, “UNESCO Crafts Creative City — Kanazawa, the city of handwork” (PDF)/ Verified 2026-08-21

What are the neighbourhood associations and the neighbouring like?

The centre of the year is the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival — 3 days around the first Saturday in June, held at venues all over the city in memory of Maeda Toshiie’s entry into Kanazawa Castle. There are the Hyakumangoku parade, the Hyakumangoku tea ceremony, the Hyakumangoku street dance and the Hyakumangoku takigi noh. The city’s material writes that “the cultural policies pursued by successive lords carried tea and noh chant down as far as the townspeople”, and neighbourly life here enters the everyday through lessons as well as festival days.

CHAPTER 12Things nearby that move land prices

From the published material, 4 things move prices in Kanazawa: 1. its position, 2 hr 27 min from Tokyo with no change of train; 2. the flow of people that 20,000 students bring; 3. the concentration of tourism and craft; and 4. the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024. The city’s vision of itself is “Kanazawa, a world city of co-creative culture opening the future”, and its action plan, the “Future Co-creation Plan”, runs 10 years from FY Reiwa 6 to FY Reiwa 15.

1. Straight to Tokyo, a change for KansaiAs §3 shows, Tokyo is 2 hr 27 min away with no change of train, while Kansai takes a change. With the Hokuriku Shinkansen reaching Kanazawa in 2015, the city turned sharply towards the capital region. That commercial land is up 4.3% in §9, the largest rise of the 5 categories, is a sign that this flow of people is holding.

2. There are 20,000 students hereAs §7 shows: 9,165 at universities, 749 at the junior college and 11,049 at full-time upper secondary schools. 20,963 in all are at school or university. In a city of 450,000 that is a large share. It also means a thick rental demand, so flats do not stand empty, and it means they leave when they graduate, so the population thins in the late twenties (the age profile in §10). If you are looking at this as an investment, look at both sides of it.

3. The concentration of craft and tourismIn 2009 came Japan’s first “City of History” and the world’s first “Crafts Creative City” (§1). In 2004 the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, in 2011 the D.T. Suzuki Museum and the Kanazawa Umimirai Library, and in 2019 the Taniguchi Yoshiro and Yoshio Museum of Architecture. The city’s assets have taken form one after another over these 20 years. The counts of lodgings and facilities in §17 sit on the same current.

4. After the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024As §5 shows, 5,551 dwellings were damaged in Kanazawa too (30 destroyed, 230 half-destroyed, 5,291 partly damaged). The city has set up a seismic retrofit subsidy for damaged wooden houses, a subsidy for restoring damaged housing land, and disaster response loans. The city is still publishing guidance on waiving nursery fees, meal charges and after-school club fees for affected families, and on advice for primary and lower secondary pupils changing schools. You cannot read the last 2 years in Kanazawa with the earthquake left out.

Sources: the city vision and the plan are fromKanazawa City, “Towards realising ‘Kanazawa, a world city of co-creative culture opening the future’”(the Future Co-creation Plan = adopted February Reiwa 6, running FY Reiwa 6 (2024) to FY Reiwa 15 (2033), 10 years in all, divided into an advance phase of 2 years, a consolidation phase of 4 and a development phase of 4, with the advance phase evaluated and the plan revised in June Reiwa 8) / the opening of the Shinkansen, the opening years of the museums and the 2 designations of 2009 are fromthe same site, “The history of Kanazawa (general history)” / the school numbers are as §7 / land prices are as §9 / the earthquake damage and the support schemes are as §5, and fromthe same site, “The Reiwa 6 Noto Peninsula Earthquake and heavy rain disaster”(the subsidy for seismic retrofitting of damaged wooden houses, the subsidy for restoring damaged housing land, waivers of nursery fees and after-school club fees, and so on) andthe same site, “Guide to the support schemes for the Noto Peninsula Earthquake”(Kanazawa City disaster response loans) / verified 2026-08-21

What is likely to happen to land prices in Kanazawa?

Four things hold them up: 1. its position, 2 hr 27 min from Tokyo with no change of train; 2. the flow of people that 20,963 students bring (universities, junior college and full-time upper secondary schools); 3. the concentration of craft and tourism, typified by the 2009 designations as a “City of History” and a “Crafts Creative City”; and 4. housing demand after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024. The city’s vision of itself is “Kanazawa, a world city of co-creative culture opening the future”, and its action plan, the “Future Co-creation Plan”, runs 10 years from FY Reiwa 6 to Reiwa 15.

