Standing under the big glass roof of Kyoto Station, with the smell of broth drifting down from the ramen floor and the tower lit up outside, travelers realize the same thing: the next stop on their list sits on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu. Kanazawa, a city of gardens, old merchant lanes and lacquer and gold leaf, is reached by rail, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen is the line that now carries you there.
How do you get from Kyoto to Kanazawa?
You get from Kyoto to Kanazawa by train, leaving from Kyoto Station and finishing on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the high-speed line that serves Kanazawa. Kyoto Station is on the Tokaido Shinkansen, which is why so many itineraries start there and connect on to the rest of the country. The Hokuriku line is a separate Shinkansen, run jointly by JR East and JR West, and it is the one that takes you into Ishikawa Prefecture.
Starting at Kyoto Station
Kyoto Station is a destination in its own right. The building holds a full floor of ramen restaurants, an Isetan department store, a theater and a Granvia hotel, so a last bowl of noodles or a last bit of shopping fits easily before you leave. Kyoto Tower stands a few steps from the main entrance, and its white shape is visible across the city.
If you still have a morning free, Kyoto’s shrines and temples are the thing to see first. Visitors are encouraged to go at less crowded moments, such as early morning, or late evening when the grounds are lit. Travelers fit one last temple into the start of the day, then walk back to the station with their luggage.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen and where it goes
The Hokuriku Shinkansen links Tokyo with Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region. Its first section opened on 1 October 1997, ahead of the Nagano Winter Olympics. It was extended from Nagano to Kanazawa on 14 March 2015, and a further extension from Kanazawa to Tsuruga opened on 16 March 2024.
Four types of service run on the line: Kagayaki, Hakutaka, Tsurugi and Asama. The trains are 12-car E7 and W7 series sets, built to cope with the changes in electrical frequency the line passes through on its way across Honshu. On the platform at Kanazawa you step into a station that has become one of the main gateways to the Sea of Japan coast.
What happened to the Thunderbird
Older guidebooks and blog posts often describe the limited express Thunderbird as the way to reach Kanazawa from Kyoto. That service ended between Tsuruga and Kanazawa on 15 March 2024, when the Shinkansen extension opened. If a source tells you to board a Thunderbird for Kanazawa, it was written before that change.
The practical result is that the final stretch into Kanazawa is now a Shinkansen ride. Trains in Japan have a reputation for running exactly on time, so a connection between the Tokaido line and the Hokuriku line can be planned to the minute once you have your timetable in hand.
Which options are there?
Each suits a different kind of traveler, and the pass has some very particular limits that are worth reading before you plan around it.
The Hokuriku Area Pass
The Hokuriku Area Pass is a West JR pass for the Hokuriku region, and it gives unlimited rides only in Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures. Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa, so the city sits inside the area.
A holder must have a passport issued by a foreign government. The pass is for non-reserved seats on the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tsuruga and Kurobe-Unazukionsen, and on limited express trains, rapid services and local trains on JR-West conventional lines.
| Pass holder | Hokuriku Area Pass (4-day) |
|---|---|
| Adult (12 or over) | 7,000 yen |
| Child (6-11) | 3,500 yen |
An adult or child pass holder can bring up to two children aged 1 to 5 along for free. From the third child onward, each needs a child’s rail pass. On the Hokuriku Shinkansen inside the valid area, a GranClass seat needs a separate GranClass ticket on top of the pass.
What the pass does not cover
The pass does not work on the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Kurobe-Unazukionsen and Tokyo. Buses are limited too: it is valid only on West Japan JR Bus route buses within the valid area and cannot be used on expressway buses.
Three private railway stretches come with conditions. On the IR Ishikawa Railway between Kanazawa and Tsubata, you must ride local or limited express trains and cover the full segment, with no getting off at intermediate stations.
On the Ainokaze Toyama Railway between Toyama and Takaoka, the same full-segment rule applies and only local trains count. On the Hapi-Line Fukui, the pass works only between Echizen-Hanando and Fukui, and extending beyond those stations is not covered.
Local and rapid trains
Local trains in Japan stop at every station, which makes them suited to short distances, and a slow ride gives you time to watch the towns go by. Rapid trains skip the smaller stations and do not require a supplement. In the Hokuriku region these are the trains that fill the gaps between the Shinkansen stops, and they are among the services the Area Pass accepts on JR-West lines.
What should you know before you travel from Kyoto to Kanazawa?
Know that the Shinkansen line to Kanazawa is a newer arrangement than much of the older advice online, and know what Kanazawa itself offers once you step off the train. The city rewards a stay that is built around its garden, its castle grounds and its evenings.
What Kanazawa is like
Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, set on a narrow strip of land along the Sea of Japan. During the Edo period it was one of the most important cultural and artistic centers in Japan, and it remains a destination for people who love art and crafts. After the temple-filled streets of Kyoto, its atmosphere feels like a different chapter of the same story, with craft workshops, tea houses and gold leaf in the shops.
A walking day here naturally gathers around the old districts and the garden. Pair a morning among traditional wooden houses with a long, unhurried lunch of local seafood, and keep the evening for the lights.
Kenrokuen Garden and the castle park
Kenrokuen is one of Japan’s most iconic landscape gardens, with ponds, stone lanterns, pines held up by rope supports in winter and paths that curve around each view. The garden has free admission, and Kanazawa Castle Park next door is also part of the city’s draw. Both are illuminated at night, as promoted by the Kanazawa Tourist Information Guide, so you can see them by day and again after dark.
| Site | Admission |
|---|---|
| Kenrokuen Garden | Free |
Moving around once you are there
In Japan, traffic moves on the left side of the road, a habit that matters when you cross streets or if you ever look at a car. Road signs can be hard to read if you do not know Japanese, which is one more reason visitors stay on trains and on foot in the city center. Rail stations, by contrast, are where the signs and the rhythm of the timetable are easy to follow.
Good to know before you go
Keep your pass and any tickets at hand when you reach the gates, since the rules on intermediate stations and segments matter on a few private lines. Beyond that, the habits that serve you in Kyoto serve you in Kanazawa: shoes come off at the entrance of a ryokan, and a quiet voice on the train is the norm.
Sources
- West Japan Railway Company, Hokuriku Area Pass (https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/hokuriku/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Hokuriku Shinkansen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokuriku_Shinkansen), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Kyoto (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/kyoto/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Kanazawa (https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/hokuriku-shinetsu/ishikawa/kanazawa-and-around/), checked October 11, 2026
- Kanazawa Tourist Information Guide (https://www.kanazawa-tourism.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Japan travel information, travel and transportation (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Japan.html), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, trains and buses (https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/how-to-travel-by-train-and-bus-in-japan/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, traveling by rail (https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/traveling-by-rail/), checked October 11, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Kyoto: Cherry Blossoms, Autumn Leaves, Weather by Month and Festivals
- Things to Do in Kyoto: Temples, Gardens, Food and Day Trips
- Where to Stay in Kyoto: Kyoto Station, Central and Eastern Districts, and Ryokan Stays
- Know Before You Go to Kyoto: Entry, Money, Getting Around and Local Etiquette