The stunning city of Kanazawa

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Kanazawa is another city often labeled as the "Second Kyoto," but personally, I define it as the "Florence of the Land of the Rising Sun," since in my view, Kyoto is quite different from Kanazawa. Perhaps one of the few similarities they share is a deep devotion to the arts. However, from an urban, artistic, and cultural standpoint, I find them highly distinct. Why Florence, you might ask? Because every time I visit, I feel its wide-open spaces (a rarity in Japan), a profound love for both ancient and contemporary culture up to the present day, and a unique aesthetic taste. It feels like a modern Japanese Renaissance.

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Furthermore, thanks to many unique factors, Kanazawa was never touched even by the Second World War. Consequently, much of it has been preserved and beautifully integrated. It remained untouched because Kanazawa and its wealthy patrons, the Maeda family, focused their resources on developing the arts rather than investing in the military system. Even the meaning of its name, Kanazawa ("Marsh of Gold"), shows how the city has always been self-sustaining due to its abundant gold deposits. I believe that by having everything readily available, Kanazawa was able to invest in pursuits much higher and more "intelligent" than warfare. In a way, they were like the ancient Egyptians, who, with everything provided by the Nile, became one of the most prolific and advanced civilizations in human history.