CHAPTER 13What this place makes

What a place earns its living from shows up both at your dinner table and in your work once you live there. The amount raised through the hometown tax scheme is a rough measure of how many products a place has that people all over Japan choose.

¥1,708,730,000

Hometown tax donations received in FY Reiwa 7 (40,644 donations).
190th of 1,788 municipalities nationwide, and 2nd within Ishikawa Prefecture

What this town names as its own products

Putting together the traditional crafts the city lists in “UNESCO Crafts Creative City — Kanazawa, the city of handwork” with the 15 “Kaga vegetables” certified by the Kanazawa City Agricultural Produce Brand Association gives — Kanazawa gold leaf (more than 99% of the national output of gold leaf, and 100% of the silver and imitation leaf, is made in Kanazawa; the high humidity suits leaf-making), Kaga Yuzen dyeing (said to have been brought by Miyazaki Yuzensai of Kyoto, refining the “Kaga-zome” dyeing already practised in Kaga), Kanazawa Kutani ware, Kanazawa lacquerware (which began when the third lord, Toshitsune, invited Doho of the Igarashi family, a leading maki-e house, from Kyoto), Kaga-nui embroidery, Kanazawa Buddhist altars, Kaga-zogan inlay, Ohi ware (marked by the distinctive firing, in which the piece is drawn from the kiln while the glaze is still molten, and by its amber glaze), Kaga fishing flies, bamboo craft, tea-ceremony kettles, Kaga lanterns, gongs, Kanazawa paulownia craft, Futamata washi paper, folk toys, Kanazawa paper umbrellas, Kaga fishing rods, shamisen, koto, Kaga mizuhiki paper cords and Kanazawa scroll mounting (the crafts the city lists as “other principal traditional crafts”), and the 15 Kaga vegetables = sweet potato, Kaga renkon lotus root, bamboo shoots, Kaga futo-kyuri cucumber, kinjiso, Kaga tsurumame beans, heta-murasaki aubergine, Gensuke daikon, seri, Utsugi red-skinned amaguri squash, aka-zuiki taro stems, kuwai arrowhead, Kanazawa ippon-buto spring onion, Futatsuka mustard greens and Kanazawa shungiku.

This municipality also publishes its own guide to the hometown tax scheme. Hometown tax (Kanazawa City)

Source:Kanazawa City, Creative City Promotion Office, “UNESCO Crafts Creative City — Kanazawa, the city of handwork” (PDF) = Kanazawa gold leaf, Kanazawa lacquerware, Kaga Yuzen, Kanazawa Kutani ware, Kaga-nui embroidery, Kanazawa Buddhist altars, Kaga-zogan inlay and Ohi ware, together with 14 other principal traditional crafts／the same site, “What sort of vegetables are ‘Kaga vegetables’, and what items are there?” (the 15 items certified by the Kanazawa City Agricultural Produce Brand Association)／the same site, “The traditional industries of Kanazawa” (Craft Policy Promotion Division / links to the nationally designated traditional craft production areas and to each cooperative association)/ Verified 2026-08-21

You can support a town without living there

Even if a move is still some way off, you can be involved from today through the hometown tax scheme. Your donation goes straight to the municipality, and you choose what it is spent on. A way to give something back to a place you got to know here.

Support Kanazawa City through the hometown tax scheme →

Source:Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Survey on the state of the hometown tax scheme (conducted FY Reiwa 8)", the table of amounts and numbers received (provisional FY Reiwa 7 settlement), tallied by this site. The rank is out of all 1,788 municipalities in that table / verified 2026-08-14

What is Kanazawa City built on?

🔴 More than 99% of all the gold leaf produced in Japan is made in Kanazawa (and 100% of the silver and imitation leaf). The city explains why: “the high humidity suits lacquerware and gold-leaf making, the traditional crafts here”. There are also Kaga Yuzen dyeing, Kanazawa Kutani ware, Kanazawa lacquerware, Kaga-nui embroidery, Kanazawa Buddhist altars, Kaga-zogan inlay and Ohi ware. In produce, 15 Kaga vegetables (Kaga renkon lotus root, Gensuke daikon, kinjiso and others) are certified by the Kanazawa City Agricultural Produce Brand Association.

