Kenroku-en

If you are planning to visit Kanazawa in the winter months, make sure to check the FREE entry special light-up event, which only happens for a few days a year. You won’t be able to enjoy the various scenarios the park offers, of course. But this special night event where they prepared the lighting, offer you the reflection of the plantations and buildings off the pond, is something you won’t be able to find it every now and then, especially from one of the top 3 gardens in Japan.

Fantastic garden. Even when everything is covered in snow, it was still a pretty place to visit. You can re enter but need to show your ticket so don't lose it. There are many places to eat at inside the garden, and it is easily accessible via the kanazawa loop buses

Came here in the winter on 12/25/2024. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing all of the unique foliage and arrangements they did for the Garden. Using the map to see the major 13 highlights was pretty interesting. Even though the winter did not have any of the special foliage such as cherry blossoms or fall leaves, the garden was still very impressive. I would definitely come again another season to see how it would change.

An extremely massive park that has been renowned as one of the 3 thats the most beautiful in the country. Though a lot of people were there, the place is huge and it didnt feel crowded at all. It was absolutely stunning and absolutely deserves its name as the top 3 most beautiful gardens in japan.

We went later in the afternoon and the light was amazing. We still had to pay a full admission fee even though we only had an hour before the gardens closed, but we didn’t mind as we knew it went towards the up keep of these beautiful grounds. The crowds had thinned right out, providing us several opportunities to take pics without others in the frame. The terrain is easy enough, although there are a few steps. The autumnal colours were truly a sight to behold. Highly recommended.

Our favorite gardens in Japan. They sure love their trees there. Most have been carfully changed in years. Beauty all around you. Do spend a few hours enjoying this magical place.

Today, visiting this beautiful garden felt like stepping into a snowy winter fairy tale 🤍. When it gets cold, there are cozy spots to rest and warm up. The garden also features charming tea houses where you can relax. I'm sure this garden is uniquely beautiful in all four seasons! We absolutely loved it!

April 13th, 2023: This is, hands down, the most amazing, well kept, park I've ever seen or been to IN MY LIFE (thus far). It's so well maintained you and the trees and bushes are so well trimmed, you almost think it's been engineered somehow. There's a wide variety of trees and bushes here. Even the pond is super clean. The atmosphere is one of serenity. It was not busy when we were there; it was more of a healthy crowd. Oh yeah, we also had some ice cream dipped in a Kanazawa gold leaf. This park is a must visit. The length, size, and views of the garden, are worth the walk. It's the perfect stroll. 7 stars (if I could.)

One of the main reason we went out of the way to Kanazawa was a chance to visit Kenroku-en Garden, as Google deems as one of the 3 perfect gardens in Japan, and is beautiful throughout all 4 seasons. Unfortunately our visit was dampened by rain (which is fine, because the pictures turned out awesome), however also heavy winds, which made it very cold and difficult to navigate. Regardless, I would love to visit again in the other seasons (Fall, Summer, Spring) to capture the beauty of this garden. I wish pictures can do this place justice, it definitely is worth you visiting if you have a chance to visit Kanazawa. Overall Kel rating: 5/5 The good: Beautiful garden, definitely a nice place to visit The decent: Choose a good weather day! The ugly: I can see this place being crowded (even during the rain, there was a few people here and there)

I loved loved loved visiting these gardens. I often saw them described as "one of Japan's three most beautiful landscape gardens" but didn't always see what #1 and #2 were. (They are Mito's Kairakuen and Okayama's Korakuen, for the record.) The Kenrokuen gardens are spacious, offering a good hour or two to wander around. More time if you stop to sit, listen, or drink tea. There are many water features, bridges, teahouses, trees, flowers, stones, viewpoints and hidden nooks. We were there in March, so we got to see the plum blossoms and a few early cherry blossoms. I loved seeing the ways they sculpt the trees, from columns to support branches to the ropes to hold them up. It is clear many man hours go into this garden to keep it in pristine condition - in fact, I saw gardeners on their hands and knees removing small weeds, cleaning up rock stairways, and more. I'd love to spend a few months here as a volunteer student helping to maintain these gardens and learning from them!

