Higashi Chaya District

Kanazawa's teahouse districts were laid out by the Kaga domain in 1820, consolidating the trade into three licensed quarters, and Higashi Chaya is the largest and best preserved - two-storey wooden buildings with kimusuko, the fine vertical lattice screens on the ground floor that let those inside see out and not the reverse, and upper rooms where the entertainment took place. Several houses remain working ochaya where geisha perform for private parties. Two are open as museums: Shima, preserved unaltered since 1820 and a national important cultural property, and Kaikaro, still operating and open by day, with a gold-leaf-floored room. Gold leaf is Kanazawa's craft - the city produces almost all of Japan's - and shops here sell it on everything including ice cream. The Kazuemachi district across the river is smaller, quieter and worth the extra ten minutes.

What you actually see

• Kimusuko lattices - fine vertical screens allowing sight out but not in.
• An 1820 layout - a licensed quarter consolidated by the Kaga domain.
• Shima and Kaikaro - two houses open, one preserved unaltered, one still working.
• Gold leaf - Kanazawa's craft, sold here on lacquer, paper and ice cream.

When to go

All year; early morning for empty streets. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The district is small - a few streets. Coach parties fill it through the middle of the day. Working ochaya are private and cannot be entered casually. Geisha performances for visitors are arranged through agencies and are expensive.

Nearby

Kenrokuen and the castle are south-west; Kazuemachi is across the river.