06 Jun 2025

A Golden Finale in Kanazawa

Kanazawa, famously the home of gold leaf production in Japan, was our final stop on our Eternally Sacred Japan & South Korea voyage. A coastal city, and the largest in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa is also famous for its handicrafts and Edo Period ambience. At the renowned village of Yunokuni-no-Mori we tried our hand at crafts such as paper making and gold leaf pasting with the artisans themselves. Others headed to the back alleys of the Nagamuchi historic samurai district or the famous Higashi Chaya teahouse district to appreciate the history and culture of Kanazawa.

About 75 minutes from Kanazawa lies Ogimachi Village in Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO site famed for its steep thatched Gassho-zukuri farmhouses. We arrived by bus, then walked across the pedestrian suspension bridge that spans the Shō River. The village buzzed with visitors wandering the streets, pausing to photograph the rice fields and unique architecture. The picturesque setting reminded some of us of a charming German Alpine village — just with smaller bordering mountains!

Visiting the Kanda House felt like stepping into another era. Before entering, we removed our shoes, just as people have done for generations, to protect the worn wooden floors. Inside, the farmhouse was quiet and cool, with the scent of old timber and smoke hanging in the air. We wandered through rooms of massive wooden beams and paused by the old hearth where families once cooked and kept warm. The upper floors were filled with tools and artifacts used for raising silkworms that told the story of life in rural Japan.

Lunch was enjoyed at a nearby restaurant, a short drive from the village, where traditional dishes made with local ingredients were served, beef with miso (or tofu for the plant-based option), accompanied by soup, pickled radish, and beautifully crisp vegetable tempura. Delicious! 

We began our walk from the restaurant, meandering along quiet mountain roads and through the nearby village, Gokayama, as our guide shared local stories from the past. Our last stop was the village of Suganuma, another charming spot with gassho-zukuri houses. With few visitors around, we browsed souvenir shops offering crafts and local delicacies — an all-around fantastic finale to our voyage!

Images © C. Perry & M. Dahling, Heritage Expeditions