[2025 Kanazawa Attraction] Travel Guide for Motenashi Dome (Updated Jul)

I happened to visit there to meet a Japanese woman I knew at the time. She is now my girlfriend, but I am grateful that this city gave us such a wonderful trip that she became my girlfriend! Everything was great, from the historical sites to the food! In particular, the white roof of Kanazawa Castle blended so well with the surrounding scenery and was so pretty. If I have the chance, I want to visit there again and meet my girlfriend!

Kanazawa Station is the central railway station in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and is a convenient base for sightseeing. The two buildings in the station building, the "Hospitality Dome" and "Drum Gate," are particularly noteworthy. The Motenashi Dome features a beautiful large roof made of glass and iron, and its design is almost like art. On the other hand, the Drum Gate is a gate modeled after a giant drum, and symbolizes the traditional culture of Kanazawa. There are many tourist attractions around the station. Historical sites such as Kenrokuen and Kanazawa Castle Park are within walking distance. The nearby "Higashi Chaya District" and "Samurai Residences" are also popular, and you can enjoy the atmosphere of Kanazawa. There are also many souvenir shops and restaurants inside the station, where you can enjoy local specialties such as Kanazawa curry and seafood dishes. It is easily accessible, and is a hub station where the Hokuriku Shinkansen and conventional lines intersect. It is the perfect place to start your sightseeing in Kanazawa. #DomesticTravelRecord

#Sakura2024 In addition to being used for regular transportation, this railway station in Kanazawa was also honored as one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world by an American travel magazine in 2011. This station was built in 1898 and was renovated in 2005 by architect Ryuzo Shirae. The design style is futuristic architecture, but it also contains details that reflect local art in a unique way. Kanazawa Station is notable for the Motenashi Dome, located at the east exit. The name of this dome means “welcoming,” so the concept was to design it like an umbrella to provide shade for people walking out of the station. The structure of this dome is a steel frame that is interlocked together and connected with clear glass to protect from rain and snow. In the center of the area is a pond that provides a shady feeling, surrounded by flower pots and stylish seating. In front of the dome is a striking red gate that looks like a torii gate. It is called the Tsuzumi-mon wooden gate, which means Drum Gate because it was intentionally designed to resemble the drums used in Noh theater, which is a traditional art form of this city. There are quite a few shops inside the train station. Shopaholics should set aside some time to walk around because many of the shops here have beautiful and exquisite handicrafts. Even though we are not usually shopaholics, we still ended up spending money here. In front of the station, there are bus stops for both intercity buses in this region and the red Loop Bus that runs to tourist attractions around Kanazawa.