BUDOKAN 金澤本店 — Restaurant in Kanazawa

December 2024 - I came back almost a year later, and it's still tiny and still fun. This time, I went twice and met tourists from New Zealand, New York, Ireland, and Singapore along with a few locals. The same lovely young woman was running the bar and she does a fantastic job making sure everybody is welcome even if there is a language barrier. This time around, I had the pleasure of trying a variety of local nihonshu (aka sake) and had a fun time chatting with people from all around the world. Just remember - this is not a bougie craft booze bar - it's a local watering hole.

January 2024 - I made an unplanned detour to this tiny bar (maybe 7 seats?) in the middle of the day to escape a snow squall on the way back from the Higashi Chayagai district. It was warm, they had local Kanazawa beer on tap, and the bartender was friendly and welcoming. Talked to a few locals who looked like they were also trying to escape the storm…or maybe work. I was grateful to be able to spend an hour there before making my way back...

Such a killer place to drink a lot of beers with friendly staff and fun patrons. I came to Budokan 2 different nights while I was in Kanazawa and had a blast. Natsuki, the bartender, was a wonderful host and was super fun to chat with! Her English is excellent and she does an amazing job keeping the bar going. Budokan also seemed to have a good mix of local regulars and tourists the two nights I went which was fun to see. I cannot wait to come back next time I visit Kanazawa so I can enjoy some more of the Kanazawa lager they...

We had such a wonderful experience at this bar during our visit to Kanazawa! There is a good selection of Japanese sake, shochu, whiskey, and beer to choose from. The manager Natsuki spoke English clearly and she was able to help us with drink recommendations. The atmosphere was fun and lively, with a mixture of foreigners and locals. We originally planned to go for 1 drink and bar hop to another location, but we has so much fun we ended up staying until...