Hotel Intergate Kanazawa's Colorful Kaga 5 Colors

A cheerful enclave in a city elegantly glittering with gold, the convenient location, impressive amenities, and reasonable rates of Hotel Intergate Kanazawa could make any traveler want to stay an extra night or two.

Kanazawa has long been associated with Japan's gold, and the city still produces 99% of Japan's gold leaf.) The association is goes as far as the city's very name - Kanazawa (金沢) means "marsh of gold," and like so much of Kanazawa,  Hotel Intergate Kanazawa has a few choice golden decorations in tribute to the region's history. Bucking the trend, though, the major theme flowing through the design of Hotel Intergate Kanazawa's rooms is a little different: the Kaga Gosai (加賀五彩), or five Kaga colors.

The five Kaga colors (indigo, crimson, ocher, dark green, and royal purple) are the basic hues used in the local kimono fabric dyeing process of Kaga Yuzen. Along with gold, Kanazawa is known for a variety of artisan crafts, which makes the traditional color scheme all too perfect for this Kanazawa hotel.

There are charming design details to be found all over the hotel, but the installation across from the elevators isn't just decorative. Alongside a variety of hand-crafted items are shelves of books, about Japanese culture and local topics, even including a couple tomes in English. (And plenty with pretty pictures to look at, anyway.) If you want to spend some time flipping through one, just let the staff know, and you can borrow it to browse at your leisure.

Hotel Intergate Kanazawa

Address: 2-5 Takaokacho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa

Phone: +81-76-260-7200

Official Website

A Leisurely Lounge

Whether you choose to stay in Hotel Intergate Kanazawa's gilded suite, or one of the many simpler rooms available, every guest has access to the hotel's generous lounge space.

The lounge is set up much like a modern cafe, with comfortable seating for everyone from solo travelers to larger groups, and plenty of power outlets to boot! Most importantly, though, the hotel also offers a series of complimentary snacks and drinks in the lounge throughout the day.

6:00 to 7:00 | Early Morning Coffee & Smoothies

Get a fresh cup of coffee first thing in the morning, before most Japanese coffee shops are even open! Browse the day's news with a cup of pour-over coffee is Dart Coffee, a local Kanazawa coffee brand (or get a cup to go).

For a more refreshing morning choice, they also offer fresh smoothies made with apples, strawberries, and carrots (plus a selection of local veggies for extra nutrition).

7:00 to 10:30 (L.O. 10:00) | An International Breakfast with Kanazawa Flair, and Plenty of Vegetables
(paid)

Breakfast at Hotel Intergate Kanazawa isn't complimentary, but the impressive spread makes it worth the cost. Branch out and try a Japanese breakfast with rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and a huge variety of vegetable dishes, made with local produce. Or stick to the familiar if you'd prefer - they've got eggs, sausage, fruit, bread, and light, flakey pastries.

(A breakfast bonus: on weekends and holidays they've got sparkling wine as well!)

10:30 to 21:00 | All-Day Coffee & Drinks

If you're less of an early riser, the breakfast beverages will still be there for you whenever you wake up! In the lounge, complimentary coffee, tea, and fruit juices are all freely available to guests throughout the whole day.

15:00 to 21:00 | Tea Time + The Honey Buffet

When you need a little extra energy to keep you going while you see the sights of Kanazawa, an afternoon break in the hotel's lounge might do the trick. From 3 pm each day, they lay out a spread of naturally flavored honeys, full of dried fruit or nuts, or infused with herbs like thyme or rosemary. You can sample them all on slices of baguette, some crackers, a cup of yogurt, or even some popcorn. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and revive yourself with this sweet treat.

17:00 to 19:00 | Happy Hour

No need to look for the perfect Kanazawa wine bar - it's right here in your hotel! For a couple of hours every evening, Hotel Intergate Kanazawa's happy hour gives guests a chance to sit back and relax with a complimentary glass of wine or two. If wine isn't your thing, you can always take a trip to the counter, where they make fresh cocktails of the day, often a refreshing mix of jenever or yogurt liqueur and a fruity syrup. Craft beer enthusiasts will be excited to find that while they're not complimentary, Hotel Intergate Kanazawa does offer bottles of a local Kanazawa brew as well.