There's not a lot you could add to all the reviews, YouTube videos, many articles, travel brochures that mention Kenrokuen as an absolute must see. All I can do is just nod my head up and down and say "hai". I'm in total agreement that this is one of the most beautiful places on earth and is maintained in an immaculate nature. When you see the groundskeepers sweeping up fallen leaves in the mossy floor than you know this shit is serious. It was a wet and cold day that I visited but I'm already booking my Shinkansen and hotel to stay in the fall and winter and next spring...crap I should just move next door.

Large exquisite JapeGarden in Kanazawa. Visit early before the crowds arrive. In my opinion, the Japanese Garden experience is degraded when one has to jostle with crowds. Garden however is expansive enough that a quieter area can always be found!

Wonderful garden. Those pine trees are couple of hundres years by taking care by maestro of the tree trimming. It should be beautiful all the year including the snow time.

Kenrokuen is probably the place you see in Japan travel brochures. The winding paths, the beautiful greenery, the carefully cultivated grounds. It is popularly known as one of the most beautiful gardens in all of Japan, and it's easy to see why. Even packed with tourists, you feel a sense of serenity when surrounded by the fluttering leaves from meticulously kept trees. Conveniently located beside another landmark (Kanazawa Castle), you can knock both out in an afternoon.If you're in a contemplative mood, you can spend that same amount of time in the gardens themselves. Wander your way through pagodas, ponds, waterfalls, high views, and stone statues. Every season offers a new experience. In the summer, everything is lush green. In the spring, cherry blossoms fill the air. In autumn, the garden takes on an orange and red hue. Like many other Japanese gardens, there's a fee to get in. The fees go to keeping the gardens clean and pretty so it's well deserved. 310 yen grants you access to potentially hours of scenic walks. While it is a wonderful natural experience, it doesn't change the fact that this is a tourist attraction. Among the winding paths, there are tons of snack and souvenir vendors. Good for a break, when you just want to sit down, enjoy the breeze through the trees, and eat a skewer of chewy mochi dango. For an added boost of tranquility, there's a tea house on site for a nice cup of matcha and some Japanese confectionery. As with most tea houses in these landmarks, there's an extra fee, but you get a beautiful traditional experience with refreshments to boot. (89/100) - 2018

Great deep tissue massages for me when my back and arms hurt. I've going there's for 4yrs.

I would recommend coming to Kenrokuen garden if you are visiting near Kanazawa and plan to spend a few hours here. The admission fee of 310 yen is well worth it. Be ready to walk as the gardens cover a large sprawling area. You can purposefully (or accidentally) get lost in this garden by just following the many paths through it. Plenty to see and take pictures of. Ponds, tea houses, statues, waterfalls, landscaping etc.. I can only imagine how much prettier it gets when the flowers are in bloom for spring or autumn.

Beautiful! Even in the winter, you can find beauty in this garden. We went in Dec 2022 on a snowy/rainy day and despite the cold and wet we still enjoyed it.

I'll probably rate all historical landmarks in Japan with 5 stars... The effort that these people put in to upkeep these sites is ridiculous (in a good way). Unfortunately, I came here on a rainy day in April so I didn't get to fully experience the beauty and serenity that this place offers, but it was still breathtaking even under the gloomy sky. This is known as one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan and situated next to the Kanazawa Castle. Although it's gone through some changes, it has been around since the 1600s! It is open all year round and admission is 310y for adults 18 and older, 100y for youth 6-17. There are several entrances (ticket offices) around the garden, and my family and I entered from the Katsurazaka Gate. Most of the cherry blossoms were in full bloom despite the rain, and were spread across the entire garden, adding beautiful variations of white and pink colors to the rich landscapes. I felt like I was traveling back in time just by walking around. I think we spent a good hour to hour and a half here, but probably would've stayed longer had it been sunny.

3.5* Kenrokuen Gardens Across from Kanazawa Castle Dozens of walking paths through the lovely gardens Tranquil ponds and bridges Teahouse and restaurant on premises

You could - easily - spend half the day just strolling around the place. The zen-like serenity, the spectacular scenery, the flowing water - sometimes quiet, sometimes rough, the paddling ducks, the pine-trees spreading out, the plum-orchard, the walkways, the quiet alcoves, the sudden vistas, the...oh, I could go on forever. I shouldn't need to however - the place speaks for itself. If you make it to Kanazawa, and don't go hear, well, you haven't made it to Kanazawa...

