Kanazawa December 2025: Christmas Market, Winter Illuminations & New Year Shrine Experiences Guide
Kanazawa is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture. During the Edo era, it flourished as Japan's fourth-largest city, and even today it is cherished as a city where history and culture live on.
Kanazawa's average temperature in December is 6°C (42°F), which is chilly, and the city is also known for snowfall. The snow accumulation makes Kanazawa's historic townscape even more beautiful. This guide introduces Kanazawa events in December 2025 by genre. Please use this as a reference for planning your sightseeing trip.
Table of Contents
-Beautiful Illumination Events That Color Kanazawa in December
-The Kanazawa Christmas Market You Can Enjoy in December Is Also the Author's Recommendation
-Experience Traditional Japanese New Year at Shrines and Temples in Kanazawa
Beautiful Illumination Events That Color Kanazawa in December
We will introduce three illumination events that color Kanazawa in December. All of these events are held in the center of Kanazawa, so please visit all three and enjoy Kanazawa's winter nights.
Korinbo Tree Fantasy
Source:Kanazawa Tourism Official
"Korinbo Tree Fantasy" is celebrating its 39th year and has become a winter tradition in Kanazawa. Along the main street, 29 zelkova trees are adorned with 80,000 light bulbs, illuminating a 250-meter stretch with a romantic spectacle.
The silver-shining illumination looks just like sparkling snow, and I feel the arrival of winter every time I see this scenery. The areas near the bus stops on both sides are particularly dense with illumination lights, making them my favorite spots for taking Instagram-worthy photos.
Korinbo is Kanazawa's representative entertainment district, a lively area lined with many restaurants. With the illumination lit until midnight, I also recommend enjoying the nightlife while strolling through the beautifully lit townscape.
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Schedule: November 1, 2025 – February 15, 2026
Lighting Hours: 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Venue: Korinbo
Access: Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus from JR Kanazawa Station, get off at "Korinbo"
Admission Fee: Free
Website: https://www.kanazawa-kankoukyoukai.or.jp/event/detail_50480.html
Katamachi Christmas Tree & Yukitsuri Illumination
Source:Kanazawa Tourism Official
At the plaza of "KATAMACHI KIRARA," a shopping mall popular with young people, illuminations are also held every year. Until the Christmas period, a 10-meter-tall Christmas tree appears, decorated with 20,000 illumination bulbs that adorn the tree gorgeously.
The tree, decorated with stars and colorful spherical ornaments, shines with vibrant LEDs in white and champagne colors at night, bringing warmth to Kanazawa's cold winter nights.
After Christmas, through February, the decorations change to "Yukitsuri," which protects trees from snow. Ten thousand beautiful white LEDs shine like snow, making the winter Kanazawa landscape even more beautiful.
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-Schedule: November 2025 – February 2026 (planned)
-Hours: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM
-Venue: Kata-Machi
-Access: Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus from JR Kanazawa Station, get off at "Kata-Machi"
-Admission Fee: Free
Website: https://www.kanazawa-kankoukyoukai.or.jp/event/detail_50486.html
Gold Leaf Yukitsuri Light-Up
Source:Kanazawa Tourism Official
Illuminations are also held around Omicho Market, Kanazawa's kitchen. Yukitsuri is a traditional technique that uses rope and wire to protect trees from snow. This scenery is a winter tradition commonly seen in the Hokuriku area around Kanazawa, enriching the winter landscape even more.
In Omicho's light-up, traditional craft gold leaf is used for the Yukitsuri, allowing you to feel the gorgeous traditional beauty of Kanazawa. While Omicho is bustling with a lively market during the day, at night a calm atmosphere flows through the town. The illuminations shining within create a scene like stars twinkling in the night sky. Please enjoy the charm of Omicho at night, which is different from the daytime.
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-Schedule: October 2025 – February 2026 (planned)
-Lighting Hours: 4:45 PM – 10:00 PM
-Venue: Around Omi-Cho Market
-Access: Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus from JR Kanazawa Station, get off immediately at "Musashigatsuji-Omi-cho Market"
-Admission Fee: Free
-Website: https://www.kanazawa-kankoukyoukai.or.jp/event/detail_50479.html
To Deeply Enjoy Kanazawa's Beautiful Townscape, Go Sightseeing While Listening to a Local Guide's Explanations!
If you want to sightsee Kanazawa efficiently, why not participate in a tour provided by Magical Trip? On the tour, you'll visit representative spots of Kanazawa together with a friendly guide who is knowledgeable about local culture and history.
