Photogallery of Kanazawa, Japan

Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, is situated in the heart of the Japanese archipelago. The area where the city was built is between two rivers, namely, the Sai and Asano. Besides that, Kanazawa is situated on the coast of the Sea of Japan. It is hard to put into words how picturesque local nature is. It is virtually impossible to find another city in the world where ancient so peacefully coexists with modern. Miraculous old temples with their centuries-old history border with modern universities, colleges, and academies. Thanks to such a large choice of educational facilities, Kanazawa is often recognized as the intellectual center of Japan. The history of this region started more than five centuries ago. At that time, there was a religious group called Ikko that practiced Buddhism. Buddhist monks from this group were the first people who built a temple on the site of modern Kanazawa. They called it Kanazawa Gobo. In the 80s of the 16th century, the new settlement got a ruler – Maeda Toshiie. Coming from the Maeda samurai clan, Maeda Toshiie was an educated ruler with excellent management and organizational skills. He made Kanazawa a well-developed city with the blooming economy that was not inferior to such large Japanese cities as Kyoto and Tokyo. Taking into consideration all regions in Japan, Kanazawa occupies the fourth place in the list of the most developed cities in the country. The region almost didn’t suffer any damage from airplane … Read further