CHAPTER 14A message from Kanazawa City

The city’s vision of itself, its guide to how the city is built, is “Kanazawa, a world city of co-creative culture opening the future”. Its action plan, the “Future Co-creation Plan” (adopted February Reiwa 6, running the 10 years from FY Reiwa 6 to Reiwa 15), is the highest-level plan for running the city. The way in for people thinking of moving is “Kuraso, Kanazawa.” (kanazawa-iju.jp), and enquiries go to the Kanazawa City Relocation Support Desk (076-220-2034, weekdays 9:00–17:45, online available).

A city that chose the word “co-creation”The vision is “Kanazawa, a world city of co-creative culture opening the future”. The city describes the Future Co-creation Plan as “the highest-level plan for running the city, drawing together the main measures to be taken under each of the 5 basic policies set out in the vision”, and divides the plan period into an advance phase (2 years), a consolidation phase (4 years) and a development phase (4 years). The KPIs come in 2 strands, “citizen sentiment indicators” and “measure indicators”, and in June Reiwa 8 the advance phase was evaluated and the plan revised. This is a city that re-marks its own work every 2 years.

The way in for people thinking of moving is clearly markedKanazawa City Relocation Support Desk — telephone 076-220-2034, e-mail ijusupport＠city.kanazawa.lg.jp, weekdays 9:00–17:45 (closed at weekends, on public holidays and over the New Year), and consultations can be held online. The relocation information site is “Kuraso, Kanazawa.”, and the job site for U- and I-turn movers is Ishikawa Prefecture’s “Ishikawa no Oto”. For the relocation support grant in §8, you must always talk to them before you apply.One phone call first — that is where the schemes in this city begin. Kuraso, Kanazawa. →

Where this page standsThis site gathers the city’s official information with its sources, and does not speak for the city. Schemes, prices and charges (in particular the relocation support grant and the water and sewerage charges in §8) change. The relocation support grant closes to applications part-way through the year if the prefectural budget ceiling is reached, so depending on when you apply it may not be available. Always check the original text and the latest information before you sign anything or move. For the earthquake in §5 and the snow in §6 above all, we would suggest not only the figures but coming here once in winter.

Sources: the city vision and the Future Co-creation Plan are fromKanazawa City, “Towards realising ‘Kanazawa, a world city of co-creative culture opening the future’”(adopted February Reiwa 6 / plan period FY Reiwa 6–15 / advance phase 2 years, consolidation phase 4 years, development phase 4 years / KPIs are citizen sentiment indicators and measure indicators / the advance phase was evaluated and the plan revised in June Reiwa 8) / the relocation support desk, the relocation support grant and the related sites are fromthe same site, “Kanazawa City relocation support grant”(support desk 076-220-2034, weekdays 9:00–17:45, online available / talk to them before applying / Kanazawa City’s invitation to move, “Kuraso, Kanazawa.” / “Ishikawa no Oto”, the job site for U- and I-turn movers) / verified 2026-08-21

What kind of city is Kanazawa building?

The vision is “Kanazawa, a world city of co-creative culture opening the future”. The action plan, the “Future Co-creation Plan” (adopted February Reiwa 6), divides the 10 years from FY Reiwa 6 to Reiwa 15 into an advance phase of 2 years, a consolidation phase of 4 and a development phase of 4, and in June Reiwa 8 the advance phase was evaluated and the plan revised. The way in for people thinking of moving is “Kuraso, Kanazawa.”, and enquiries go to the Kanazawa City Relocation Support Desk (076-220-2034, weekdays 9:00–17:45, online available). The mayor is Murayama Taku.

CHAPTER 15A year in Kanazawa

The year in Kanazawa turns on how you spend the winter. Snowfall totals 157 centimetres a year, the normal deepest snow cover is 32 centimetres, and there are 22.8 days below freezing. The city also writes that “spring and summer bring many fine days”. Around the first Saturday in June comes the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival; summer brings 19.4 tropical nights; autumn brings rain; and then it is winter again.

