There are three shinkansen services that travel to and from Kanazawa on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line. These are the Kagayaki, the Hakutaka, and the Tsurugi. The Tsurugi is a shuttle service between Kanazawa Station and Toyama Station which takes around 20 minutes. The Hakutaka is a multi-stop service between Kanazawa and Tokyo which takes around 3 hours. The Kagayaki is a limited stop express service and has the fastest journey time between Kanazawa and Tokyo at around 2 hours and 30 minutes. In addition to these three trains there is an Asama service that runs between Nagano and Tokyo and stops at most stations on the way. All of these services are fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

The Thunderbird Limited Express is a convenient and fast service that connects Osaka to the popular tourist destination of Kanazawa. The Thunderbird makes frequent departures from Osaka Station every day, stopping at Shin-Osaka Station on the way. From Osaka Station the train takes 2 hours and 40 minutes to reach Kanazawa Station and costs 7,130 yen. From Shin-Osaka Station the train takes 2 hours and 30 minutes for the same fare. The train is very impressive to look at from the outside and the inside seating is spacious and comfortable too, so traveling on the Thunderbird itself is a very enjoyable and exciting part of any trip.

This service is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass. If you do not have a Japan Rail Pass, you might consider investing in a Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass, or a Hokuriku Area Pass, to fully explore the Hokuriku area around Kanazawa.