VISIT KANAZAWA, JAPAN - Official Travel Guide

• Arts and crafts
• Credit card OK
• English support available
• Perfect for a rainy day

With a share amounting to no less than 99% of Japan’s overall production, gold leaf is everywhere to be seen in Kanazawa. Self-evidently, and for many centuries, gold leaf has had plenty of time to leave an indelible mark on the city’s handicraft history and culture as an essential element adding a sophisticated and mesmerizing feel to local artists’ creations in various domains. Indeed, folding screens or lacquered furniture come first to mind, but recently gold leaf has been expanding into other fields such as the food industry and cosmetics... Not as expensive as you may think, gold leaf is a popular material in every sense of the word and that is how the gold leaf studio Kanazawa Katani promotes it.

Kanazawa Katani is in the center of Kanazawa, halfway between Omicho Market and the Higashi Chaya “geisha” District. Working on its own creations while supplying gold leaf for incredibly diverse industrial uses, as showcased by a display corner inside the studio, Kanazawa Katani also specializes in organizing fun and very accessible gold leaf application workshops, for all ages and audiences. From symbols of traditional Japanese imagery (seasonal flowers and plants under the moon etc.) to Kanazawa icons (the Kenrokuen garden stone-lantern) to global culture and anime, there are plenty of designs available to help you create a personal item. Choosing from more than 60 kinds of pre-designed stencil stickers, participants manipulate real gold leaf and powder to create original pieces on bases such as dishes, lunch boxes and straps. Don’t miss the rare chance to experience gold leaf application in Kanazawa, easily one of the lightest materials to be found around the globe. So, sit down at the table, enjoy the communication with the staff guiding you and create a personal item that you will be able to take with you once the workshop is over and keep as a unique souvenir of Kanazawa, the gold leaf capital of Japan.