Kanazawa

Shadows dance on cobblestone streets under the lantern’s glow. Welcome to Kanazawa, a castle town of samurai and artisans, teahouses and geisha, and delicious regional cuisine.

A Proud Legacy of Local Ingenuity and Invention

As the most important castle town on the Sea of Japan throughout the Edo period (1603-1868), Kanazawa attracted the talents of many artisans from across Japan. Along with older, more indigenous traditions, these artisans contributed their unique gifts to the region’s rich culture for a legacy that continues to this day.

In Kanazawa itself, you can explore a world of exquisite craftsmanship and detailing through the city’s gold-leaf and textile industries. Wabunka offers intimate experiences with the traditional local art of Kaga Yuzen textile dyeing, which has been used for centuries to produce the elegant kimonos that Kanazawa is well-known for. As well as viewing the kimonos and learning about the process, you can participate yourself through learning to brush dye to decorate a handkerchief.

Beyond the city, in Kanazawa’s rural surroundings, even older artisanal traditions still thrive, including beautiful lacquerware shaped from the very sap and wood of the region’s rich forests. Such traditional arts are often passed down through many generations of the same family, as with the local ceramics known as Ohi ware. The current head of the kiln is Toshio Ohi Chozaemon XI, with his son Yuki Nara in line to succeed him one day as the twelfth generation to continue the family pottery legacy.

Whether in the city or out in the countryside, Kanazawa has no shortage of cultural treasures just waiting for you to discover.

Here in Kanazawa, and Nowhere Else in the World – Ceramics Artist Toshio Ohi Chozaemon XI, and Architect & Ceramics Artist Nara Yuki Talk Kanazawa Arts and Culture

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Suggested ItineraryRelax at a Stylish Ryokan in Yamanaka Onsen and Experience Woodcarving with a Local Lacquerware Artisan

In this suggested itinerary plan, you will visit the small Ishikawa town of Yamanaka Onsen, just over an hour from Kanazawa, to try your hand at the local tradition of woodworking while staying overnight at the ryokan Hanamurasaki.

Hanamurasaki itself is part of the town’s history, having been founded in 1902 to welcome travelers in search of the town’s soothing hot springs. Fourth-generation owner Kohei Yamada has renovated his family ryokan to combine traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern style and contemporary art. To explore the town’s ancient woodworking tradition, you will visit the workshop of lacquerware artisan Yuka Mabune and learn to craft a small wooden container.

Discovering a Refined Culture Amidst the Historic Townscape of Kanazawa

Kanazawa began its rise to prominence in the late 16th century as the home of the Maeda samurai clan, who ruled the area from 1583 to 1869. Under the patronage and protections of these powerful feudal lords, the work of artists, artisans, and entertainers could flourish in Kanazawa, transforming the town into a center of refined culture.

These days, Kanazawa is one of Japan’s best-preserved castle towns, retaining a strong sense of its historic character. When night falls upon the narrow alleys of the city’s charming Higashi Chaya District, the air becomes quiet, soft, and serene. Inside local tea houses, geisha still entertain their special guests with song, dance, and conversations as they have here for hundreds of years.

Kanazawa resident Seiichi Yamamoto has never forgotten his first visit to a tea house many years ago. “The thrill of seeing light spill through the latticed doors and hearing the shamisen and drums is as vivid to me now as it was then.” Passionate about sharing the charms of the area, Yamamoto is the owner of Maki no Oto Kanazawa, a beautiful inn based in an old townhouse typical of the neighborhood.

He is also able to arrange rare access to the world beyond the lattice doors exclusively for Wabunka guests, allowing you to enter one of the teahouses where geisha provide entertainment and companionship. Dressed in beautiful kimonos and adorned with their distinctive makeup and hairstyle, these traditional Japanese entertainers will delight you with song, dance, and good-humored conversation.

A Journey Through the Soul of Japan, From an Inn in Kanazawa’s Teahouse District

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Suggested Itinerary
Stay at an Inn in Kanazawa’s Higashi Chaya District and Enjoy an Elegant Evening With Geisha

This suggested Kanazawa itinerary includes a relaxing stay at the traditional townhouse-style inn Maki No Oto Kanazawa and an evening’s entertainment at a teahouse with a geisha.

