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Kanazawa · Local transport

Kanazawa Bus Cheat Sheet

Buses here are run by different companies, and each accepts different payments — even locals find it confusing. This page tells you exactly what works on which bus.

Information verified July 2026

Before you reach the bus stop: which exit?

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Get off the Shinkansen and turn right — you want the East Exit

Almost everything you came to Kanazawa to see is on the east side of the station: the Tsuzumi-mon Gate (the huge wooden drum gate in all the photos), Omicho Market, Kenroku-en, the castle, Higashi Chaya. The Loop Bus and most city buses leave from the East Exit terminal too, so this is where this whole page begins.

The West Exit is mostly offices and hotels. There is nothing wrong with it — it simply is not where the sightseeing is.

I walk through this station constantly, and I still see people stop and hesitate at exactly this spot every single day, looking one way and then the other. It is not you. The signs genuinely are not obvious, especially the first time.

The short version

1

Yuri's pick: just ride the Loop Bus

The retro-styled Kanazawa Loop Bus leaves the East Exit terminal of Kanazawa Station every ~15 minutes and circles basically every famous sight — Omicho Market, Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa Castle, Higashi Chaya district, the 21st Century Museum and the Nagamachi samurai district. ¥220 flat per ride, and every payment works: Suica, contactless credit card, or cash. It comes in red (RL) and green (LL) — same loop, opposite directions, so which color gets you there faster depends on your next stop. Just check with the driver or the stop's signboard each time.

2

Tap your credit card — on most buses

Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex and other contactless cards (or the same card in Apple/Google Pay) work on Hokutetsu buses (including the Loop Bus) and on JR buses. Tap the orange reader when you get ON and again when you get OFF — there's a picture of the reader further down this page.

3

Cash always works — but no change is given

Every bus takes coins, but the fare box does not give change. If you only have a ¥1,000 note, use the changer built into the fare box to break it into coins first, then pay the exact fare. ¥5,000 and ¥10,000 notes can't be changed on board, so carry coins and ¥1,000 notes.

How to ride

Tsuzumi Gate 鼓門 Glass dome behind the gate Shinkansen gates turn right → Tsuzumi Gate = bus terminal for the sights
Almost every sightseeing bus — including the Loop Bus — leaves from the East Exit (Kenrokuen Exit / 兼六園口), right in front of this giant wooden gate. Coming off the Shinkansen? After the ticket gates, just turn right and walk toward the gate — that gets you where you need to be most of the time.
20 香林坊 寺　町 平和町 Heiwamachi 市立病院 Route no. Stops on the way (Korinbo, Teramachi) Final destination English shown underneath
Reading the front sign: route number → stops on the way → destination. The destination alternates with English, so give it a few seconds.
EXIT — pay here as you get off, at the front ENTRANCE — board here middle door
Loop Bus, Hokutetsu and JR buses all work this way: in through the middle door, out (and pay) at the front. Take the white numbered slip as you board — it tells the driver where you got on, which sets your fare. Skip it only if you're tapping a card (tap on and tap off instead).

The Flat Bus is the one exception: board at the front and pay first.
Paying by CASH 整 理 券 整理券 12 Slip machine right beside the entrance door Take one as you board the number = your boarding stop
Paying cash? Grab one white slip from this machine as you step in. When you get off, look for your slip's number on the fare screen above the windshield — the amount shown under it is what you pay. Tapping a credit card instead? No slip needed.
Paying by CARD ICa アイカ クレジット ))) ここにタッチ Suica · PASMO · ICOCA can NOT be used 全国交通系ICカードはご利用いただけません — this red sticker usually sits beside the reader Screen: ICa & credit accepted Tap the orange pad once when you board, once as you get off it's slow — hold for a full second
The orange reader on Hokutetsu buses (including the Loop Bus). Hold your contactless credit card — or your phone with the card in Apple/Google Pay — flat on the orange pad until it beeps: once when boarding, once again when getting off. One tip: this reader is not as quick as a Suica gate — keep the card on the pad for at least one full second instead of a quick tap-and-go. Don't tap a Suica here; the red sticker beside it means exactly that.

