KAI Kaga (界 加賀) stands in Yamashiro Onsen, one of the four hot-spring villages of Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture — on the Japan Sea side of central Honshu, between Kanazawa and the Fukui coast. Kaga's traditional cultures are everywhere in the building: in the papercraft and dyed fabrics in the rooms, and in the tableware used at dinner.
Where KAI Kaga is
The address is 18-47 Yamashiroonsen, Kaga, Ishikawa 922-0242. Yamashiro Onsen is a compact onsen town with a pottery and craft history — the kind of place where the bathing and the kilns are part of the same local tradition. The ryokan has 48 rooms with an occupancy of 1 to 4 guests.
Getting there
By car
About 15 minutes by car from the Kaga Interchange (IC) on the Hokuriku Expressway. An exclusive car-rental discount is available to guests, and a car is the easiest way to move between Kaga's four onsen villages and out to the coast.
By train
The Hokuriku Shinkansen now runs from Tokyo to Kanazawa, and Kaga Onsen Station is served by local trains from there — the start of the Hokuriku line that also connects to Fukui and onward. From the station, the CANBUS local loop reaches Yamashiro Onsen, very close to the ryokan.
The rooms and the craft
KAI Kaga is unusual among KAI properties for how explicitly it carries the local craft tradition indoors. The rooms are furnished with Yamashiro papercraft and dyed fabrics, and the dinner service uses locally made tableware — pottery from the region's kilns rather than a generic hotel set. Rooms with a private outdoor bath are available.
Yamashiro Onsen and Kaga
Kaga's four hot-spring towns — Yamashiro, Yamanaka, Katayamazu and Awazu — each have a different character, and all are within a short drive. The region is also one of Japan's great craft centres: Kutani porcelain, Yamanaka lacquerware and the Yamashiro silk-dyeing tradition all come from here. Kanazawa, with Kenrokuen garden and the Higashi Chaya teahouse district, is a straightforward onward run.
Frequently asked questions
How far is KAI Kaga from Kanazawa?
It is in Kaga, south of Kanazawa, on the Hokuriku Expressway — about 15 minutes from Kaga Interchange. The Hokuriku Shinkansen connects Tokyo to Kanazawa, and local trains continue to Kaga Onsen Station.
How many guests per room?
1 to 4 guests, across 48 rooms. Categories with a private outdoor bath are available.
What is Yamashiro Onsen known for?
Hot springs and craft — the town's traditions in papercraft, silk dyeing and ceramics run through the ryokan itself, from the room furnishings to the dinner tableware.
Planning a Hokuriku trip around it
Kaga sits on a natural Hokuriku route: Kanazawa, the Kaga onsen villages, and the coast towards Fukui — with the Tateyama Alps to the east. Every itinerary we build is designed from scratch around your dates and your group; there is no fixed departure and no group to join: have a Hokuriku itinerary designed for you — free, no obligation.
We plan private journeys for travellers worldwide, in any destination. Nothing about our trips is off-the-shelf.
For live availability and rates, see KAI Kaga on Trip.com. To ask a person, message us on WhatsApp — we usually reply the same day.
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