Walk Kanazawa's old districts
Kanazawa escaped wartime bombing, so its geisha quarters, samurai streets and one of Japan's great gardens survive. FOG keeps the map dark until you walk it, and its compact centre is a joy to clear.
Garden and castle
Kenroku-en is considered one of the three great gardens of Japan, with ponds, streams, stone lanterns and trees supported by ropes in winter. It sits beside Kanazawa Castle Park, with restored gates and turrets.
Nearby, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is a low glass circle with free public areas.
Old districts
Higashi Chaya is a geisha district of wooden teahouses with latticed fronts, across the Asano river. Nagamachi, on the other side of the centre, is a samurai district of earthen walls and narrow lanes along a canal.
Omicho Market, near the centre, sells seafood from the Sea of Japan. A day: the market, the castle, Kenroku-en, the museum, then Nagamachi and across to Higashi Chaya at dusk.
Coverage
Kanazawa's centre is small and walkable. The old districts have narrow lanes that fill as fine lines.
It rains and snows often. Winters are cold and the gardens are beautiful under snow.
Share the shape you walked
After a proper walk FOG can offer a walk card: the shape of the route you just covered in Kanazawa, ready to post as a square, a story or the bare shape. The lifetime card shows the area you have unfogged, the distance travelled and how much of the city you have lit.
It all runs on your phone with no account and no cloud. Choose kilometres in Settings, pick a fog colour (Midnight, Abyss, Violet, Ember or Slate) and a density, and walk. Exploring is free, and one purchase of FOG Unlimited opens every rank, every path and Google Timeline and GPX import.
Questions people actually ask
Is Kanazawa walkable?
Yes. The garden, castle, market and old districts are all within walking distance.
What is Higashi Chaya?
A historic geisha district of wooden teahouses in Kanazawa.
Is there a subscription?
No. Exploring is free and FOG Unlimited is a single purchase. There is never a subscription.
Start with a dark map.
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