The tour starts from Kanazawa's kitchen, Omicho Market. In this market where you can taste one-hand gourmet foods perfect for eating while walking, you can enjoy iconic Kanazawa flavors loved by locals. Kenroku-en and Kanazawa Castle, which are also introduced in this article, as well as Higashi Chaya, which symbolizes the prosperity during the Edo era, are included in the route, so you can deeply appreciate that Kanazawa is a historic city.
The tour includes lunch packed with Kanazawa's culinary delights and a matcha tea experience at a tea house. This is a tour I confidently recommend, where you can experience Kanazawa's charm with all your senses.
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-Meeting Point: Family Mart + Drugstore Komeya Kanazawa Musashi Store
-Tour Area: Kanazawa City
-Start Time: 10:00 AM
The Kanazawa Christmas Market You Can Enjoy in December Is Also the Author's Recommendation
Source:Official website
The Christmas Market held in the underground plaza (Motenashi Dome) at Kanazawa Station's symbolic "Tsuzumimon Gate" is one of the most recommended events representing Kanazawa in December 2025. Beyond shopping, you can enjoy stage events, prize drawings, and greetings with Santa Claus, all creating a lively Christmas atmosphere.
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-Date: December 6-7, 2025
-Venue: Motenashi Dome (Kanazawa Station) underground plaza
-Access: 1-minute walk from JR Kanazawa Station
-Admission: Free
-Website: https://kanazawa-xmas.jimdosite.com/
-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanazawa_xmas/
Approximately 100 Shops Line Up - A Remarkable Volume Among Kanazawa Events
Source:Official website
The Kanazawa Christmas Market is one of the largest-scale events in the Hokuriku area, featuring approximately 100 shops. While Christmas Markets typically conjure images of glühwein and Christmas decorations being sold, this Kanazawa event December 2025 allows you to experience Kanazawa's charm first and foremost.
This marché event has a strong local character, with local gourmet food, handmade crafts, and relaxation shops lined up. The appeal of this event is that you can enjoy shopping while interacting with the shop owners. With workshops and Santa Claus gift distributions for children, it's also recommended for families.
You Can Purchase Various Souvenirs Centered on Miscellaneous Goods and Local Food
Source:Official website
At the event, various products are displayed, including local food and miscellaneous goods. A distinctive feature is the abundance of products that showcase each shop owner's personality, allowing you to encounter unique items you can only find here. Last year, 25 food booths lined up, offering biryani, curry, flavored Cotton Candy, and more, making food-stall hopping enjoyable.
At the handmade booths, original accessories and miscellaneous goods by local artisans are displayed. These handcrafted items made with the creator's heart offer a warmth that mass-produced products cannot provide. Additionally, at the handmade booths, workshops are held where you can not only purchase products but also experience creating works yourself. You can purchase a one-of-a-kind souvenir that will remain in your memories.
Held Underground, So You Can Enjoy Shopping Comfortably
Source:Official website
Kanazawa's average December temperature is lower compared to Tokyo and Osaka, reaching only about 6℃ (42℉) during the day, and even on warmer days, it only rises to around 10℃ (50℉). Additionally, there are many cloudy days, and snow or rain often falls.
One of this event's attractions is that because it's held underground, you can enjoy shopping in a warm space without worrying about the weather, even during the chilly and rainy December season. This winter event warms both your heart and body as you enjoy interactions with warm-hearted people—truly a recommended Kanazawa event for December 2025 for tourists visiting the area.
Experience Traditional Japanese New Year at Shrines and Temples in Kanazawa
If you're spending the year-end and New Year period in Kanazawa, celebrating at shrines and temples is highly recommended. In Japan, there's a cultural tradition of visiting shrines and temples from New Year's Eve night to express gratitude for safely completing the year and to make wishes for the new year.
This culture dates back to the Heian era (794~), originating from the custom where the head of the household would stay overnight at a shrine to pray for a bountiful harvest and family safety in the coming year.
While shrines are usually enveloped in silence at night, on New Year's Eve, shrines and temples are illuminated with lights and bustling with visitors. At some shrines, food stalls line up, creating a festive atmosphere for the new year. This Kanazawa event December 2025 offers a perfect opportunity to experience the traditional Japanese way of celebrating the year-end and New Year, filled with both vibrancy and tradition.
Oyama Shrine
Oyama Shrine enshrines Maeda Toshiie (1539-1599), who greatly contributed to Kanazawa's development. Known as the lord of Kanazawa Castle, he is beloved by locals.
