Towards the northern part of Honshu island lie the historic cities of Kanazawa and Takayama, two distinct destinations approximately two hours apart. Here, an old world charm is preserved, transporting visitors to an earlier era of samurai and geishas. A fascinating contrast to Japan’s more well-known cities, Kanazawa and Takayama are a fraction of the size, small enough to be explored on foot. Much of the historic preservation is thanks to an avoidance of World War II damage, leaving historic structures in place.