With its narrow front and deep interior, along with rooms that open up toward a quiet spacious courtyard, Maki No Oto Kanazawa offers an authentic ambience to your stay in Kanazawa’s historic Higashi Chaya District. This neighborhood is filled with narrow, maze-like alleys to explore en route to an unforgettable evening with a geisha at a teahouse including music, dance, and parlor games.

Water, Land, and Weather Have Long Blessed Ishikawa with Sensational Food and Sake

Along with a particularly conducive climate, the lands and seas that surround Kanazawa have long favored the city with a wealth of sumptuous ingredients. Fish and shellfish from the Sea of Japan are considered some of the most delicious in the country, as any visit to Kanazawa’s fish market will soon attest.

Because nearby mountains receive heavy snowfall in the winter, pure meltwater flows into Ishikawa Prefecture through its rivers and streams each year. Not only does this water feed the farms that produce crops of rice, fruit, and vegetables, but it also facilitates the production of some of the finest sake in Japan. Legendary sake brewer Noguchi Naohiko has spent a lifetime learning to produce some of the region’s best. “Experience taught me the importance of making sake that people truly want,” he explains. “Different regions have different preferences for sake, and as lifestyles change, so do the flavors people desire.”

Wabunka offers special gourmet experiences in and around Kanazawa that take you straight to the source. One such experience combines an overnight stay at Auberge Eaufeu, with its innovative French cuisine made from local ingredients, and a tour of the Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute to taste award-winning sake.

Brewed for the People: The Legacy of Master Sake Brewer Noguchi Naohiko

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Suggested ItineraryStay in an Auberge Steeped in Local History in Komatsu, Ishikawa, with Award-Winning Sake and Haute Cuisine

This recommended Wabunka itinerary takes you to the small town of Kanagaso, an hour’s drive from Kanazawa, where you will experience fine dining with an overnight stay at Auberge Eaufeu and a tour of the nearby Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute

Meals at the auberge are conceived by master chef Shota Itoi, the youngest-ever winner of the Grand Prize at the prestigious annual RED U-35 competition. Itoi’s French cuisine embraces local seafood, produce, and wild ingredients for a dining experience like no other amidst a peaceful setting of fields and forests. At the Institute, you will encounter the proud legacy of brewer Noguchi Naohiko and his award-winning sake brewed using local rice and spring water.

All Experiences in Kanazawa

22 experiences found

Other crafts

Create a Bespoke Flower Vase with a Living National Treasure of Yamanaka Woodturning near Kanazawa

Kanazawa

120mins

from $4,415 /person

Other crafts

Learn Traditional Yamanaka Woodturning and Craft a Small Vase at the Workshop of a Living National Treasure near Kanazawa

Kanazawa

120mins

from $294 /person

Experiential Stays

[Experiential Stay] A Private Sauna Retreat in a Refined Gallery-Turned-Hotel Awaits in Central Kanazawa

Kanazawa

1night

from $190 /person

Lacquerware, Experiential Stays

[Experiential Stay] Try Your Hand at Crafting Traditional Hokuriku Lacquerware and Stay in a Renovated Traditional House

Kanazawa

1night

from $581 /person

Experiential Stays, Temples & Shrines, Matcha & Tea

[Experiential Stay] Experience a Private Tour of a 1,300-Year-Old Temple in Komatsu with a Tea Ceremony and Goma Fire Ritual

Kanazawa

1night

from $224 /person

Experiential Stays

[Experiential Stay] Relax and Savor Refined Cuisine at an Auberge in Komatsu, Ishikawa

Kanazawa

1night

from $405 /person

Sake & Alcohol Tastings

Experience Craft Gin at a Kanazawa Distillery and Delight in a Gourmet Dinner at a Renowned Restaurant

Kanazawa

250mins

from $451 /person

Sake & Alcohol Tastings

Private Tour and Tasting of Craft Gin the World is Buzzing Over at a Kanazawa Craft Gin Distillery

