Visit Kanazawa in November

Hello,
I plan to have 2 nights at Kanazawa with my Mom.
We arrive first day quite late (from Nikko/Tokyo), then no visit might be possible.
On day 2, we will do day visit to Shirakawa -Go.
On day 3, we will take the train to Kyoto at around 15:00, so have more or less a half day to visit Kanazawa only. Is it possilbe to cover all highlights of Higashi Chaya District, Kanazawa Castle, Kenrokuen, về Nagamachi Samurai distric, Omicho market for lunch? OR what do you recommend the best visit to me?
I might buy a Bus Day Pass, then I can use all Kanazawa loop bus, Kenrokuen shuttle bus?
Do you also recommend any restaurant near the station for dinner? I will be at Dormy Inn hotel Kanazawa which supposes to be near the station.
Thank you for your kind advice,

Definitely not possible. You need at least one full day, probably more. With one full day in Kanazawa, I visited the Higashichaya District (and did a gold leaf craft activity), the castle park, Kenrokuen and the Omiya Shrine, and then attended a geisha performance in the Higashichaya District. Half a day will not be enough for all the places you want to visit.

No it's not possible. Kanazawa Castle, Kenrokuen and Nagamachi are close to each other, but Higashi Chaya is on the other end of the city. The city isn't huge, but it still takes a while to get from one area to the other via loop bus. Do you really need to spend an entire day in Shirakawa-go? I think only 3-4 hours is required there.

If you must squeeze it into half a day, then I suggest prioritising Higashi Chaya and Kenrokuen (the castle and castle park adjoins Kenrokuen). Nagamachi is nice to walk around, but it's mainly privately owned houses with a few small museums and stores scattered around. Keep in mind that you can experience Nagamachi at any time of the day or night as it's a bunch of streets, whereas places like Kenrokuen, the castle and the shops/museums in Higashi Chaya all have closing times.

Higashi Chaya is much better in terms of learning about the history and experiencing culture and there are also gold leaf museums and shops there too.

Unless you're a foodie I'd skip Omicho. They do sell some special foods and local produce there that you can't get elsewhere, but a lot of it can be bought in other cities in varied forms. You can also buy souvenirs and local sweets at the train station.

As for restaurants close to the station, there's a big mall next to the station called Forus, with many restaurants on the 6th floor. There are also coffee shops, bakeries and some small restaurants in the station building itself.

Half a day is way too short.

For lunch, I'd leave the station and get a cab (or a bus - cab will be quicker if you are under time pressure) to Omicho market and have lunch there. Excellent seafood, at good prices. Best chirashi sushi I've ever had. There are a few restaurants in the market. They're quite simple in appearance, but the quality of the ingredients is tip-top, and you don't have the crazy queueing situation that you have in Tsukiji, for example.

From there, it's a 10-15 minute walk to Kenrokuen and the castle (or you'll get a cab outside the market). If I really only had half a day, this is what I'd do.

Thank you all for your kind advice.

Yes, I might shorthen visit in Shirakawa go and back by earlies bus
in the afternoon, then woudl might have more time for Kanazawa.

But let's say we have 4 hours in Shirakawa Go, what shoudl it be priority to see? And do we have a good choice for a lunch there? Both budget and special options?

Thanks for let me know.

Kenrokuen is pretty much the must see place. The castle isnt worth the time if you are tight for time. The museum is OK if you are interested. The old geisha district is worth a look and the samurai house is worth a look but I wouldnt cut the garden short to get there.

I'm bearing in mind that you are going from there to Kyoto, where you will have your fill of temples and spectacular sights, so I think I'd concentrate on the thing that really stands out, and that is Kenrokuen IMO.

There is plenty of good food in Kanazawa, though the best food we had in Kanazawa was from a french restaurant not far from the geisha district, which would have been the best french food we've eaten anywhere.

Sorry, I misunderstood - did you mean what to see in Shirakawa? You could pretty much see that in 2 hours, 3 tops. One of the gassho (whatever) houses (interesting but not life altering) and a walk up the top for the view. There are a couple of places to eat in town and one at the top, from memory. We have a decent basic meal in town and I think the desert was a black sesame pudding which was nice.

Personally I'd try to get to Shirakawa by 9AM and leave before 12, then eat at Kanazawa.

Thanks Lazy Pious,

Yeah, I have a doubt of timing to spend in each stop but do not want to be in a hurry. I wil take the first bus to ShirakawaGo, but leaving before noon might be too hurry ???

Mee too, I love garden and cannot miss Kenrokuen. Do you think that is a good idea to be there in very early morning?

Kenrokuen actually doesn't charge admission in the early morning...if you turn up before sunrise! Apparently there are several people who like to go to the garden to watch the sunrise.

Going in the morning is good as there are fewer people there.