By bus
Several bus companies make runs from Tokyo to Kanazawa. JR Bus runs two daytime buses and two night buses run from Shinjuku and Ikebukuro more runs added on Weekends and Holidays. One bus also runs at night from Tokyo Station. The cost for all of these buses is the same ¥7840 each way and the trip takes about 8 1/2 hours.
Discount bus operators Willer Express (http://willerexpress.com/...), Star Express and Hope Tour (https://nrsv.hope-tour.co.jp/) operate buses from Shinjuku to Kanazawa; fares start at ¥5000 each way. Overnight services are available.
JR Bus runs four daytime trips to/from Osaka, taking 4 3/4 hours, and an overnight service, taking 7 hours. The cost is ¥4300 one-way.
From Kyoto to Kanazawa, several bus companies for example Keihan, JR, Hokutetsu run about 5 times a day. The trip takes 4 hours and the one-way fare is ¥4,060.
By plane
The nearest airport serving Kanazawa is in the city of Komatsu IATA: KMQ. JAL offers flights into Komatsu Airport from Tokyo Haneda Airport, and from Okinawa. ANA flies into Komatsu from Tokyo Haneda and Narita Airports, as well as Sapporo Chitose, Sendai and Fukuoka. Internationally, Komatsu serves Seoul four times a week and Shanghai three times a week.
From Komatsu airport, buses run directly to Kanazawa 50 minutes, ¥1100. Or you could take a bus to Komatsu Station and a JR train from there, which is somewhat cheaper and, depending on your luck with connections, not much longer. Taxis are frequent though not cheap, and there are several rental car places in the area.
By train
Kanazawa's train station, a futuristic marvel that integrates a traditional wooden temple gate with glass and steel, is on the West Japan Railway's Hokuriku Line.
From Tokyo Station, there are two routes that can be used to reach Kanazawa. One way is to take the hourly Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari train and transfer at Maibara ç±³å to the Shirasagi ãããã limited express for the run to Kanazawa. This takes approximately 4 1/4 hours, and a regular ticket for this run costs around ¥15000. The journey is fully covered under the Japan Rail Pass. In addition, this route allows the lucky traveller a glimpse of Mount Fuji when the clouds are kind enough not to obstruct the view.
The other route is to take a Joetsu Shinkansen train Toki, Max Toki, Tanigawa or Max Tanigawa to Echigo-Yuzawa è¶å¾æ¹¯æ²¢ and change to the Hakutaka ã¯ããã to get to Kanazawa. This northerly route takes four hours and a regular ticket is much cheaper at around ¥13000. A portion of this journey is on the non-JR Hokuetsu Railway between Echigo-Yuzawa and Naoetsu; Japan Rail Pass holders will have to pay a ¥1450 surcharge each way. The JR East Rail Pass will cover both the Shinkansen and the Hakutaka as far as Naoetsu; beyond that it costs ¥5500 to continue the journey on the Hakutaka to Kanazawa.
A third route exists by taking the Joetsu Shinkansen further to Nagaoka é·å²¡ and changing to a limited express there. While this particular journey is also covered under the Rail Pass, express trains from Nagaoka are very sparse, whereas journeys to Kanazawa via Maibara or Echigo-Yuzawa are more frequent.
Frequent Thunderbird ãµã³ãã¼ãã¼ã and RaichÅ é·é³¥ limited express trains run to Kanazawa from Osaka and Kyoto in Kansai. The one-way ride from Osaka lasts around 2 1/2 hours on the fastest service and costs ¥7640 No charge for Japan Rail Pass holders.
Kanazawa is a morning stop on the Twilight Express ãã¯ã¤ã©ã¤ãã¨ã¯ã¹ãã¬ã¹ from Sapporo and Nihonkai æ¥æ¬æµ· train from Aomori.
By car
Kanazawa is served by the Hokuriku Expressway, which runs through the western edge of the city. It has three interchanges: Kanazawa East and Kanazawa West feed into National Route 8, and Kanazawa Morimoto feeds into the Mountainside Loop Road å±±å´ç°ç¶ç· Yamagawa kanjÅ-sen. The cost for a normal car from Kyoto-East via Maibara is Â¥5500, and the distance is 245 km to Kanazawa West. From Osaka, Â¥6850 and 296 km; Niigata Â¥6350 and 293 km. From the capital city, expect Â¥11,800 and 585 km.
The national Route 8 is also a good option for those on a budget or who wish to take a leisurely trip, stopping off to see various sights along the way. It is four-lane for much of the way, and so passing those slow old farmers in their white mini-trucks is actually possible. There are other routes into the city, such as via the base of Hakusan, or over the hills from Toyama prefecture.