Exterior of an old wooden building in Higashi Chaya Kanazawa

What Not to Miss in Higashi Chaya, Kanazawa

Higashi Chaya is the old geisha district of Kanazawa. Today, it’s a maze of streets lined with old wooden buildings full of shops, restaurants, and other tourist attractions. Dotted around these are some interesting shrines and other elements of Kanazawa life. Here’s our guide to the eleven things, big and small, that caught our eye.

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View of Nishi Chaya main street in Kanazawa showing old wooden houses and red framed old fashioned lights

8 Things to See Around Nishi Chaya, Kanazawa

Nishi Chaya is one of Kanazawa’s four main sightseeing areas. An old geisha district, it’s lined with old wooden teahouses. Inside these, you’ll find new cafes and museums full of fun and interesting artifacts. Here are eight things not to miss when you’re wandering around Nishi Chaya and nearby.

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Black box with gold leaf motif

What to Expect From a Gold Leaf Experience in Kanazawa

You’ll see a lot of gold leaf in Japan. Mostly on shrines and temples, but nowhere will you see it used in more fun ways than in Kanazawa. There are entire walls covered with it, you can eat food sprinkled with sparkly particles, and add it to cute souvenirs on one of Kanazawa’s gold leaf craft sessions. Here’s what happened when I tried the Hakuichi Gold Leaf Experience in Kanazawa.

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Exterior of one of the shrines on the Higashiyama Shrine Walk in Takayama

Guide to The Higashiyama Walking Course in Takayama

If you have more than one day in Takayama, why not spend a couple of hours of it investigating the Higashiyama Walking Course? This walk is located close to the old town and takes in 12 temples and shrines with some interesting features. If you don’t have time to do the whole thing, you can easily see 10 of the buildings in about an hour.

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