Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Colors of Kanazawa – Afternoon Walking Tour with Hands-On Kaga Yuzen Experience
Discover Kanazawa’s vibrant history, beautiful gardens, and traditional crafts in this fun and interactive afternoon tour!
Stroll through Oyama Shrine and Kanazawa Castle, learning about the city’s samurai past before relaxing with a refreshing drink at a traditional café in Kenrokuen Gardens.
The highlight of the day is a hands-on Kaga Yuzen workshop, where you’ll paint your own small traditional bag using vibrant dyes under the guidance of a local artisan – a special souvenir to take home.
With a maximum group size of just 12 guests, this tour offers a personal and memorable experience, perfect for families, couples, and first-time visitors.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
Oyama Shrine
Explore Oyama Shrine and Kanazawa Castle, learning about the city’s samurai heritage
Kanazawa Castle
Kanazawa Castle
Options
Colors of Kanazawa
What‘s Included
Entrance Fees
Tote Bag with your own art work
Professional guide
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Textile Dyeing Activity
Beverages
Local taxes
Transportation to/from attractions
Gratuities
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
17 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
A wonderful day!
suetE2203JB,May 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a wonderful day we had with Nozomi. Her enthusiasm and knowledge was outstanding and she made sure we had the best time. We so enjoyed seeing the tatami makers at work and the highlight was the umbrella ladies. To see the skill of these artisans and their passion for their work was a delight. They made us feel so welcome and having the opportunity to try some sewing of an umbrella was a great experience. Our time in Kanazawa was most certainly enhanced by our day with Nozomi and we feel we made a new friend. She was just the best!
Amazing tour!!
evahP7979SL,May 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I had an amazing time being guided around by a lovely, chatty woman called Saya. She was very welcoming and confident in answering any inquiries she was asked. It was very intimate which I was worried could have made it awkward but she was really friendly and nice to talk to. Around halfway in, we went into a café and tried yummy cold food (which was perfect on the sunny day!), I had a tirimisu parfait that I fell in love with! I think the stop was a great idea to cool us down and it’s very considerate for older people who may need a break from walking. We were also shown around Kenrokyen, a stunning garden and castle with gorgeous views and interesting history. To finish off, we designed a small Japanese styled bag, we were given stensils to paint over which meant we didn’t even need to be good at art to bring home a gorgeous bag! This took the pressure off and meant I could really enjoy the experience. Overall I would definitely recommend doing this tour!!
Wonderful Kanazawa!
martijnvD1267DN,May 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We highly recommend the "Colors of Kanazawa" tour. Our guide, Nicola, was fantastic and shared fascinating stories about the rich history of Kanazawa Castle and the breathtakingly beautiful garden. The absolute best part of the experience was the workshop at the end, where we got to try our hands at the traditional color and dyeing technique ourselves. It was incredibly fun and a wonderful souvenir to take home. Thank you, Nicola, for a memorable and educational day!
Half day tour of highlights of Kanazawa gardens and crafts
Greece020277,May 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent a half day with Ai Kawachi starting with visit to see laquer art being done, then on to the gardens and Geisha district. Ai was alot of fun- very bright, knowledgeable and very friendly. We had a great morning and would highly recommend people reaching out to Ai
Book this tour for a great overview of the gardens and castle.
jdalfonso,Apr 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Saya is an excellent guide with a great deal of knowledge. She was able to answer all our questions. The break was excellent with a great dessert. I didn’t know about coffee jelly, but it was amazing. We got a good overview of the castle and gardens. Both were excellent to see and our visit wouldn’t have been as enjoyable had we been on our own. We were most surprised by how much we enjoyed the craft dying at the end. It was fun and I think kids as well as adults would enjoy it. Overall this was a great value and made a favorable impression of Kanazawa.
Insightful and fun experience
lisabX4792CZ,Apr 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a great tour with Saya with lots of interesting historical background information but also information about today‘s life in Japan. I highly recommend!
Saya was super friendly, and very knowledgeable
jamesdL1608NV,Apr 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide Saya was super friendly, and very knowledgeable about the area. Very fluent English speaker. The Geisha district is beautiful and has such a rich history. Would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Kanazawa.
Mindful tour
harjb2026,Apr 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great afternoon with Saya. Lovely guide - very informed and spoke excellent English. I got kick as I was the only one on the afternoon tour and we had the peak of sukura in the sunshine. Made for a great day wondering around the beautiful city. Lovely spot too to drink coffee and eat mochi overlooking blossom trees. Best part of the day was the kimono studio and the chance to do some painting. Learnt so much about the history of the city but also about modern day Japan.
Enjoyable tour with a very knowledgeable guide.
Adelinef380,Mar 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We went with Saya-san as our guide and Emma guide in training. We really enjoyed our tour with both of them. All our historical questions have been answered with detailed answers that was veryyyyyy appreciated. A break with sweets has also been scheduled and we spent the right amont of time there. Everything was scheduled perfectly during the tour, the rythme was nice and we did not have to rush.
Sachiko-san was wonderful — thoughtful, helpful, and her recommendations were great. She made our Kanazawa visit special
j0nathanr0dd,Dec 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We joined the Colors of Kanazawa tour with Sachiko-san and had an amazing experience. She was incredibly helpful and thoughtful throughout the day, and it really felt like we were exploring the city with a friend. Her explanations were clear, engaging, and full of local insight. She also gave us excellent restaurant recommendations — we tried one of them and absolutely loved it. Overall, she made our time in Kanazawa so much more memorable. Highly recommended!
Related Experiences
Operated by Kanazawa Tours