Kanazawa Loop Bus one day pass discounts

I am planning a day trip to Kanazawa and want to know if it is worth it to purchase the one day pass for 800 yen. Single use bus trips cost 210 yen each and I will at least take 2 bus rides maybe 3, but I plan on walking between most sites. The website for the one day pass says that the day pass gives you discounts at some of the attractions around the city, but doesn't tell you which ones. I only found one place that mentioned anything about a discount and it wasn't clear if the discount was related to the one day pass. I am interested in going to the following places

Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum
Myouryuji (Ninjadera)
KaMU
21st Century museum of Contemporary Art
Kenrokuen
Nomura-Ke Samurai Residence
Ishikawa Prefecture Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts

Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum - 310 -> 260 yen
Myouryuji (Ninjadera) - no discount
KaMU - no discount
21st Century museum of Contemporary Art - around 20 percent off (depends on exhibition)
Kenrokuen - no discount
Nomura-Ke Samurai Residence - 50 yen off
Ishikawa Prefecture Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts - no discount

Here is the list in Japanese:
http://www.hokutetsu.co.jp/tourism-bus/oneday

Thanks Uji ... I figured out that it shows you which attractions have discounts on the loop bus map ... it isn't superclear unless you really read the fine print and it doesn't tell you how much is discounted ... It looks like the day pass won't save money unless you take the bus 3+ times.

Like many of those low cost passes you need to do more trips than a typical itinerary would require, and then you are saving only a small amount - literally a few dollars. It's not a big saving when you compare with the other costs of a holiday.
And, as you noted, you will be doing a lot of walking. I don't recall ever taking the bus in Kanazawa over my many many visits both being a tourist and showing people around - just not required.

I have used buses in Kanazawa quite a few times, but usually the JR bus. The sightseeing loop buses generally looked terribly crowded the times I saw them. Packed with people, and long lines to get on at the station. They also tend to be pretty slow (stopping a lot, having to wait for traffic lights). Not my idea of a good time. The JR buses were never crowded and for me they were usually free (covered by a JR pass). But you have to do a little research to make sure you get on the right one. And there are gaps in the schedule at some times of day.

I have also used cabs a number of times in Kanazawa, to get from the station to Kenrokuen or Omicho Market. The distances aren’t that great and the fares not very expensive, especially if you have the budget to be eating in upscale restaurants. Honestly, I sometimes don’t understand why some people spend many thousands of dollars on a trip and then take a slow, crowded city bus to save a few hundred yen. Well, I used to never take cabs myself but have gotten over that. In many cases they save you a lot of time and unpleasantness.

But as mentioned by JapanCustomTours, you can walk pretty much everywhere in Kanazawa if you want. However, I do see a point in using a cab (or possibly a JR bus) to get from the station to Kenrokuen or the downtown area (as far as Omicho Market). That stretch is not particularly short and it’s not particularly interesting. The loop bus might possibly save you a few minutes on segments in the downtown area, if it happens to come along just when you need it, but otherwise it’s probably faster to walk than to wait for the bus.

On a day trip to Kanazawa I would really want to think about making the best use of my time, and I don’t think the loop bus or a longish, not terribly interesting walk at the beginning and end of the day would be a very good use of it. I would probably take a cab directly to Kenrokuen on arrival at Kanazawa Station, and after visiting there, walk to the other sites, possibly taking a cab back to the station after finishing up with those.

Thanks Kim, very useful information. I visited Kanazawa 13 years ago and loved it. However, it was a day trip from Nagoya where I was staying with a host family. I remember being able to walk everywhere and I am pretty sure that I walked from Kanazawa station to Ninjadera. However, I only saw Ninjadera, 21st Century Museum, and Kenrokuen. I am trying to fit a bit more in this time. Luckily I will be there on a Saturday and the 21st Century Museum is open until 8. The loop bus stops running at 6 though. Looks like I will take taxi from Kanazawa station to first destination walk in between and a taxi or walk from 21st Century museum to Kanazawa station at the end of the day. Last shinkansen to Tokyo is at 9:03, but I am hoping to get the one at 7:21.

As a side note assuming I eat 3 meals a day on an 11 day trip only 1-3 meals will be what I would classify as upscale. The majority of my meals will likely be relatively affordable even for someone that is on a stricter budget. I think it is important for any traveler to weigh the cost of different aspects of their trip. Sometimes as you mentioned the more expensive option (taxi) is worth it if it is more convenient and saves you time. When it comes to food it is worth it to me to have cheap to mid range meals (Ramen, 7-11, ekiben, Tonkatsu) so that I can splurge on a couple of fancy memorable meals.

The price difference is so small that it is not worth analyzing.
I always get the pass, simply to keep it as a memento (souvenir).

Thumbs up to poster immediately above.
Is it important to work out whether you might save 200yen by buying a bus pass?
Will the time spent thinking about that increase your holiday joy?

Regarding meals and relative costs, this is a topic I discuss frequently with my clients. Living in Japan and travelling for work, what I look for is different to what my guests are after. For me, a simple ramen or 7/11 visit will be fine, and in Kanazawa I have a favourite sushi store where I will splurge 3500 yen on lunch. For Japan, that can be viewed as expensive. For more "upscale" I tend to max at 8k-10k (there is one particular shop I go to where the course meal is at this price), but many people arriving from overseas are facing US$100 to US$200 for a similar meal (15-30k yen) so they find things incredibly cheap for the quality and experience. This weekend my partner is planning a few places to eat out - she's paying, but they are going to be crazy expensive to me, but really not that much more than I would pay in some other counties.
So Kim is correct for pointing out that trying to save 200 yen using a bus pass, but spending ten or 100 times that on a meal - why bother. Yes, everyone has different budgets and travelling styles, and I do put guests into taxis at the end of the day in Kanazawa (not everyone can easily walk everywhere), and even that is pretty cheap (about the same price as the bus with 3 or 4 people in a cab).

Of these, I don't think anyone would use a bus except for Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum and Myouryuji (Ninjadera).
When I went to Kanazawa last time, I walked for about 30 minutes from the station to Korinbo via Omicho market. On the way, I also saw Oyama-jinja Shrine.

@JapanCustomTours
I suppose this is the wrong thread for this discussion, but I will just leave it at this. You are right the cost for Americans is much cheaper. There is one restaurant that I am looking at that is about 15k yen a comparable meal in the US could easily be 2-3 times that much depending on whether or not you order drinks or you are at a super high end restaurant which could be $300 a person without drinks (these types of restaurants for most people are once in a lifetime type of meals typically to celebrate important life events). So it is not surprising that there is an influx of American tourists in Japan. It is actually something that I am concerned about. The last time I was in Japan it was during Sakura season it was magical and even though it was the busiest season for tourism I didn't feel or even notice it too much. I am worried that even though I am going in the offseason (October 3rd to 14th) that it will be as crowded or worse than it was when I was there during Sakura season).

I don't know what your clientele is like maybe all business men, but I think regardless of who they are eating at 7-11 or having an ekiben is an essential part of the Japanese experience.