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The Kanazawa Station (Kanazawa-eki) is a railway station in Kanazawa-shi (Kanazawa City), Ishikawa-ken (Ishikawa Prefecture) operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the private railway operators Hokuriku Railway, and IR Ishikawa Railway. The station serves the Hokuriku Shinkansen line (currently operating between Tokyo, Nagano and Kanazawa). The station averages about 22,700 boarding passengers per day.

The station has a Midori no Madoguchi (みどりの窓口, literally "green window") with a MARS (マルス Marusu, which stands for Multi Access seat Reservation System) capable of selling reserved seats throughout the entire JR system.

The departure melody used on the Hokuriku Shinkansen platforms was composed by songwriter and producer Yasutaka Nakata, who was born in Kanazawa. The station has numerous rental car offices on both the east and west sides. It also serves as a bus station hub.

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The Saikai Festival is held on August 14th each year.

"Saikai Festival is conducted jointly by the two fishery centers of Kazanashi (Saikai Shrine) and Futo (Matsugashita Shrine) to pray for a good catch and the safety of fishermen. Women participate in the festival instead of men in these areas, since men have traditionally been out fishing or on trips. This is why women carry the kiriko (lantern floats) in this festival. The female kiriko carriers are just as brave as their male counterparts. They fascinate the audience, as they perform energetically, dressed in a yukata, a kimono underskirt and a white apron.

When the Togi-miyuki drum is beaten as the sun sets into the Sea of Japan, the festival begins. A mikoshi (portable shrine) and kiriko are carried around town while revelers sing the festival song. When the procession arrives at the intersection of five roads on the boundary of the two areas, the festival reaches its climax. The kiriko are carried up the hill one by one, and dance wildly at the top.

When they return to their respective shrines, the portable shrine and kiriko start to fight. The kiriko carriers and local residents try to stop the portable shrine from entering the shrine to prevent the festival from ending. The portable shrine and kiriko dance wildly, and the excitement builds. It is well worth a visit to the fishing village to see this dance, which goes on for a long time; the festival continues until midnight."

Source: "Kiriko Festivals in Noto"

This festival (#16) is one of 29 Noto Kiriko Matsuri ("Float Festivals") held each year in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, the most for any area of Japan.

For additional background and historical details click the link to the festival website above.

Peak times: 22:10.
Recommended arrival times: 21:00.
Recommended parking: Around Togi Fishing Port parking - MapCode: 471 189 722*03.