What Not to Miss in Kanazawa's Higashi Chaya District

Hakuza Hikari Kura Gold House

Did you know that 99% of the gold leaf that is produced in Japan is from Kanazawa? If you are in the city where most of Japan’s gold leaf is from, you have no choice but to visit this house which features gorgeous decorations. The “Gold House” has beautiful gold leaf craftwork inside, as well as outside the house. Let your eyes shine with the reflection of its gold!

Hakuza Hikari Kura Gold House

The Hakuza store is known for its variety of gold products ranging from jewelry and bags to chopsticks and edible gold sprinkles. While the upmarket shop sports a somewhat stuffy ambience, the main draw to the Higashi Chaya Hakuza branch is the golden house hidden in the backyard of the shop. Sneak out the back to find Hakuza Hikari Kura which is an old tea house whose exterior is fully coated in pure gold platinum foil with the inner walls covered in 24 carat gold.

Hakuza Hikari Kura Gold House

Hakuza Hikarikura

4.0

58 Reviews

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-13-18

0762518930

9:30-18:00 (until 17:30 in w…

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traditional crafts

Kanazawa is a treasure trove of traditional crafts, such as Kaga Yuzen, Kanazawa shikki, and Wajima-nuri. Kaga yuzen is a cloth dyeing technique for kimono while Kanazawa shikki and Wajima-nuri are both traditional Japanese lacquerware. Skilled craft masters make these traditional works, with many of the techniques having been passed down from generation to generation over the past 300 years. Enjoy looking at plenty of works that hark back to the old days of Japan!

traditional crafts

Kutani-yaki Porcelain

Originally created in the nearby Kaga Province, kutani-yaki porcelain can be found throughout Japan today with a number of shops found along the main street through the Higashi Chaya District. Kutani-yaki is a delicate style of pottery finished off with colorful and intricate designs of local landscapes and people. The shops around the eastern tea house district display a plenitude of elaborately designed kutani-yaki pots including bowls, tea cups, teapots and even wine glasses. Prices vary significantly from shop to shop but some places such as Jyuen opposite the Enchoji Temple offer beautiful pieces for as little as 500 yen.

Enchoji Temple

Ishikawa Kanazawa-shi Higashiyama 1-4-40

0762529081

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Kaikarou

Chaya-Kenchiku, a specially constructed teahouse, can be found in Higashi Chaya-gai. In this context, a teahouse is not a place where you drink matcha. Rather, it is somewhere people are entertained by Geisha. Traditionally, first time customers are not allowed to enter the teahouse. In Higashi Chaya-gai, beautiful teahouse buildings are still there. You can imagine their gorgeous culture and feel the history in this area.

Kaikarou

Preserving its interior, teahouse Kaikaro has been designated as a Kanazawa City Preservation Architecture. It was built 199 years ago and is the largest teahouse in Kanazawa. Though it doesn’t welcome first-time customers at night, it is open to the public during the daytime. They have retained the old-style interior but also display art works by modern artists. You can buy souvenirs at their gift shop, too. Their golden tearoom is impressive.

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The 200-year-old wooden teahouses of the Higashi Chaya District in the east of Kanazawa are undoubtedly one of the highlights of a trip to …

Kaikarou

Kaikarou

Kaikaro Cafe

4.0

163 Reviews

Ishikawa Kanazawa-shi Higashiyama 1-14-8

0762530591

10:00-17:00

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Ochaya Shima Tea House

Built in the 1800s, Ochaya SHIMA was a traditional geisha house for over one hundred years and has been kept as it was while many other tea houses have been redeveloped into businesses. Recognised as a valuable cultural heritage, this preserved two-story geisha house offers the chance to explore the upper tatami rooms which look over traditional gardens and the crooked rooftops of the entertainment district. The ground floor houses the geishas’ kitchen where tea used to be prepared as well as cabinets displaying a number of artifacts used by geisha including hair accessories and shamisen picks. Entrance is 500 yen with the option to visit the hidden tea room at the back of the house for an extra 200 yen.

Ochaya Shima (National Important Cultural Property )

4.0

315 Reviews

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-13-21

0762525675

9:30-17:30 (Dec.- Feb. until…

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古都とき Kototoki

東山1-13-4 Kanazawa

Machiya café

There are a lot of stylish cafés in renovated Machiya buildings, which are traditional wooden townhouses. The architectural style is similar to Ochaya and you can feel the history of the buildings, even though many of the cafés have contemporary interiors. What you can taste in those cafes is quite unique, too. Something they all have in common is that they celebrate the taste of Kanazawa. Here are our recommended cafes!

gold leaf soft-serve ice cream

Kanazawa’s prefecture, Ishikawa, has the largest annual consumption of ice cream in all of Japan. Gold leaf soft-serve ice cream is something you must try in this city of gold leaf and ice cream! Hakuichi’s building used to be a public bath house and the newly renovated inside is now full of Kanazawa products. You can browse for souvenirs inside the shop before or after you try their shiny gold leaf soft-serve ice cream for 891 yen!