Immaculately maintained beautiful garden in Kanazawa, Kenrokuen is one of the three great gardens of Japan. Easy access by a loop bus from the Kanazawa train station, they were busy with tourists from all around the world when I visited. It was hot and humid but walking in the shade of trees provided some relieve with nice breeze. Tea house is located throughout selling nice cups of real green tea, sweets, cold drinks, and snacks. They are nice place to take a break. Garden is very big, comfy walking shoes are highly recommended. I saw some ladies walking around with traditional kimonos, if not for the weather, I would love to come back here wearing kagayuzen kimono someday. I saw some wedding, they looked very nice at the garden. Great place to take pictures. I saw pictures in spring, falls and winter. The garden looks different each season. I especially liked their winter picture with snow. The way they prep trees for snow was something to see. Highly recommend

During our short visit to Kanazawa (1 day, 1 night), my father wanted to visit Kenrokuen Garden. I was excited to come here since this was one of the most recommended spots to go in Kanazawa and one of Japan's three best gardens. Admission fee is 310 yen, but if you are over a certain age, it is free. We came here first thing in the morning, during the beginning of November, when the leaves were already changing colors for fall. It was a nice stroll especially since it wasn't too crowded, so we had lots of photo opportunities. I did notice that there were a few tour groups walking around and being guided in the garden. Since it's a big area, the map we received at the entrance was very helpful in making sure that we didn't get lost. There were many picturesque spots in this garden, and because we went early, not as many people crowding in our photos. While walking around, we saw some of the staff prepping some of the trees for winter. They put in these bamboo-like sticks to hold up the trees so that it wouldn't get crushed by snow. This was a beautiful stroll around the garden and ponds. It's most recommended to get a map at the entrance so that you don't go around in circles (and we saw that there are a few entrances in and out of the garden so it can be a bit more difficult to if you cannot get your bearings). If you have lots of time, we saw a few tea places inside the garden so it might be relaxing to drink tea while viewing the scenery!

This garden is considered as one of Japan's most beautiful garden and my last one to complete the mission :). We found out that they have extended the Autumn Light up Event and it was for free. I wanted to see and take picture in the most famous area but there was a long line so I just contented myself to look at it and take another angle. The garden is huge and with the light up , it gives that mysterious romantic effect. I also saw one of the oldest fountain ( See video ) and discovered that my phone can take a slow-motion video. There was also somebody playing traditional Japanese music which added to the effect. It was a great night. We left when the temperature got a little cooler :).

Kenrokuen Garden is adjacent to Kanazawa Castle with its rather expansive gardens. Kenrokuen Garden itself was quite beautiful...even in the rain. The benefit of going in the rain was of course fewer tourists. Regardless, the grounds are exceptionally well maintained. In fact there were a good dozen or so workers out in the rain pruning trees and adding gravel to the paths. It's a rather serene place and I highly recommend visiting both the gardens and the castle grounds. Of note the castle is quite modest compared to Hiroshima Castle for example. However, if one is visiting Kanazawa it is a 'must see'.

This marks my first review of a spot in Japan! If you're in Kanazawa, Kenrokuen is one of the places you must stop by. Actually, you should specifically travel to Kanazawa to come here. My family came in the beginning of January so there were no flowers, but the park was still very beautiful. As there were quite a lot of evergreens, there was still a lot of foliage in the park. You'll see a lot of trees with branches tied with these interesting contraptions. This not only makes the trees grow in unique shapes but our tour guide said it is also used to keep the branches from breaking if there's too much snow. Grab a map to know where you are going as the park is huge. We were only there for an hour and that covered only about 1/2 of the park. The street in front of the entrance is lined with souvenir shops as well as some within the park itself, so save some time for that. Also no worries about restrooms. They have some at the entrance of the park and some facilities within the park itself. No soap in the restrooms though. There were much less people during the winter, so we were all able to take beautiful pictures. Still, I would love to come back during the spring when all the flowers are blooming.

Beautiful garden but not as beautiful as I thought it would be being that it's named Japan's one of 3 perfect gardens. Regardless it's a wonderful morning scroll. Make sure you come early in the morning (open 7am between March and October and 8 am November to February) to avoid the crowd which will make your experience much less tranquil! I came during Sakura season in late March but didn't see a lot of blossoms. I think early April will be best.