21:00 to 23:00 | A Nighttime Snack (Or a Light Meal!)

Every night, as something of a late-night snack, the hotel offers an "ochazuke" buffet. Make your own traditional Japanese ochazuke, by topping rice with any and all of the add-ons provided (pickled and fresh vegetables, fish, and other bits and pieces) and then pouring a savory broth on top of the whole thing. These days the broth for ochazuke is often a simple "dashi" stock, but traditionally it was made with green tea, and Hotel Intergate Kanazawa Ochazuke pays homage to that by also offering a broth in the buffet made with Kaga Boucha tea (a local variety of roasted green tea). The ochazuke is a great, healthy choice to end a night out, or it makes a nice light dinner for those still feeling a little full from lunch (perhaps lunch was Kanazawa's famous curry?).

15:00 to 20:00・Traditional Kanazawa Craft Workshops・

Kanazawa, a city known for artisan crafts and traditional craftsmanship, is the perfect place to try a little traditional Japanese crafting yourself! Just ask a hotel staff member, and you can try painting a Kaga Hachiman Okiagari doll right in the lounge! They provide some examples of traditional designs, but you're welcome to go a little free form and paint the doll however you like (perhaps even a self portrait?). These traditional folk toys from the area are common souvenirs and often given to kids, since the dolls pop back up when they're pushed over, a nice symbol of resilience and persistence.

Kaga Hachiman Okiagari Doll Workshop
15:00 - 20:00
1,100 yen



Your crafting options aren't limited to that, though. A few days a month the hotel lounge also hosts a workshop for painting the very differently-shaped Kokeshi dolls, and if dolls aren't your thing, you can also try your hand at Mizuhiki. Mizuhiki involves arranging Japanese cord into decorative knots and rosettes. The craft itself is a little more finicky than the Kaga Hachiman Okiagari doll painting, but the resulting elegant Kanazawa designs are worth it!

Mizuhiki Workshop
15:00 - 20:00
1,210~ yen

The Hotel Rooms + The Large Communal Bath

For the average traveler, Hotel Intergate Kanazawa's reasonable rooms are the perfect chance to enjoy a comfortable room, made stylish with the Kaga five colors, with access to the convenient lounge and all the hotel's amenities. The hotel is extremely new, having opened in early 2019, which means that even the simplest rooms have all the modern conveniences you might want. The beds' headboards, designed to look like traditional Japanese stonework, connect that past tradition to the present with convenient power outlets and switches to lights all over the room - even a subtle glow that emanates from under the beds themselves!



The variety of basic rooms means Hotel Intergate Kanazawa can comfortably accommodate groups of all kinds of travelers, and none of the spaces have that cramped feeling that many international visitors feel in Japanese hotel rooms. Even the smallest rooms have comfortable chairs or a sofa to sit down in at the end of the day.

With roomy beds stretching 160 cm across (63 in, wider than your average double mattress), vacationing couples will feel right at home in the hotel's Standard Double room. Those traveling with a friend or two might prefer the Superior Twin, or perhaps the Superior Triple which sleeps three. If you love the feeling of sun streaming in through the window when you wake up in the morning, look out for the Corner Twin!



If you'd rather not go down to the lounge, you can make yourself a relaxing cup of Japanese green tea at any hour of the day, without having to leave your room.



Forgot your phone charger at home? (The horror!) Don't worry, just look for a little fabric pouch inside a drawer, or possibly near the TV. You'll find cables of all kinds inside!



If you do want a little bit of luxury while you visit Kanazawa, we can wholeheartedly recommend Hotel Intergate Kanazawa's Junior Suite. Whether you're on a trip with a couple of friends, or more of a romantic getaway with a special someone, the room can comfortably sleep up to three adults. With special local tea and coffee in-room, some extra-luxe toiletries, and a fancy shower and tub, everyone will enjoy the fun of this glittering golden suite. And if you're ready for a quiet evening in? Connect your smartphone to the bluetooth speakers to enjoy some tunes, or even to the TV where you can pull up your own netflix account for movie night!