Season	What there is
Winter (December to February)	January’s daily high is 7.1°C and daily low 1.2°C, and January alone brings 67 centimetres of snowfall, with a deepest snow cover of 27 centimetres (normals). There are 22.8 days below freezing a year and 0.1 days that stay below freezing all day. In 1963 the snow lay 181 centimetres deep. Winter tyres and a plan for clearing snow are essential
Spring (April–May)	In the city’s words, the season when “spring and summer bring many fine days”. April 143.9 mm and May 138.0 mm are the 2 driest months of the year
Early summer (June)	The Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival — 3 days around the first Saturday. The Hyakumangoku parade, the Hyakumangoku tea ceremony, the Hyakumangoku street dance and the Hyakumangoku takigi noh. On the day of the parade there are large-scale traffic restrictions in the centre
Summer (August)	August’s daily high is 31.3°C and daily low 24.1°C. There are only 3.5 days above 35°C a year, yet 19.4 tropical nights — a Sea-of-Japan summer is gentler by day and close at night
Autumn (September to November)	The rain builds. September 231.9 mm, November 250.8 mm, and December 301.1 mm, the wettest month of the year. That is 2.2 times May (138.0 mm). From here winter begins

Sources: the climate is as §6 (Japan Meteorological Agency normals for Kanazawa, 1991–2020); the 181 centimetres of snow in 1963 and the first Hyakumangoku Festival are as §1 and §11 (Kanazawa City, “The history of Kanazawa (general history)”); the content of the festival and the traffic restrictions are as §11 / “spring and summer bring many fine days” is fromKanazawa City, “About Kanazawa”/ Verified 2026-08-21

The information on this site is gathered by an AI that visits primary sources — municipalities, the Japan Meteorological Agency, national statistics — on a regular cycle, and it is updated with a source and a date of verification attached.

What is there to look forward to through the year in Kanazawa?

The Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival, 3 days around the first Saturday in June, is the centre of the year. In spring, April 143.9 mm and May 138.0 mm are the 2 driest months — the city writes that “spring and summer bring many fine days”. Summer brings 19.4 tropical nights, autumn brings more rain, and December, at 301.1 mm, is the wettest month. Then winter brings 157 centimetres of snowfall in all. 🔴 We would suggest coming once in winter before you decide.

CHAPTER 16The people who run this city

When you are thinking of moving, who is running this city now, and where they are taking it, is something people about to live here want to know even more than those already living here. This chapter sets out, with sources, only what Kanazawa City publishes itself. 🔴 As of 22 August 2026, following the official site, I (the AI) could find 3 of the 6 items below. The mayor of Kanazawa City is Murayama Taku (confirmed on the city’s introduction page).

What is published	Published	What you can read
About the mayor	The Mayor’s Room	Name, career, greeting
Policy address	Could not find one	What they say they will do this year
List of council members	By parliamentary group	Who the members are, and their groupings
Council broadcasts and recordings	Could not find one	Whether you can watch the council in session
Searchable minutes	Search the minutes	Whether you can search past debates by wording
Master plan	Could not find one	How many years ahead this town has decided

The mayor of Kanazawa CityMurayama Taku .
🔴 Age and gender have not been guessed from the name.Only what is published is reproduced here, as published.Kanazawa City introduction page →

How much of the council can you see?A list of members, live or recorded broadcasts of full sessions, and searchable minutes — where these three are published, you can read a town's debates for yourself before you ever move there.
🔴 The names, photographs and social media of individual council members are not carried on this site. We point you to where you can read them.
Once you have moved, when your own turn to decide comes round is something those three will tell you.

🔴 We could not find a master planFollowing the official site, we could not find a page for a master plan or basic vision (checked 2026-08-22).That does not mean there is none.🔴 To municipalities and local organisations — tell us the URL and we will put it here.Get in touch here →

🔴 What I will not do in this chapter1. I will not guess gender or age from a name. Only what is published appears here. 2. I will not write that anything is good or bad. Only what is being put forward, and where it comes from. 3. I will not compare election candidates.
🔴 And mayors change. This site always records the date it checked (2026-08-22), and reopens the original page each time to confirm by machine that the name is still there. If you notice something has nonetheless gone out of date, please let us know.

Source: allofficial site (Kanazawa City ), followed on 2026-08-22. What this site counted wasonly whether something is published or not ; the content has not been judged / verified 2026-08-22

Who runs Kanazawa City now?

The mayor of Kanazawa City is Murayama Taku (confirmed on the city’s introduction page on 22 August 2026). What this site looks for is 6 things: an introduction to the head of the municipality, a policy statement, a list of assembly members, live coverage of the assembly, a search of the minutes, and a comprehensive plan. 🔴 No judgement of good or bad is made. Only whether it is published or not.

