Kanazawa: A new bullet train line to Tokyo and an increasing interest in the history of the Samurai will help the Japanese west coast port of Kanazawa boost cruise line calls next year, according to the man in charge of promoting the port.
Speaking to Maritime CEO, Ryoichi Fukuda, executive director at Kanazawa Port Promoting Association, said that port calls should jump to 20 in 2015, up from the 16 in 2014 which brought over 12,000 passengers to the city.
The new bullet train line, Hokuriku Shinkansen, launches in March 2015 and will make it convenient for visitors to travel to Tokyo, with a journey time of just 2 hours and 28 minutes. This, along with an increasing interest in Samurai history from Europe and the United States, should bring more visitors.
Kanzawa sits on the west coast of Japan, serving as a hub between Akita and Sakai, and is famous for attractions such as the Nomura Samurai House and Higashi Chaya Geisha District. The port has three wharfs catering to cruise ships, including the recently completed Ohama Wharf, which can handle passenger ships of up to 140,000 tons.
The southeast of this great castle town area faces the mountains and the northwest area faces the Sea of Japan. The city area is located between the Saigawa River and the Asano River. Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen Garden – one of the three greatest gardens in Japan – are located in the city centre. With a population of around 460,000 Kanazawa was fortunate not to suffer damage in the Second World War and has not been hit by any big natural disasters, making it one of the best preserved historical cities in Japan.
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