Know your bus

KANAZAWA LOOP BUS Loop Bus · 周遊バス Everything works ✓ Red & green go opposite ways — check first Flat Bus · ふらっとバス Coins ¥100 ✓ Small minibus — board at the front, pay first Hokutetsu · 北鉄バス Tap card ✓　·　Suica ✗ Cream body, red wave JR JR West · 西日本JRバス Suica ✓ · Tap card ✓ White body, blue wave + JR logo
Four buses, four looks — glance at the livery before you tap. The Loop Bus (top left) comes in red and green, running the same loop in opposite directions — which color is best depends on your next stop, so check each time; every payment works on both. The little gold Flat Bus (top right) is the front-boarding one.

Kanazawa Loop Bus

¥220 flat · Board at the back → pay as you get off at the front

Suica / ICOCA ✓ Tap credit card ✓ Cash ✓

The retro-styled sightseeing bus that loops both ways around the main sights from Kanazawa Station East Exit. The easiest bus in town — everything works. (Rarely, a regular bus substitutes and Suica-type cards won't work; you can still tap a credit card or pay cash.)

Hokutetsu local buses

Fare by distance · Board at the back → pay as you get off

Suica / ICOCA ✗ Tap credit card ✓ Cash ✓

Your Suica will NOT work here — this is the one that catches everyone. Tap a contactless credit card on the orange reader when boarding and when leaving, or take the white numbered slip when boarding and pay cash — no change is given, so break your ¥1,000 note in the fare-box changer before you pay. (The local "ICa" card also works, but you don't need one.)

JR West buses

Fare by distance · Board at the back → pay as you get off

Suica / ICOCA ✓ Tap credit card ✓ Cash ✓

Look for the blue JR logo on the bus. Suica-type transit cards, contactless credit cards and cash all work here — the easiest local bus for payments.

Flat Bus

¥100 flat (child ¥50) · Board at the FRONT and pay first — the opposite of every other bus

Cash ✓

Cute community minibuses on four loops through the old neighborhoods. Payment depends on the route:
· Konohana & Kikugawa routes — tap credit card ✓, Suica ✗
· Zaimoku & Nagamachi routes — Suica / ICOCA ✓, tap credit card ✗
Don't memorize this — ¥100 in coins works on all four. Some vehicles can't read IC cards at all, so have coins ready just in case. Preschool children ride free (from the second preschooler in a group, the ¥50 child fare applies).

Everything at a glance

BusSuica etc.Tap creditCash
Loop Bus✓✓✓
Hokutetsu local✗✓✓
JR West local✓✓✓
Flat Bus (Konohana / Kikugawa)✗✓✓
Flat Bus (Zaimoku / Nagamachi)✓✗✓

Good to know

Tap ON and tap OFF. When using a credit card or IC card, you must tap the reader both when boarding and when leaving, or you'll be charged the wrong fare.
Most sights are walkable. Kenroku-en, the castle, Higashi Chaya and Omicho Market are all within a 10–20 minute walk of each other — sometimes walking beats waiting for a bus.

Show the driver

"Can I change a ¥1,000 note into coins?"
1000 1000 千円 ○○銀行
"Can I tap my credit card to pay?"
CREDIT CARD 0123 4567 8900 00/00
"Does this bus go to Kenroku-en?"

Rather have someone with you?

This page covers the buses. It does not cover which teahouse to walk into, which shop still makes gold leaf by hand, or where the quiet lane is that the tour groups never turn down.

I'm Yuri — born and raised in Kanazawa, and a licensed nurse. I run small private walking tours in English, planned around your pace and your interests.

Booking directly with me? Mention the passphrase Yuritomato for 5% off per guest.

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