Higashi Chaya District

The old town is located on the bank of the River Asano flowing through Kanazawa. As the traditional ‘teahouse -style’ architecture has been kept here, the escaping light coming through dainty latticework will make you steep yourself in a refined atmosphere. Chaya means a fancy restaurant area. At dusk, ‘Geigi’ or geisha, come and go and you might hear melody of shamisen or ‘taiko’ drums, Japanese traditional musical instruments.‘Kaikaro’ and ‘Shima’, typical teahouses, designated as preserved historical structure by Kanazawa City, are open to the public. The gold leafed tea ceremony room, gorgeous drawing rooms and the Wajima-style lacquered staircase are worth seeing. The district was selected as an important traditional building preservation area in 2001 and the preservation of the old architecture is underway.