CHAPTER 17Where to go on a day off

What never shows up in the numbers you use to find a house, but bears directly on how satisfied you are once you live there, is what you do at the weekend. This chapter counts, on the same yardstick for every area, the places you can go on a day off in Kanazawa and the places family and friends can stay when they visit. This area currently has 13 hot spring and day-bathing facilities. 🔴 All the counts are the numbers registered in the map data (OpenStreetMap) — there may well be more in reality.

What	Number counted, and names
♨ Hot springs and day baths	Nuka Onsen, Yamato Onsen, Kanazawa Yume-no-Yu, Moroe-no-Yu, Waon-no-Yu, Yuwaku Onsen Sou-yu / Shirasagi-no-Yu, Manten-no-Yu Kanazawa, Kinjo Onsen Motoyu and 13 in all
🏯 Castles and castle sites	Kanazawa Castle
🎡 Amusement parks, zoos and aquariums	Not found in the map data
🖼 Museums, galleries and memorial halls	the Muro Saisei Memorial Museum, the site of the Terashima Kurando residence, the Ishikawa Prefecture Kanazawa Port Ono Karakuri Memorial Museum, the Ishikawa Prefecture Zeniya Gohei Memorial Museum, the Kanazawa Utatsuyama Craft Workshop, the Kaga Yuzen Traditional Industry Hall, the Nishi Chaya Museum and the Naga-machi Yuzen Museum and 51 in all
⛩ Shrines and temples	155 shrines and 160 temples. Those with a Wikipedia article are Hajikami Shrine, Utasu Shrine, Kosho-ji, Myoo-ji, Chokyu-ji, Zensho-ji, Rengaku-ji and Myosho-ji
🚗 Roadside stations	Not found in the map data
🐕 Dog runs	Not found in the map data
🛣 Expressway service and parking areas	Fudoji PA (northbound) / Fudoji PA (southbound) / Kampoji PA

Somewhere to stay — for family and friends, and for your own travels

What	Number counted
🏨 Hotels and ryokan	77
🏠 Guesthouses and hostels	30
⛺ Campsites and auto-campsites	Daiwanachi field
🏕 Glamping	Not found among the campsite or hotel names
🚐 RV parks (overnight in your vehicle)	Not found in the map data

This table is the result of me (an AI) putting the same question to the map data for every area (areas are retrieved in batches, so the verification date on some pages is a day apart). Facilities not registered on the map are not counted. "Not found" does not mean "there are none" — nor that the town is any the lesser for it.

Sources: the counts and names of facilities fromOpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) / RV parks fromJapan RV Association, list of certified "Kuruma-tabi" RV parks / roadside stations fromMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, list of "michi-no-eki" roadside stations / the expressway service and parking areas, and the shops inside them, are also from OpenStreetMap (judged mechanically by whether they fall inside the site's outline) / checked 2026-08-21

Are there places to go on a day off, and places to stay?

Counting from the map data (OpenStreetMap) and the lists of the Japan RV Association and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there are 13 hot spring and day-bathing facilities, 77 hotels and inns and 1 campsite. Facilities that are not on the map are not counted, so there may well be more in reality (see §17 for details).

What I (an AI) was able to find on this town's official site

This site reads the official websites of every area it covers against the same 30 items, out of 100, and measures how quickly someone thinking of moving can reach the information they need. What was measured here was the official website of Kanazawa City, and the total was 60 points (measured 21 August 2026).

"Not found" does not mean "there is none." It means I followed the official site and could not find it. Tell us the published page and the next measurement will reflect it.

Area	Score	What was found
Getting started with a move	9 / 20	Has a relocation and settlement page, has a dedicated relocation site, has an enquiry desk (department, telephone, opening hours), and 1 more
Housing	9 / 15	There is an akiya bank; listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area; completed deals are organised
The money side of living here	8 / 15	Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table; child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope; there are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
Disaster information	16 / 20	Hazard maps are published by district; flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered; they are machine-readable (a map system or text PDF); and 1 more
Industry and local produce	8 / 10	A list of local speciality products is on the official site; hometown tax results are published year by year; there are support schemes for businesses and industry
Transport	7 / 10	There is a community bus timetable; fares are stated
Can an AI read it?	3 / 10	There is a sitemap.xml; statistics are published in Excel and CSV

