If you're looking for those perfect "old Japan" photos, Nagamachi District delivers with some of Kanazawa's most photogenic streets. Those tall earthen walls lining the narrow lanes create this incredible atmosphere - especially with those canals running alongside. It's like someone preserved a perfect slice of samurai-era Japan just for us to discover.
While you can pay to go inside places like the Nomura residence (which is absolutely worth it), just wandering these streets is magical on its own. There's something about those high mud walls and carefully maintained gardens peeking over them that makes you feel like a samurai might walk around the corner at any moment.