The Junior Suite's amenities will keep you looking good, too. Check out the sleek hairdryer, and the cabinet-shaped clothes steamer, the LG Styler.



When steaming won't do the job and you just need to throw some duds in the wash, they've got you covered with some easy-to-use coin-operated laundry machines!

The Daiyokujo (大浴場), or Large Communal Bath

Got some time to kill while your clothes are getting clean? Or maybe you just want to soak away some of the fatigue of travel? Japan's shared baths make some travelers nervous, but we encourage you to take a dip and try it out - the feeling of relaxing in such a large bath is like nothing else, and the water is kept beautifully clean.

Unfortunately, the daiyokujo is off-limits to heavily tattooed guests, as is the case with so many public baths in Japan. If your tattoos are small enough to be easily covered, however, you're welcome to ask for a bandaid-like tattoo cover from the front desk, which will let you use the bath.

Communal Bath Hours:
Morning: 6:00 to 10:00
Evening: 15:00 to 1:00 in the morning

Check Out Kanazawa!

Ready to stay a few nights in Hotel Intergate Kanazawa, but not sure what to see while you're there? Well, the hotel is right near many of the city's sights, so read on to find out just where to go!



Called one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Kenrokuen (兼六園) is a carefully tended and elegantly sculpted park space that used to be a part of the outer gardens of Kanazawa Castle (金沢城) (which is essentially across the street now)! Nowadays more people beeline to the green space than the castle itself, thanks to Kenrokuen's beautiful plant life and large koi pond. The standard photo spot at the garden includes the Kotoji-toro, a large stone lantern. It's so emblematic of the park and the area that it's even found in Hotel Intergate Kanazawa's logo!



Love the feeling of Kyoto's geisha quarters, but not a fan of the crowds? You'll find a similar vibe in Kanazawa's Higashi Chaya-gai (東茶屋街), Nishi Chaya-gai (西茶屋街), and Kazue-machi Chaya (主計町茶屋) areas. These tea house districts are no longer the stomping grounds of many modern-day geisha, but the beautiful architecture of the traditional buildings and bits of the culture still remain. It's also a nice place to go souvenir shopping, so don't miss the many sweets covered with gold leaf, or the amanatto (甘納豆, sweetened boiled beans) sellers in Nishi Chaya--gai.



This popular photo-op is in Kazue-machi Chaya.



Higashi Chaya-gai has some truly impressive, large-scale gold leaf work.



We got some other suggestions when we asked the friendly hotel staff! For one, Omicho Market (近江町市場) is a fresh food market that has been Kanazawa's largest since the Edo Period, and it's just a short walk from the hotel. (Don't miss the impressive local seafood on display!)

Another popular Kanazawa destination is the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (金沢21世紀美術館), which hosts a number of works that are quite popular on social media (and even cooler to see in person)! After checking out the art, museum and music lovers alike can listen to some of the world's earliest sound recordings at Kanazawa Phonograph Museum (金沢蓄音器館).

Of course the geisha in Kanazawa's tea house districts had to be entertaining somebody, and the samurai of the area lived in the Nagamachi Bukeyashiki (長町武家屋敷), where you'll find some of the unique architecture carefully preserved. If ninja are more your thing, nearby Myoryuji Temple (妙立寺) isn't actually connected with real ninja, but the many secret escape routes from the temple has earned it the nickname Ninja Temple!

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With great weather, delicious seafood and fresh vegetables, and plenty of sightseeing destinations, Kanazawa's an ideal destination for a weekend or a whole week. And when you want a convenient spot to take it easy, with comfortable rooms and a lounge perfect for an afternoon break or an evening in, Hotel Intergate Kanazawa is the place to stay!

⇩　Check out our video to see more of the hotel, and more of Kanazawa.　⇩