• * Walk around the town of Tsurugi, see Kinkengu Shrine and some of the local shops
• * Visit the most important shrine in the entire region, Shirayama-hime Shrine, and enjoy the atmospheric approach
• * Head up a mountain on a gondola and soak in the expansive and breathtaking views
• * Head inside the Ishikawa Prefectural Insect Museum to see the Butterfly House and the 1
• 000 butterflies inside

A short distance outside of the city center of Kanazawa is Tsurugi, a small town often overlooked by tourists in the area. Tsurugi has 2,000 years of history as an important site for religious worship, and two of the shrines in the city have been attested to being local spiritual centers since at least the 60s BC. The shrine approach to Shirayama-hime Shrine still maintains that mystical feel as you walk through the forested and moss-covered stairs. Nearby is a gondola that takes you to the top of one of the local mountains and gives you a stunning view of the town beneath and as far as the Sea of Japan. The final stop of the day is to see the butterfly house, which has over 1,000 butterflies. The mix of history and nature so close to the city is the epitome of what makes Japan so great.