January 22, 2024 update: The night opening of Kanazawa Castle Park is currently suspended due to the January 1st earthquake. Other facilities in Kanazawa are open as usual.
Located in the center of Kanazawa City, Kanazawa Castle Park offers old Japanese castle remains, rich vegetation, and various kinds of stone walls. Of course, it is nice to walk around the huge park during the day, but at night, the special lighting accentuates the shapes of the unique stone walls and takes you to a fantastic world. This article introduces the schedule and highlights of the Kanazawa Castle Park Light-up.
Kanazawa Castle Park Lighting Schedule
The Kanazawa Castle Park Lighting schedule from October 2023 to March 2024 is shown below:
- From September 30 (Sat.) to November 26 (Sun.), teamLab: Digitized Kanazawa Castle will be held every night (fee required).
- December: Every Saturday and from 29 (Fri.) to 31 (Sun.) for the year-end holidays.
- January: Every Saturday and from 1 (Mon.) to 7 (Sun.) for New Year’s holidays.
- February: Every Saturday, 11th (Sun, national holiday), and 23 (Fri, national holiday)
- March: Every Saturday and 17 (Sun.)
View a leaflet of the Kanazawa Castle Park Lightning Event (pdf)
Kanazawa Castle Park Lighting Highlights
Ishikawamon Gate
This typical Japanese castle gate is the rear entrance to Kanazawa Castle. The current gate, which is designated as a National Important Cultural Property, was rebuilt in 1788 after a fire.
Stone walls
Kanazawa Castle has so many different types of stone walls that it is called the “Stone Wall Museum”. Since they have different characteristics depending on the period and purpose for which they were built, why not take a stroll and see the differences?
Gyokusen’in-maru Garden
The garden, which has a longer history than the Kenrokuen Garden, is lit according to seasonal themes.
Nezumi-Tamon Gate
After being destroyed by fire in 1884, the gate was restored in 2020 based on meticulous research.
After passing through this gate and crossing a bridge, you will come to the back of the Oyama Shrine, which has an impressive Shinto gate with stained glass windows.
Access
From JR Kanazawa station, it takes about 16 to 20 minutes by the Kanazawa Loop Bus or a local bus. The bus stop where you get off depends on which gate you enter the park from.
From Ishikawamon Gate, get off at Kenrokuen-shita Kanazawa-jo (兼六園下・金沢城) bus stop.
From Gyokusen’in-maru Gate, get off at Hirosaka/21st Century Museum (広坂・21世紀美術館) bus stop.
From Nezumi-Tamon Gate, get off at Korimbo (香林坊) bus stop.
You can also enjoy the Kanazawa Light-up Bus on Saturday evenings.
For more information, visit the Kanazawa Castle Park official website.
Booking.com
