Kanazawa is a city with about half a million people, hanging out on the Sea of Japan side (while Tokyo is over on the Pacific like, “Hi from the other beach!”). It rains here A LOT… like 250 days a year. They even have a saying: “You can forget your lunch, but never your umbrella.” Honestly, the umbrellas here are probably treated better than pets.

Two rivers run through the town:

• The Asano River (the “girl river” 💁‍♀️)
• The Sai River (the “boy river” 💁‍♂️

Yes… even the rivers are gendered. Japan does not mess around.

Kanazawa also had a big earthquake a couple years ago 😬 but the city is still standing strong!

Now here’s where it gets WEIRD (in a fun way):

There’s an old legend that says if you zigzag across the seven bridges of the girl river at midnight on the equinox (March or September)… while wearing brand new underwear… you won’t need adult diapers when you’re old.

Is this true? Who knows. Is it hilarious? Absolutely. Is it on Google? Nope

🥩 Fancy Cow Alert

This area is famous for Noto beef, which is a type of Wagyu beef. These cows live better lives than most humans:

• They get beer 🍺
• They get massages 💆‍♀️

No wonder they taste amazing.

🦀 The Market = Food Wonderland

Like most Japanese towns, Kanazawa has a huge market (basically a food carnival):

• Tons of seafood, veggies, spices, and random delicious things
• ELEVEN kinds of crab 🦀 (yes, eleven!)
• Blue crab is the superstar (Sept–March season)
• Missing a crab leg? Discount! (Poor crab… good deal though 😅)

Also, fruit here tastes like it’s been turned up to MAX flavor compared to the U.S. 🍓🍊

Bonus cool rule: if a vendor sells food, they have to give you a place to sit and eat it. Snack responsibly!

🎎 Geisha Time (Not What You Think!)

We visited the geisha district where traditional houses still stand.

Geishas are NOT prostitutes (big myth—wrong!). It’s actually a 200-year-old art profession.

Today there are only about 35 geishas left in Kanazawa (in 5 houses 😮).

They used to entertain only men, but since 1980, women can join the fun too.

Their motto?

“What happens in a geisha house… stays in a geisha house.” 👀

☔ Umbrella Artist = Real-Life Wizard

We met an artist who hand-makes umbrellas (yes, like a magical umbrella wizard 🪄):

• Made from super-strong Japanese paper
• Coated in sesame oil (yep, like salad dressing but not 😄)
• Then lacquered to make it rainproof

After using it, you don’t fully close it—and somehow it closes itself later. Basically… it’s alive. Of course, we each bought one.

🤓 Random Fun Facts

• The waving cat you see inAsian restaurants
  • Left paw = welcome 👋
  • Right paw = money 💰
  • BOTH paws = uh oh… bankrupt 😆
• Kanazawa makes 100% of Japan’s gold leaf ✨
• People don’t like cutting down pine or cherry trees 🌸 because they believe good spirits live in them

🍽️ Dinner = DIY Chef Mode

We ended the day at a cozy little restaurant where we cooked our own beef and veggies right at the table (basically dinner + entertainment 🔥). Add some plum wine… and boom—perfect ending to a very quirky day in Kanazawa 🍷