Hakuichi Higashiyama store

Hakuichi Higashiyama Store

4.0

80 Reviews

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-15-4

0762530891

9:00-18:00 *Friday foil soft…

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古都とき Kototoki

東山1-13-4 Kanazawa

Kaho Kazu Nakashima

This café is run by the 4th generation traditional sweets shop Nakashima. They introduce a new item every day! Their big mochi with a whole fruit inside is very popular and they look pretty, too. The interesting thing about their sweets is that they are a perfect match for not only matcha, but also sake and wine!! They serve sophisticated local sake with your sweets. You can’t taste this amazing combination anywhere else, so you better try it here!

Kaho Kazu Nakashima

Kaho Kazu Nakashima

菓舗 Kazu Nakashima

石川県金沢市東山1-7-6

076-252-5280

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Café Tamon

Café Tamon is located in front of the Utasu Shrine and they pride themselves on using ingredients that are grown or caught in the local area. Their interior and menu are both collaborations with various creators. Tatami room seats and regular table seats are available, with the most popular seats by the window where you can see the garden. There is also a gallery space where their antiques, including Kutani ware, are shown. Café Tamon’s famous Montblanc pancakes with locally grown sweet potato known as Goroujima kintoki is 1,180 yen.

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Café Tamon

Mont Blanc pancake with Goroujima sweet potato

Cafeたもん

石川県金沢市東山1-27-7

076-255-0370

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Enjoy tasting more than 100 different types of sake

Ishikawa prefecture has clear, pure water and great rice fields. Clear water and quality rice are the two most important things needed to make good sake. Since Ishikawa has both, there are unquestionably fabulous sake breweries here. Some breweries offer tours and let you taste different sake. You might not be familiar with its taste, but by the end of your Kanazawa stay, you will be an expert. Taste various types and find your favorite.

Higashi-yama Shuraku

Head to the end of the main street that runs through the Higashi Chaya District and you’ll come to Higashi-yama Shuraku, a small shop specialising in local alcohol. The abundance of rice produced in Ishikawa Prefecture is said to be sweeter than its counterparts which make for a rich, fruity tasting sake. A whole wall is dedicated to Ishikawa nihonshu sake, however, the shop also sells plum wines and shochu, a stronger spirit which is produced from either rice or sweet potatoes. Don’t hesitate to ask the English speaking staff for advice.

Higashiyama Shuraku

4.0

13 Reviews

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-25-5

0762511139

9:00-17:00

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Gold leaf

You will be surprised when you find out how many gold leaf products there are in Kanazawa. Gold leaf soft-served ice cream is just one of them. Gold leaf coffee, sake, castella cake… you can buy all different kinds of food and drinks with gold leaf in it. Cosmetics with gold leaf and oil blotting paper are also popular.

Gold Leaf Beauty Products

Whoever said that all that glitters isn’t gold had clearly never been to Kanazawa. There’s no escaping the gold infused beauty products found all around Higashi Chaya and who’d want to when you can sample sparkling gels and creams on your way around. Although the gold leaf pushes the prices up, its is said to be beneficial to the skin and - even if that’s just a marketing ploy - it makes for one pretty cool souvenir. To add even more sparkle into your trip, slip behind the main street of Higashi Chaya to check out the Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum.

Gold Leaf Sakuda (Sakuda Gold & Silver Leaf Crafts)

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-3-27

0762516777

9:00-18:00(depending on the …

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Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum

4.0

144 Reviews

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Higashiyama 1-3-10

0762518950

9:30-17:00 (Last entry recep…

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Kazuemachi Chaya District

Higashi Chaya District is pretty busy during the daytime but when the sun starts to set, the whole area becomes much more tranquil. If you walk to the Kazuemachi Chaya District, you can see a breathtaking view that was used as the setting for a novel. This neighborhood is designated as a National Preservation District due to its important traditional buildings. The view of its softly illuminated Asanogawa Bridge and the stone pavements with light seeping through the lattice doors is unforgettable.

Asanogawa Bridge

Kazuemachi Chaya District

Kazuemachi Chaya District

Ishikawa Pref. Kanazawashi Kazuemachi

0762202194

Store/Depends on facility

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