This gorgeous Japanese garden in Kanazawa is worth making a trip. The entrance fee is only ¥310 and it's especially beautiful during the cherry blossom season. You can capture many great photos of this picturesque garden full of cherry blossom trees. There are small tea houses inside the garden where you can eat dango (rice cakes) and enjoy the beautiful nature. The size of the garden is relatively big so prepared to spend 40min - 1 hour. From Kanazawa station, it's about 10 min ride by bus (¥200). I recommend getting 金沢周遊一日フリー乗車券(Kanazawa loop bus one day pass) for ¥500.

Kenrokuen is one of Japan's top three most beautiful gardens. The garden's scenery was spectacular. It included traditional ponds, fountains, waterfalls, stone bridges, lanterns, tea houses and all sorts of amazing trees.

Came here in mid-February and there wasn't much snow on the ground (only patches in some area). The park was pretty big and there are nice sceneries. Must grab the map on the go so that you could take note of the entrance (3 entrances for this garden). Unfortunately there wasn't much flowers blooming at the time I was there and it was drizzling now and then but you could capture the blue skies at the right time :) Strolling around the garden was pretty amazing experience. I managed to find some stores nearby to take a look at what they offer (souvenirs, snacks, etc). And if you notice the vending machine offers different drinks. The tour guide had arranged for dining (lunch) and we were welcomed with the dishes placed neatly at the tables when we arrived. The food wasn't much but the sauces they offered were pretty flavorful. They also provided quite a range of seafood choices and you could opt for vegetarian or special meal request too. The dining space was big and it was located at the basement of a shop. You would have to place your shoes in the racks provided before stepping down the steps. It is japanese dining style and the arrangement was pretty organized even though we come in a group of 24 people. Overall, it is a nice place to visit if you are around the area. But do take note of the seasons of when the flower will bloom ;)

A lovely garden in the middle of Kanazawa that has all kinds of ponds, statues, etc. Very peaceful and relaxing in the late spring when all the trees had bloomed and green was everywhere. We used our JR Rail Passes (which give you unlimited use of the bullet trains) to make this a day trip. Kanazawa is about 2.5 hours from Tokyo. We left at 8, arrived at 10:30, explored the town and returned at 4 or so, which is more than enough time to shop and see the main sights.

We've been to a few traditional Japanese style gardens in Japan and like this one the most so far, it's not necessarily the largest but is very well landscaped and pretty.

After a friend recommended this beautiful garden, we added Kanazawa to our annual Japan trip and took the Shinkansen to visit the city for 2 days We took a JR bus at post #4 right outside the Kanazawa Terminal (free with our JR Pass) to reach it - bus stopped right across the street from the entrance. Adult admission to garden/park is 310 yen (free for age 65 and over with proof).This highly acclaimed garden did not disappoint. It's nicely manicured and maintained. We could see workers pruning trees and well-placed stakes supporting branches. The vast garden was not too crowded. We used the paper map guide provided to navigate through the high points - there're so many: and they are explained on sign posts staked close by. It was very calming and some leaves had started turning to fall color making the scenery more poetic especially near the lake. Thinking back we should have planned better and toured in a more methodical fashion. Instead, our random walk resulted in our going in circles even with the map. Eventually we reached the bridge to cross into the Kanazawa Castle Park. This park with its magnificent White Castle is huge and spacious with great open field.

It's a World Heritage Site and one of Japan's top three parks. The grounds are well-kept, the air smells lovely, and the sakura in bloom are beautiful. There is a souvenir shop and snack stand here that sells a variety of mochi treats on a stick. The sakura mochi with anko was pretty good, but the yakimochi wrapped in nori was savory and UH-mazing. The souvenir shop sells a variety of Kanazawa-themed goods; I recommend the gold leaf packets and jars, especially the edible ones. (Look for 食用 on the container--this means edible.) Things to watch out for: - The gravel paths will make your shoes dusty. Do not wear expensive shoes here. - If you see a stone wrapped in rope cord on the other side of a bamboo barrier, do not proceed down that path. The corded stone is a long-used symbol to mark that holiness lies ahead and normal people should keep out. 10/10 would get engaged here again. (Hoping I won't have to but still, great place to get proposed to!)

Well, I went there during December.. If you have the choice, I suggest you go in any other season.. The reason is that trees have wires for the illumination, and they kind of get in your way visually.. Otherwise, I wouldn't miss this place.