Kanazawa (Ishikawa)
Local Guide
Kanazawa] 4 indoor spots full of emotion that you should visit on a rainy day. Experience Kutani Pottery and Enjoy a Special Seat in a Famous Garden

The weather in Kanazawa is so changeable that the saying, "Don't forget your umbrella even if you forget your lunch box," has been handed down from generation to generation. If it rains during your trip, don't be discouraged.

In fact, the greenery of the famous gardens, which become more beautiful in the rain, the quiet sound of the rain, and the calm and serene atmosphere of the teahouse district will make you feel the "Kanazawa-ness" even more than on a sunny day. In this issue, we would like to introduce some indoor spots that you may want to visit on a rainy day to relax and feel refreshed.

Experience making modern Kutani pottery vessels and accessories

Semi-order Kutani ware accessories. Earrings (one ear), rings, obi clasps, etc. 2,500 yen each.
Semi-order Kutani ware accessories. Earrings (one ear), rings, obi clasps, etc. 2,500 yen each.

Property is an art complex located in Nagamachi, where there is a samurai residence street. There are three spaces: a gallery, a store & cafe, and a pottery experience class. At the pottery experience classes, visitors can try their hand at Kutani Gosai using Kutani Yaki painting materials, Akae Kinzai (red painting with gold), and Kuro (potter's wheel) using Kutani Yaki porcelain clay (reservations required).
 If you want to enjoy art in a more casual way, we recommend making Kutani Yaki accessories, which does not require reservations. The process takes about 30 minutes, during which time you can visit galleries and stores.

The gallery in a reused warehouse is also a highlight.

Gallery on the second floor, which retains the appearance of an old warehouse.
Gallery on the second floor, which retains the appearance of an old warehouse.

The unique structure of the building is a 100-year-old warehouse completely inside a reinforced concrete building. Inside the warehouse is an art gallery, where exhibitions of crafts and artwork that harmonize with the space and fit in well with daily life are held. The themes of the exhibitions change monthly, such as "Owan (rice bowl)" and "Lacquer and Aroma Oil," and works by craft artists with ties to Ishikawa Prefecture are displayed and sold. In the store, visitors can purchase works by young artists, such as dishes, cutlery, pouches, and accessories.

atelier & gallery creava
  • Address 2-6-51 Kanazawa Choumachi, Ishikawa MAP
  • Bus Direction From the East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station, take the Hokutetsu Bus "Left Route" (Kanazawa Castle Town Circular Bus). 9 min. ride, 7 min. walk from Korinbo Bus Stop.
  • Business hours Open 10:00-17:00
  • Regular holiday Wed. and Thu. (Experience pottery making classes are held on Tue, Wed, Thu, and Fri.)
  • TEL 076-231-4756
  • Parking Free of charge (3 cars)

The splendid shoin-style building

Tsukushi no En,
Tsukushi no En," where you can enjoy an unobstructed view of the garden

Nariyasu, the 13th lord of the Maeda family, built the Okuho Palace for his mother in Kenrokuen Garden in the late Edo period (1603-1868). The "Pine Room," with its colorful glass paintings of birds on the lower back panel, and the "Audience Room," are all gracefully designed to show the care and thoughtfulness of a mother from Kyoto. The view of the garden from the 20-meter-long porch, which has no pillars, is also magnificent, and on rainy days, it is beautiful and serene.

Rooms with elaborate ceilings, walls, and colors

The colorful
The colorful "Gunsei-no-Ma" (right) and "Gunsei-Shomi-no-Ma" (left)

While the downstairs is of high status, the upstairs consists of seven rooms in a white-wooden sukiya-style shoin-style building. Each room has a different design, with the most eye-catching being the "Gunsei-no-Ma" and "Gunsei-Shomi-no-Ma" rooms. The folded ceiling is decorated in ultramarine blue, and it is surprising that this vivid color was used in the Edo period. The colors of the alcove and walls are also gorgeous. In the center of the shoji (paper sliding door) is a Dutch-inspired diamond, which allows visitors to look outside without having to open the door.

Naritatsumikaku
  • Address 1-2 Kenrokucho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture (in Kenrokuen Garden) MAP
  • Bus Direction 16 min. on the Hokutetsu Bus from the East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station to the Kenrokuen Shuttle stop. 1 min. walk from the Kenritsu Museum of Art Narutatsumikaku stop.
  • Business hours 9:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
  • Closed Wednesdays (closed the following day if Wednesday is a national holiday), Year-end and New Year holidays (12/29 - 1/2)
  • Admission Fee Special exhibitions: 700 yen, junior and senior high school students: 300 yen, elementary school students: 250 yen. Special exhibition: 1,000 yen, junior high and high school students: 400 yen, elementary school students: 300 yen.
  • TEL 076-221-0580
  • Parking Free of charge

Experience the chic and glamorous teahouse culture

Koto (Japanese harp) and biwa (Japanese lute) are placed in the
Koto (Japanese harp) and biwa (Japanese lute) are placed in the "front room" on the second floor.

