Kanazawa Station is housed inside a well-organized, modern building which also contains many shops, restaurants, and also a hotel. On either side of the building are pleasant plazas which are popular meeting spots and the design of the east plaza in particular with its huge gate and dome has made the station itself a popular tourist attraction.
In this article we will introduce the most useful facilities in Kanazawa Station and explain their locations. Because the station building is not too big you will find it very easy to find everything you need.
The East Gate entrance to Kanazawa Station
Table of Contents
General Orientation
Kanazawa Station has two main exits: the Kenrokuen Exit, also called the East Gate or East Exit, and the Kanazawa Port Exit, also called the West Gate or West Exit. A central concourse runs in a straight line between them. All of the station building’s facilities are on either side of this concourse, with most railway facilities on the south side. To learn more about the railway facilities you can read our article Kanazawa Station Map – Finding Your Way.
The central concourse
A large part of the station building is also taken up by a shopping mall called Hyakubangai. This has three main sections: Anto on the south side of the central concourse, Rinto on the north side, and Anto Nishi at the west end of the building. As well as shops, restaurants, and market stalls, several useful facilities are contained inside the Rinto, Anto, and Anto Nishi sections.
Tourist Information
Outside the Tourist Information Center
The Tourist Information Center is located on the north side of the concourse in the Rinto section, and very close to the East Exit. Here you can pick up free maps, bus timetables, and event information, get help booking hotels, and even borrow an umbrella if it is raining. One section of the inquiry counter is staffed by English-speaking volunteers from the Kanazawa Goodwill Guide Network. This network also offers a free guide service for major tourist districts in Kanazawa. City guide reservations are accepted from 2 months to 2 weeks before the desired date, and there is also a free walk-in guide service for Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen Garden from 9:30 to 15:30, except during the New Year holiday period.
The Tourist Information counter
The Tourist Information Center also has a same-day luggage delivery service. You can buy a baggage delivery ticket at the information counter and then leave your luggage at the Hands-Free Travel counter. Fees are charged per item: 700 yen for accommodation in Kanazawa City, including Yuwaku and Fukatani Onsen, 900 yen for Kaga and Noto destinations in Ishikawa Prefecture, and 1,200 yen for Awara City in Fukui Prefecture. Reception times and scheduled delivery times vary by destination, and some lodgings, such as rental houses without a front desk, may not be eligible. Credit cards, transport IC cards, and e-money can be used for payment.
Opening Hours: 8.30 – 20.00
Popular Hotels near Kanazawa Station
Foreign Currency Exchange
Nippon Travel Agency
There is a Travelex foreign currency exchange counter located inside Nippon Travel Agency TiS Kanazawa, which is on the north side of the concourse in the Rinto section.
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 14:00, 15:00 – 18:00
Lost or Found
Kanazawa Station does not have one single lost-property counter that covers every railway operator, bus operator, and shop. If you have found or lost something in the railway station, ask station staff near the ticket gates first. JR West also accepts lost-property inquiries by chat and telephone, and the JR Kanazawa Lost Item Center handles many JR-related inquiries in the Kanazawa area. If you have found or lost something in the Hyakubangai shopping mall, ask at one of the information counters or contact the Hyakubangai Lost Item Center, which is located at the mall’s Disaster Prevention Center.
You can enquire at the JR Fare Adjustment Office about lost property
Convenience Store & ATM Cash Machines
The 7-Eleven convenience store is by the West Exit
Just inside the Kanazawa Port Exit, or West Gate, and on the north side of the station concourse is a 7-Eleven convenience store with Seven Bank ATMs. Seven Bank ATMs accept many foreign-issued bank cards and credit cards, but card acceptance and fees can depend on the issuing bank. The ATM screens and receipts support Japanese, English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, Tagalog, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, and French.
Foreign bank cards can be used in Seven Bank ATMs
Opening Hours: 5.00 – 1.30
Post Office
There is a post office inside the Anto section of Hyakubangai. As well as the usual postal services, the post office has a Japan Post Bank ATM that can be useful for international cash withdrawals. Japan Post Bank ATMs accept many foreign-issued cards with the VISA, PLUS, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, China UnionPay, and Discover marks. Service times, withdrawal limits, and fees can vary by card and ATM.
Opening Hours: Postal counter 9.00 – 17.00; savings and insurance counters 9.00 – 16.00 on weekdays only; ATM 8.00 – 21.00
The station Post Office and ATM cash machines
Police
Should you need their assistance, there is a Railway Police Office on a corridor on the south side of the main station concourse between the shinkansen ticket gates and the gates for the regular trains.
The Railway Police Office
You can also find a police box (called a “Koban” in Japanese) outside the station’s East Gate on the other side of the taxi rank.
The East Gate Police Box
Bus Terminals & Taxis
The East Gate bus terminal and Transportation Information Center
You can find bus terminals and taxis on both the Kenrokuen Exit, or East Gate, and the Kanazawa Port Exit, or West Gate, sides of the station. For more information about taxis see our article Taxis in Kanazawa. Use the Kenrokuen Exit bus terminal for local tourist buses and many local or highway bus services run by Hokutetsu Bus and West Japan JR Bus. This bus terminal also has a useful transportation information center. Always check your route’s assigned stop, because highway and airport buses use different stops.
The West Gate bus terminal
The Kanazawa Port Exit, or West Gate, bus terminal has stops for services such as Willer Express buses and the Komatsu Airport Line. The Komatsu Airport bus uses the West Gate bus terminal.
Station Plazas
Looking towards the Tsuzumi-mon Gate
The plazas on the east and west sides of the station are very nicely designed. On the east side are the station’s most famous structures: the Motenashi Dome and the Tsuzumi-mon Gate.
The water garden at the East Gate Plaza
The huge Motenashi Dome covering the plaza is constructed of an aluminium and glass framework which offers shelter from Kanazawa’s frequent rainfall and lets in natural light. Beneath the dome is a pleasant water garden with plenty of seating which functions as a meeting spot. Just beyond the Tsuzumi-mon Gate is a fountain which functions as a water clock and spells out welcoming messages.
The west side of the station has an extensive garden area
On the west side of the station is a large garden area which also has plenty of seating. There is a curious abstract monument here which was built in 1991 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the official establishment of Kanazawa as a modern city. The name of the monument is “Yuuyou” which could be translated as “Eternal Flight” and its shape, which leans dramatically to one side, is meant to express the city reaching forward into the future from the strong basis of its past.
The Yuuyou monument
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 27-May-2026.