Kanazawa

100mins

from $245 /person

Experiential Stays, Geisha

[Experiential Stay] Stay at an Inn in Kanazawa’s Higashi Chaya District and Enjoy an Elegant Evening With Geisha

Kanazawa

1night

from $771 /person

Sake & Alcohol Tastings

Private Sake Tasting and Gallery Tour at the Brewery of Noguchi Naohiko, the “God of Sake Brewing”

Kanazawa

60mins

from $77 /person

Experiential Stays, Sake & Alcohol Tastings

[Experiential Stay] A Journey of Fine Wine and Food at Maki no Oto Kanazawa Inn—With Private Tour of Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute

Kanazawa

1night

from $458 /person

Experiential Stays, Bonsai

[Experiential Stay] Stay at an Inn in Higashi Chaya District, Enjoy Kanazawa's Fine Cuisine and Bonsai Making

Kanazawa

1night

from $546 /person

Tea ceremony

Sowa Style Tea Ceremony Experience in Kanazawa, where Historic Tea Traditions Thrive

Kanazawa

120mins

from $315 /person

Lacquerware

Lacquerware Decoration Experience from an Artisan in Kanazawa, City of Crafts

Kanazawa

100mins

from $341 /person

Lacquerware, Kintsugi

Traditional, All-Natural Kintsugi Experience in Kanazawa, the City of Crafts

Kanazawa

120mins

from $296 /person

Cooking Classes, Sushi

Private Edomae Sushi Omakase with a Hands-On Nigiri Experience in Kanazawa

Kanazawa

180mins

from $367 /person

Geisha

Dine at an Auberge in Kanazawa’s Higashi Chaya District and Enjoy an Elegant Evening With Geisha

Kanazawa

240mins

from $539 /person

Sake & Alcohol Tastings

Taste the Finest Sake at Fukumitsuya, Kanazawa's Oldest Brewery—Optional Brewery Tour Available

Kanazawa

60mins

from $122 /person

A Journey Designed for You

[Experiential Stay] Culinary Ryokan Stay near Kanazawa with Sacred Shinto Rituals and Mountain Bounties

[Experiential Stay] Stay in an Auberge Steeped in Local Heritage near Kanazawa, with Award-Winning Sake and Haute Cuisine

[Experiential Stay] Relax at a Stylish Ryokan in Yamanaka Onsen and Experience Woodcarving with a Local Lacquerware Artisan

[Experiential Stay] Spend a Refined Evening with Geisha in a Historic Ochaya, Staying at an Exclusive Hideaway in Higashi Chaya District

[Experiential Stay] Forge a Japanese Knife with Local Blacksmiths in Fukui and Stay in a 100-Year-Old Renovated Traditional House

[Multi-Day Journey] Cultural Treasures: Kanazawa, Hida-Takayama and Kyoto

[Experiential Stay] Relax at a Stylish Ryokan in Yamanaka Onsen and Experience Woodcarving with a Local Lacquerware Artisan

[Experiential Stay] Shape Kutani Ware Pottery with Your Own Hands and Taste Local Haute Cuisine with an Auberge Stay in Komatsu, Ishikawa

[Experiential Stay] Stay in an Auberge Steeped in Local History in Komatsu, Ishikawa, with Award-Winning Sake and Haute Cuisine

[Multi-Day Journey] Immersive Japanese Crafting Experience in Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara & Osaka

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Wabunka Stories: The People Behind the Places

Here in Kanazawa, and Nowhere Else in the World – Ceramics Artist Toshio Ohi Chozaemon XI, and Architect & Ceramics Artist Nara Yuki Talk Kanazawa Arts and Culture

Toshio Ohi Chozaemon XI, Ceramicist / Architect Yuki Nara

A Journey Through the Soul of Japan, From an Inn in Kanazawa’s Teahouse District

Seiichi Yamamoto, Owner of Maki no Oto

Brewed for the People: The Legacy of Master Sake Brewer Noguchi Naohiko

Noguchi Naohiko, Master brewer of the Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute

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