The shrine was established in 1873 during the Meiji era, and its gate, the "Shinmon," is registered as a National Important Cultural Property. The Shinmon, with its impressive stained glass, incorporates Chinese and Western elements and is cherished as a symbol of Kanazawa alongside Kenrokuen.
During the year-end and New Year period, Oyama Shrine attracts many visitors. Food stalls line up, allowing you to enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional Japanese festival (Ennichi). The illuminated stained glass radiates a warm glow, creating an atmosphere that seems to gently watch over the beginning of the new year.
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Access: Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus from JR Kanazawa Station, get off at "Minami-Cho Oyama Jinja Shrine," immediately accessible
Closed: None
Phone: 076-231-7210
Official Website: http://www.oyama-jinja.or.jp/
Ishiura Shrine
Source:Google Maps
Ishiura Shrine is the oldest shrine in Kanazawa. It is said to have been established 1,500 years ago, and according to the oldest theory, it has been at this location for 2,200 years. It's popular as a power spot for matchmaking and relationships, especially beloved by women.
The charm of this shrine also lies in enjoying its cute and photogenic spaces. With red Torii gates reminiscent of Kyoto's Fushimi Inari and adorable flowers floating in the water basin (Chozuya) where visitors purify their hands before worship, I found myself absorbed in photography.
"Kima-chan," a character modeled after dogs and rabbits who are messengers of the gods, is the shrine's popular mascot, and if you're lucky, you might encounter someone in a Kima-chan costume at the moment the new year arrives.
If you want to welcome the year-end and New Year in a cute and soothing space, please visit this shrine.
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-Access: Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus from JR Kanazawa Station, get off at "Kenrokuen Garden," approximately 5-minute walk
-Closed: None
-Phone: 076-231-3314
-Official Website: https://www.ishiura.jp/
Kanazawa Shrine
Kanazawa Shrine was established in 1794 and is located inside Kenroku-en. The shrine enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, an ancestor of Maeda Toshiie, and is beloved as a deity of learning and protection from disasters.
The "Mizu Mikuji," a fortune slip where results appear when dipped in water, is also popular and recommended for testing your luck in the new year.
Kenroku-en is also known as one of Japan's Three Great Gardens. During the year-end and New Year period, it operates all night, allowing visitors to enjoy nighttime strolls. On New Year's Day in Kanazawa, it often snows, and Kenroku-en covered in nighttime snow offers a fantastical atmosphere like another world. Please enjoy this special time that can only be experienced during the year-end and New Year period.
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-Address: Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus from JR Kanazawa Station, get off at "Kenrokuen Garden," approximately 5-minute walk
-Closed: None
-Phone: 076-261-0502
-Official Website: https://www.kanazawa-jj.or.jp/en/
Kinken-gu Shrine
Kinken-gu Shrine is famous as one of Japan's foremost power spots for financial fortune. Business owners and celebrities from all over the country visit this shrine to pray for success, and the amulets for financial fortune are particularly popular.
The shrine's establishment is said to date back to 95 BCE, and the grounds at the foot of the mountain are enveloped in quiet forest. Although it takes about an hour by train from central Kanazawa city, when I stepped into the grounds surrounded by abundant nature, I felt the air change and my mind becoming quietly calm.
On New Year's Day, snow often accumulates, so being able to worship in a sacred snowy landscape is also an attractive feature. When you visit Kanazawa, please visit Kinken-gu Shrine to seek improved financial fortune.
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-Access: Take the Hokuriku Railroad Ishikawa line from Kanazawa Station, get off at "Tsurugi Station," approximately 15-minute walk
-Closed: None
-Phone: 076-272-0131
Enjoy Kanazawa's Exquisite Food at Locally Popular Restaurants with Local Guides!
To fully appreciate Kanazawa's culinary attractions as a gourmet city, why not participate in the Night Gourmet Tour hosted by Magical Trip in the evening?
This tour visits three locally popular restaurants with a guide knowledgeable about local food culture and history.
Kanazawa is known as a city where you can taste high-quality cuisine with meticulous preparation for each dish, which has been passed down as traditional cuisine. The tour's unique appeal is that you can casually enjoy upscale restaurants that might be difficult to enter on your own.
The second restaurant is located in an area with traditional townscapes, where you can enjoy warm simmered dishes including Oden, perfect for winter. The third stop is a bar where you can sample local sake. They'll teach you recommended ways to drink and pairings, making this tour content perfect for sake lovers as well. Please join the tour to fully enjoy Kanazawa's culinary delights.
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-Meeting Point: In front of Korinbo Ramoda Bld.
-Tour Area: Kanazawa city Korinbo
-Start Time: 18:00
