Kanazawa – Samurai Culture Tour & Craft Experience

My name is Michiko. I'm your local guide. Thank you for visiting my tour! I was born and raised in Kanazawa. Except for the wonderful few years I spent in Boston due to my husband's work, I have spent my entire life here. I love the city and tour guiding is my true calling. Nothing could be more joyful than showing my hometown to you! Kanazawa is known for its craft culture due to its great samurai history. The great warlord Maeda clan ruled this land for 286 years. The city was even the fourth largest city in Japan, after Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, with one million goku (wealth that affords a million soldiers) in the Edo Period (17th –19th centuries). In this time, Kanazawa's rich culture flourished, still continuing to this day, which I will show you through their living quarters, a shrine, a castle and one of the best Japanese gardens in the nation. In the afternoon, I will take you to one of Kanazawa’s many craft studios, where you can learn about and experience a local craft.

- We are going to visit four major sites, including Nagamachi Samurai District, Oyama Shrine, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden. - Then, we will have lunch at Omicho Market, the best local market in the region, and take part in a craft experience. The following are my recommendations for craft experience. Please have a look and let me know which is the most intriguing for you! (Duration of each experience is one hour). I will make a reservation for you. 1) Gold Leaf Craft 2) Kaga Yuzan Dying 3) Meditation at a Zen Temple 4) Japanese Calligraphy 5) Matcha Experience 6) Music Lesson—the Japanese Scale and Piano Duets Even Beginners Can Play