Kanazawa’s Crafts and Gardens: Gold Leaf, Kutani Porcelain, Kenrokuen and Zen

Crafts that patrons kept alive

The Maeda lords of Kaga, who ruled the region for most of the Edo period, spent their wealth on culture rather than on war. Gold leaf is the clearest result: Kanazawa produces nearly all of Japan’s supply, about 99 per cent by most accounts, and the Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum near the Higashi Chaya district explains how a sliver of metal is beaten thin enough to float.

Kutani porcelain belongs to the same tradition, one of several ceramic and lacquer crafts that still have working studios in the city. Look for the dense colour and the gilt, then ask what was made by hand and what was not.

Garden and old districts

Kenrokuen is the formal heart of the city, a stroll garden laid out over generations and best in the lower light of early morning or in snow. Higashi Chaya, the old teahouse quarter, sits across the river, and the two fit into one unhurried day; the walk through Kenrokuen and Higashi Chaya gives the order.

Contemporary and Zen

Kanazawa is as good on the present as on the past. The 21st Century Museum by SANAA is a glass circle with no front or back, and the D.T. Suzuki Museum, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, is a quiet arrangement of walls and water meant for sitting with a single idea.

For practice rather than looking, sitting zazen at Eiheiji in neighbouring Fukui is a day trip that changes the pace of a visit.

Getting there and staying

The Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo makes Kanazawa an easy overnight stop. Hyatt Centric Kanazawa offers graphic interiors that nod to geisha and samurai heritage and a rooftop bar, within reach of the station and the old districts.

Sources: Kanazawa crafts: More Than Tokyo; Tokyo Weekender. Check the official websites for current information.