Shima, a prestigious building constructed in 1820, the year the Higashi teahouse district was born. It is open to the public as a building that retains the structure of a typical teahouse. The second floor of the teahouse is a guest room (ozashiki), and unlike a machiya (townhouse), there are no partition walls or closets, making it an open-plan structure. It is a chic and elegant space for the enjoyment of entertainment. The glossy reddish-brown walls bring to mind the joyful scene of playing in a tatami room. The delicate and beautiful designs, such as the cloisonne ware on the pulls of the fusuma sliding doors, are also noteworthy. On the first floor, the sunken hearth, well, and stone chamber still remain, conveying the backstage atmosphere.

Taste matcha green tea with a view of the garden

Matcha green tea and seasonal sweets 1,000 yen
Matcha green tea and seasonal sweets 1,000 yen

At the Kanmura-an, located at the rear of the first floor, visitors can sit at a counter where they can put their feet down and enjoy matcha green tea and seasonal fresh sweets. In the warmer months, the windows are fully opened, creating a quiet space where you can take a break while enjoying the view of the garden. On rainy days, the trees are moist and wet, and the sound of the rain is pleasant to the ears. The snowy season is also very special. It is a spot you will want to visit in various seasons.

National Important Cultural Property Shima
  • Address 1-13-21 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa MAP
  • Bus Direction From JR Kanazawa Station East Exit, take the Hokutetsu Bus (Kanazawa Castle Town Circular Bus "clockwise route"). 10 min. ride, 5 min. walk from Hashiba-machi Bus Stop.
  • Business Hours 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Dec. to Feb. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Closed No holidays
  • Admission Fee 500 yen, 300 yen for elementary/junior high school students
  • TEL 076-252-5675
  • Parking None

Enjoy fermented food culture through a variety of Experiences

Misoboruru making experience is available from 11:40 on weekdays and from 11:40 and 14:30 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (capacity of 6 people; reservations required for 3 or more people) *Photo courtesy of Yamato Soy Sauce Miso
Misoboruru making experience is available from 11:40 on weekdays and from 11:40 and 14:30 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (capacity of 6 people; reservations required for 3 or more people) *Photo courtesy of Yamato Soy Sauce Miso

Yamato Soy Sauce Miso has been in business for more than 100 years in Ono, a port town on the outskirts of Kanazawa City, and is a leading provider of fermented food culture. The "Yamato Kouji Park," where atmospheric buildings stand side by side on a large site, is just like a theme park. Here, we offer various Experience programs such as guided tours of the Koji warehouse, miso making classes, classes on how to cook brown rice, and Koji club (cooking classes).
 Of these, we recommend the Misoboru Making Experience, in which you mix Yamato's raw miso with soup stock and dried ingredients such as carrots and spinach. The experience takes about 20 minutes, and the miso soup can be made into instant miso soup by pouring hot water over it. The price is 1,320 yen, which includes a miso souvenir.

Delicious Koji food lunch and "soy sauce soft serve ice cream"!

Hakkoshoku Bijin Shokudo (Fermented Food Beauty Restaurant) is a renovated warehouse. Lunch is 2,700 yen (reservation required. Separate membership prices available)
Hakkoshoku Bijin Shokudo (Fermented Food Beauty Restaurant) is a renovated warehouse. Lunch is 2,700 yen (reservation required. Separate membership prices available)

The "Hakkoshoku Bijin Shokudo (fermented food beauty restaurant)" is a tasteful space with a high ceiling. Here, you can enjoy the monthly changing malt dishes with brown rice that has been left to ferment, with the hope that you will feel free to use malt every day. In addition, at Hishiho Kura, you can buy soy sauce, miso, ponzu (Japanese citrus juice), amazake (sweet sake), and other products recommended by the brewery as souvenirs. You can sample most of the products, so you are sure to find your favorite flavor. At the take-out corner, you can taste "soy sauce soft serve ice cream" and "brown rice amazake soft serve ice cream.
 Also on the premises is the Kanazawa cheesecake specialty store "Kometohana," where you can purchase rich cheesecakes that make use of malt. Furthermore, in 2024, the Yamato Nigorizake Laboratory, which brews "Yamato Doburoku," a malt and fruit liquor, will open. In addition to the original doburoku, you can enjoy Western-style lunches using malt.

Yamato Koji Park
  • Address 4-170, Ono-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 15 minutes drive from JR Kanazawa Station
  • Business hours 10:00-17:00, Fermented food beauty diner 11:30-14:30 (L.O.13:30)
  • Regular holiday Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays (Fermented Food Beauty Cafeteria: Wednesdays, Misoboru Experience: Wednesdays and 2nd Fridays)
  • TEL 076-268-5289
  • Parking Free of charge

MAP

Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
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The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.