See all 30 items and the pages used to judge them

3 / 3　There is a relocation and settlement page
the Kanazawa City Settlement Promotion Council　Go and see → 3 / 3　There is a dedicated relocation site
the Kanazawa Museum of Daily Life　Go and see → 2 / 3　A contact point (department, telephone, opening hours)
2 of the department, phone number and opening hours were given　Go and see → 1 / 5　Support schemes state amounts and conditions
A guide to the scheme only　Go and see → 0 / 3　There is trial housing or a trial-stay scheme
Not found 0 / 3　Vacancies in trial housing are published
Not found 4 / 4　There is an akiya bank
There is a municipal akiya bank 1 / 4　Listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area
0 of 19 (0%) have all 4 items 4 / 4　Completed deals are organised
No completed deals appear in the list 0 / 3　The conditions of use are stated
Not found 1 / 5　Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table
There is a water and sewerage page　Go and see → 5 / 5　Child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope
The scope of free and subsidised care is stated down to the age　Go and see → 2 / 3　There are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
Either the rate or the amount is stated　Go and see → 0 / 2　Tie-ups with banks for mortgages and the like
Not found 5 / 5　Hazard maps are published by district
117 documents broken down by district　Go and see → 5 / 5　Flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered
Flood / landslide / earthquake　Go and see → 0 / 3　The year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated
Not found　Go and see → 3 / 4　Is it machine-readable (a map system or a text PDF)?
A text PDF　Go and see → 3 / 3　Disasters are announced through more than one channel
Social media / the disaster prevention radio system　Go and see → 5 / 5　A list of local speciality products is on the official site
10 items (the city's official site)　Go and see → 1 / 3　Hometown tax results are published year by year
Not found　Go and see → 2 / 2　There are support schemes for businesses and industry
Commerce and industry　Go and see → 4 / 4　There is a community bus timetable
　Go and see → 3 / 3　Fares are stated
　Go and see → 0 / 3　The date of the last revision is given
Not found　Go and see → 0 / 3　Every page carries an updated date
0 of the 20 pages read　Go and see → 2 / 2　There is a sitemap.xml
　Go and see → 0 / 2　Site search runs on the server side
We could not find a search form　Go and see → 1 / 2　Statistics are published as Excel or CSV
There is a statistics page　Go and see → 0 / 1　Open data is published
Not found

Compare with other towns → 　For municipalities and local organisations (get in touch here) →

Measured by this site. The URL of each official site is taken from the municipal information published by Furusato Choice. The score is a score for publishing information, not a score for how good a place is to live / verified 2026-08-21

Compare with other areas

Every page has the same 17 chapters in the same order. Move between them and you can compare the same line.

Areas in the Chubu region

Ueda (the Bessho Line and the Shioda plain)Ueda City, Nagano Prefecturelistings111 listings / ¥880,000–Toyama (the Tateyama range and the Hokuriku Shinkansen)Toyama City, Toyamalistings301 listings / ¥1,000,000–Noto (Nanao, Wajima, Suzu and 9 other municipalities)Nanao, Wajima and Suzu Cities and others, Ishikawalistings37 listings / ¥500,000–Niigata (a designated city of 8 wards; 1 hr 31 min to Tokyo by shinkansen with no change)Niigata Prefecture, Niigata Citylistings725 listings / ¥500,000–

Places you could look at for a similar price

Annaka (the Usui Pass)Annaka City, Gunmalistings51 listings / ¥800,000–Kumano (the three Kumano shrines of the Yatagarasu)Tanabe, Shingu and 10 other municipalities, Wakayamalistings22 listings / ¥800,000–Hakodate (a town of slopes and a harbour)Hakodate City, Hokkaidolistings234 listings / ¥880,000–Ueda (the Bessho Line and the Shioda plain)Ueda City, Nagano Prefecturelistings111 listings / ¥880,000–

Compare areas by budget and region →

Is there a mistake on this page?

This page is made by an AI. A number transposed, a scheme that has since changed, a link that no longer works — if you find one, please tell us. No name and no email address are needed. Just what is wrong, and how.

Anything you report is checked by me (an AI) against the primary source before it is corrected. When it is corrected, the "Last verified" date on this page changes.

Report a mistake on this page →

Quoting and reuse|Privacy policy|Contact|CCN Machi-erabi home

CCN Machi-erabi is run by CCN CO., LTD. About us