Come to Kanazawa and Spend a Shining Day with Me!

I first came to know Kanazawa because, several years ago, while researching the art of artisans, I came across introductions about Kanazawa’s gold leaf, which was said to be the most famous and best-preserved place for gold leaf craftsmanship in Japan. I had secretly set my heart on visiting Kanazawa, the Gold Leaf Capital, to witness the skills of the gold leaf artisans. And in Kanazawa, the areas that preserved ancient Japanese buildings and techniques were mainly located in the East Tea Street.

Kanazawa has three tea streets that have continued from the Edo period until today, namely the West Tea Street, the East Tea Street, and the Shichi-no-sai-cho. The East Tea Street is the largest of the three, and it is also a major area for the preservation of important traditional Japanese buildings. The East Tea Street also has ancient stone pavements, with wooden houses lined up on both sides of the street, and there are many traditional Japanese buildings with wooden lattice windows. Walking along the street, you can still hear the sound of shamisen music drifting between the buildings, and many men and women dressed in kimonos appear in the narrow alleys. Those old buildings that have been renovated are now used as restaurants, teahouses, or souvenir shops. Japan produces almost 100% of its gold leaf in Kanazawa, so many items here contain gold leaf elements, such as food, tableware, masks, skincare products, and handicrafts. There seems to be nothing they can’t do.

With a sense of respect for artisans, when visiting the Gold Leaf Capital, one must experience making their own souvenir. You can choose the object you want to make in the workshop. The gold leaf craftsmen will patiently teach you the method, and the price is about 1500 to 3000 Japanese yen for one hour, depending on the size of the mold. I also tried to make a storage box under the guidance of the gold leaf craftsman, which was very easy to learn for a beginner like me. The teacher would guide the hand gestures and key points for each process, but it still requires some patience.

If you are also planning to visit this Gold Leaf Capital, why not try to make your own souvenir to take home? Watching the thin gold leaf jumping on all kinds of objects is a sight that delights the eye. Here’s my score out of 10 for my finished product – how would you rate it?

After finishing the gold leaf crafts, the best way to reward yourself is to have a gold leaf ice cream. It’s also a popular ‘’ (influencer ice cream)! You can’t come to Kanazawa without trying gold leaf ice cream! With a thin gold leaf on the ice cream, when you take a bite, your mouth is full of gold leaf. This may be the most extravagant ice cream I’ve ever eaten in my life, and it’s a peak moment for my taste buds – this is the legendary ‘’ (eating gold)!

Tips:

1Making gold leaf courses need to be booked in advance. In rare cases, there happens to be a teacher available on site, but to avoid disrupting your travel plans, it's best to book in advance.

2All tools, templates, and semi-finished products needed for making gold leaf are prepared in the store. We just need to arrive on time.

3Gold leaf ice cream and gold leaf making are not in the same building, but they are both very easy to find, about 100 meters away, all in the East Tea Street.