This article is based on a visit made on Thursday, 17 May 2018.
Edit 15 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited
Nagamachi, Kanazawa's former samurai district. Nagamachi is one of a few neighbourhoods which retain the spirit of the city from its older times, and another can be found across town. To the northeast of Kanazawa's city centre is the Higashi Chaya district (東茶屋街,
Higashi Chaya-gai, lit. 'east teahouse district'), the largest of Kanazawa's three former teahouse and geisha districts.
As with
Gion in Kyoto, geisha perform to this very day at certain high-class restaurants in Kanazawa's three teahouse districts. One of the most accessible places to see them in action is the Kaikaro Teahouse, a hundred metres down the main road (shown above). Whilst operating under the usual referral-based admission system at night, during the day they sell more affordable cups of tea to anyone who visits. Another place, the Shima Teahouse, has been converted into a museum which preserves how it looked and operated as a teahouse restaurant since almost 200 years ago.
Traditional Japanese architecture is in abundance here, and in the streets leading up to the core of this neighbourhood, there is distinct contrast between each storefront.
But as you get further in, it becomes harder to tell one specific place apart from another, unless you can read its Japanese name on the little signs by each door.
On top of that, it was difficult to get the clear photographs I wanted because, given the mid-afternoon time, I had to share the place with many other tourists, and asking them to move aside wasn't as easy as it sounds.
Kanazawa is famous for its gold leaf production, producing 99 percent of all the gold leaf in Japan. These particular objects are for sale... for hundreds of thousands of yen (thousands of US dollars)!
The many stores along the way sell considerably cheaper golden goods, although as far as I can tell, some of them merely use gold paint instead of actual foil. The good-luck charms displayed in this window include owls,
ojigi fukusuke (a bowing man showing off his shaved/topknot haircut), and
maneki-neko, the "beckoning cat" which invites fortune when its right paw is raised, or customers with its left hand. Without that helpful placard to refer to, I would forget which side is which!
One of the more high-end purveyors of gold leaf goods is Hakuza, with a half-dozen stores in the Kanazawa area. Their branch in Higashiyama, although appearing nondescript in the front, is special for two reasons. In the building's rear courtyard stands a former storehouse, now used for tea ceremonies which has been wrapped completely in gold foil inside and out. Furthermore, they offer reasonably-priced experiences where, with an instructor's guidance, you get to affix a gold-leaf pattern onto one of several goods (chopsticks, dishes, etc.) and take home the results. These sessions run six times a day from Monday through Friday, cost ¥756 to ¥1620, and must be reserved no later than the day before, by phone or e-mail. More information:
(Japanese)
If you're not the shopping type, you can still enjoy the Yasue Gold Leaf Museum, a short walk along the main road. It has permanent exhibits about the history and manufacturing process of gold leaf, and a rotating collection of objects made with the material.
Alas, I never got to any of those special places. There was no one place in particular I was searching for during my meanderings, trying to find good shots while dealing with the extra crowds stressed me out, and more than anything my travel partner's shoes started falling apart on her, so we felt it best to cut our adventure short for the day. I didn't completely enjoy my spin in Higashi Chaya-gai for those reasons, but I still loved Kanazawa as a whole and would highly recommend it, if you could perhaps plan a bit better. Still, there are other cities left to explore, so join me as I recount my day-trip to Takayama, plus the top ten modern art museums in Japan, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Access: From Kanazawa Station, take the Kanazawa Left Loop bus to Hashiba-cho (10 minutes, ¥200). The Right Loop bus will be considerably faster when returning to the station. Many local JR buses also stop at Hashiba-cho (7-15 minutes, ¥200, JR Pass OK).
Shima Teahouse Museum
Hours: Open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. No regular closing days.
Costs: ¥500. Tea service costs ¥500 to ¥700 extra.
Address: 1-13-21 Higashiyama, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa-ken 〒920-0831
Directions: From the Hashiba-cho bus stop, head north on the main road, away from the bridge. Turn right at the traffic light, continue straight down for three blocks, turn left, then immediately right. The entrance is the fourth down on your left.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
Hakuza Hikari-gura
Hours: Open from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM. No regular closing days.
Address: 1-13-18 Higashiyama, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa-ken 〒920-0831
Directions: The shop is four doors down from the Shima Teahouse, above.
Website:
(Japanese)
Kaikaro Teahouse
Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Free tours are given on the hour, every hour, during open time.
Costs: ¥750. Tea service costs ¥500 extra.
Address: 1-14-18 Higashiyama, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa-ken 〒920-0831
Directions: The shop is across from the Hakuza Hikari-gura shop, above.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
Yasue Gold Leaf Museum
Hours: Open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time. No regular closing days.
Costs: ¥310.
Address: 1-3-10 Higashiyama, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa-ken 〒920-0831
Directions: From the Hashiba-cho bus stop, head north on the main road, away from the bridge. The museum is 2 minutes away on foot, in between the next two traffic lights.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
