Meitetsu M’za is a large department store in Kanazawa which sells a range of goods including fashion, cosmetics, houseware, children’s toys, travel goods and stationary. Of particular interest for tourists is the Kuromon Koji section on the 1st floor which sells a wide variety of local specialty foods and souvenir crafts. There is also a food market and restaurant section in the basement. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
Meitetsu M’za Department Store
Fashion
Ladies fashions can be found on floors 1-3, with shoes, cosmetics and accessories on the 1st floor, young ladies clothing on the 2nd floor, and more mature styles and ladies bags on the 3rd floor. Many of the top international brands for both males and females are also displayed on the 1st floor.
Buona Giornata: stylish but affordable clothes for young ladies on the 1st floor of the store
Blanc Vert: light elegant clothes that can be worn for various occasions on the 3rd floor
Men’s formal and casual clothing can be found on the 4th floor, with men’s shoes and accessories on the 5th floor. Sporting goods for males and females are also on the 5th floor.
Men’s formal and casual wear can be found on the 4th floor
Traditional Goods
On the 6th floor you can find typical Japanese style tableware and kitchen utensils, ceramic goods, gold leaf and other metal leaf goods, and lacquerware. You may find that the prices here are more reasonable than in a souvenir shop.
Lacquerware trays and chopsticks on the 6th floor
There is also a beautiful silk kimono shop on the 8th floor that is worth viewing even if you don’t intend to buy anything.
The 8th floor kimono shop
Kuromon Koji Souvenirs
Kuromon Koji is a traditional crafts and specialty food area on the 1st floor and is a great place to pick up souvenirs. There is a sake rice wine shop with over 100 kinds of local sake, some of which you can taste and compare, and also many snacks and appetizers to complement the drinks. Kanazawa sweets are very famous, so you can find many traditional confectionery stores here. There are also yuzen dyed silks, beautifully decorated ceramics, goods decorated with gold leaf, and Kanazawa lacquerware.
A souvenir shop in Kuromon Koji
The Food Hall
The Food Hall in the first basement level is a colorful marketplace with bakeries and salad bars, tea shops and pickle stands, bento lunch boxes and onigiri rice balls. There are a lot of pre-cooked meals and side dishes here, and Chinese, Western, and Japanese styles of food so it’s a great spot to shop for a picnic. There is also a restaurant section here with Chinese and Italian as well as Japanese style cuisine. Watch out for the Yamato soy sauce and miso paste shop where you can buy soy sauce flavored ice cream.
Inside the basement food hall
The Information Booth
There is an Information Booth in the Kuromon Koji section on the 1st floor. This booth also functions as a lost & found desk, and as a temporary cloakroom for hand luggage. Many stores in Meitetsu M’za, especially in the Kuromon Koji section offer a tax refund for overseas visitors. To claim it you will need to take your receipt and passport to the Information Booth. You can also exchange some foreign currencies at the Information Counter: U.S. dollars, British pounds, Australian dollars, and the Euro. Baby carriages and wheelchairs can also be borrowed here.
The Information Booth
Access
Meitetsu M’za is located on the Musashigatsuji intersection and is close to Omicho Ichiba Market and the Hakomachi shopping center. From Kanazawa Station it is a 12 minute walk to this location but there are plenty of bus services from the station’s east exit bus terminal that will get you there sooner.
A Left Loop Bus from bus stop #7 or the Kenrokuen Shuttle bus from bus stop #6 will get you there in 4 minutes for a flat rate of 200 yen.
On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays you can take a Machi Bus from bus stop #5 that costs just 100 yen.
Open: 10.00 – 19.30
Restaurants open: 11.00 – 21.00
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
