9 Recommended Gastronomic Tourism Spots in Ishikawa Prefecture’s Kaga Region

In recent years, regional areas across Japan have been gaining attention as travel destinations, not just urban centers. Japan’s regions hold hidden treasures—history, culture, and other compelling content—still largely undiscovered by foreign tourists. This time, Kodawari Times highlights Ishikawa Prefecture’s Kaga region as a recommended regional destination. As our first installment, we introduce gastronomic tourism in the Kaga region, where you can experience its traditions, history, and culture through food.

Ishikawa Prefecture’s Kaga Region: A Hotspot for Gastronomic Tourism

Ishikawa Prefecture is located along the Sea of Japan coast in the Hokuriku region. The Kaga area, situated south of the famous tourist destination Kanazawa, is known as “Kaga no Kuni” (Kaga Province).
Kaga no Kuni encompasses five cities and one town: Kaga City, Komatsu City, Nomi City, Kawakita Town, Hakusan City, and Nonoichi City. With Komatsu Airport and the Hokuriku Shinkansen running through it, the region offers easy access from Tokyo and Osaka. It is an area renowned for its manufacturing, where visitors can experience everything from traditional crafts like Kutani ware and Yamanaka lacquerware to the world’s most advanced technologies and products.

In the Kaga region, gastronomic tourism is gaining attention as a way to experience tradition, history, and culture through food! Gastronomic tourism, now a global travel trend, refers to “tourism aimed at enjoying food cultivated by local ingredients, customs, traditions, and history shaped by the region’s climate and environment, and experiencing its food culture.”

Japan’s Tourism Agency also promotes gastronomic tourism, recognizing its potential to strengthen local production for local consumption and sustainable regional revitalization.
Now, let’s explore recommended gastronomic tourism spots in the Kaga region.

9 Top Gastronomic Tourism Spots in Kaga no Kuni

The Birthplace of the Local Dish “Kani no Kora-age”｜Nagaoki / Komatsu City

A century-old traditional restaurant standing in a tranquil spot where the scent of the sea drifts by. It is considered the birthplace of Ishikawa Prefecture’s local specialty, “Kani no Kora-age” (a dish where crab meat, vegetables, miso, and other ingredients are stuffed into a crab shell, coated with egg and breadcrumbs, and deep-fried). This restaurant, beloved by locals for many years, offers a chance to enjoy traditional food culture.

Enjoy traditional Kutani ware and Japanese cuisine｜Kappo Kaga / Kaga City

The only historic kaiseki restaurant in Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga City, with three generations of continuity. Inside, Kutani ware—a traditional culture of Ishikawa Prefecture—adorns the space, offering visual appeal. Committed to making everything in-house except condiments, guests can savor seasonal ingredients with homemade ponzu, crab vinegar, tartar sauce, and eel sauce. Alongside their signature dishes, you can also enjoy carefully selected local sake from the Hokuriku region.

Experience Kaga Bocha Tea｜Maruhachi Seichajo Main Store / Kaga City

A specialty shop where you can enjoy Kaga Bocha Tea, a unique Japanese tea from Ishikawa Prefecture. Kaga Bocha is a flavorful roasted green tea popular across Japan, featured in cafes and as a collaboration ingredient in confectionery. At Maruhachi Seichajo Main Store, you can experience many things only available here: compare three types of roasted green tea in the tea room, enjoy limited-edition blended teas for takeout, and observe the tea roasting process at the adjacent factory.

Onsen Town’s Authentic Pudding｜Kagano-yu Pudding / Kaga City

A pudding specialty shop in Kaga Onsenkyo. Enjoy puddings made with milk and eggs from Kaga City, savoring not only the taste but also the hot spring atmosphere. As Kaga City’s first pudding specialty shop, it’s a popular spot featured in numerous media outlets.

Traditional Cuisine × Ramen: An Unusual Collaboration Menu│Yakiniku House REED / Nomi City

Enjoy the unique Nomi Koji-Zuke Ramen topped with Daikon zushi, a traditional fermented food beloved as a home-style flavor in Ishikawa Prefecture. The soup features a Japanese-style flavor base of soy sauce, bonito flakes, and kelp. While an unexpected combination, the satisfying crunch of the daikon zushi itself is addictive.
(*As this is a limited-time item, please check availability with the store each time.)

Experience Kutani Ware Culture Through Food and Beauty｜Wellness House SARAI / Nomi City

A complex facility in Nomi City, the town of Kutani ware, offering a café, restaurant, spa, lodging, and more. It received the “Japan’s Small Inns 2024” award as a Special Jury Prize from the selection committee for the “49th Japan’s Top 100 Hotels and Ryokan Selected by Professionals.”

The restaurant features creative cuisine supervised by staff from a Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant, generously using vegetables sourced from contracted local farms. These dishes are served on Kutani ware, a cultural treasure of Ishikawa Prefecture. Guests can fully immerse themselves in Japanese artistic culture, including Kutani ware and other art forms. The on-site spa provides the perfect place to unwind and soothe travel fatigue.

Experience Japanese Culture, Cuisine, and Sake Through Your Senses｜Local History Museum NoNo/ Nonoichi City

Nonoichi, once one of Ishikawa Prefecture’s foremost post towns, has developed into a destination. The former Uozumi family residence, a merchant house built in the late Edo period (1853–1868), now serves as a local history museum, with its interior open to the public.
The facility includes a café where visitors can enjoy original coffee and Nonoichi’s revived sake, Shōjō, within a building renovated from a traditional Edo-period house. Handmade soba noodles, crafted with meticulous attention to detail and showcasing the artisan’s skill, are also popular.

Enjoy Hakusan’s Nature Through Game Cuisine｜Restaurant Tedorigawa / Hakusan City

In the mountain villages of Hakusan, there is a history where, during winter when snow buried the land and food became scarce, people hunted bears, rabbits, and other game for sustenance. This culture persists today as wild game cuisine. Bears and wild boars hunted in Hakusan, known for their lack of gamey flavor, are enjoyed as familiar foods in hot pot dishes and rice bowls, alongside char and wild mountain vegetables. At Restaurant Tedorigawa, you can savor wild game dishes unique to Hakusan.

Experience Kawakita Town’s Culture to the Fullest｜Kawakita Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women’s Division / Kawakita Town

The Kawakita Town Chamber of Commerce Women’s Division’s “Hospitality Exchange Program” offers a hands-on experience making traditional handmade Japanese paper, a craft practiced for 240 years. Participants then learn about the brewing process of local craft beer made with malt from Kawakita-grown six-row barley, followed by enjoying Kawakita’s local specialty, Kawakita Miso Pork Bowl.
Participants can “see,” “learn,” “make,” and “eat” Kawakita Town’s culture, fully experiencing its charm through the Hospitality Exchange Program.

Enjoy Kaga’s traditional culture and culinary traditions!

Traditional culture and culinary traditions passed down in Kaga no Kuni. Each spot is unique, offering experiences you can only have here. It’s the perfect area for those who want to enjoy Japan’s lesser-known charms. Beyond the nine spots introduced here, the Kaga region still has a wealth of wonderful experiences waiting to be discovered.
Why not visit Kaga no Kuni and experience its traditions, history, cultural activities, and Japanese culinary culture all at once?
▼For more details about Kaga no Kuni, click here
https://allkaga.com/?lang=en

Stay tuned for our second installment, where we’ll share information about Kaga no Kuni’s hot springs!