A must-do when you visit Kanazawa! Gold leaf application experience
Kanazawa City boasts a 99% share of Japan’s total gold leaf production. Gold leaf is often sprinkled over dishes and sweets, and soft-serve ice cream wrapped in a whole sheet of gold leaf is renowned as a quintessential Kanazawa treat. In Kanazawa, there are several specialist shops where you can try your hand at applying gold leaf. With a wide range of programs available—covering small plates, trinket boxes, hand mirrors and lacquered chopsticks—these experiences can be enjoyed in a short time and at reasonable prices, making them hugely popular with visitors looking to create a memento of their trip to Kanazawa.
What exactly is gold leaf? What kind of experience can you have?
Gold leaf production flourished in Kanazawa due to a number of factors: a humid climate ideal for gold leaf production; an abundance of high-quality water suitable for making the Japanese paper required for hammering the leaf; and the advanced techniques developed during the Edo period through clandestine production conducted in secret from the shogunate. ‘Gold leaf production with border’ is one of the elements comprising the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ‘Traditional Building Crafts.' This craft, which is indispensable for the restoration of National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, is a skill of which Kanazawa can be proud on the world stage.
Gold leaf application workshops vary from shop to shop in terms of what you can make and how the process is carried out. You can choose a workshop based on what you’d like to make, your budget and the time required, and in most cases, you can take your creation home with you straight away. Many shops are popular because they offer the chance to learn about gold leaf together and purchase a variety of gold and silver leaf products.
Some people worry that the gold leaf application experience might be difficult or wonder what they’ll do if they make a mistake, but rest assured that most of the projects are straightforward, and even if you do make a mistake, the result will still look quite presentable. Many people say that the moment of applying the gold leaf, with all the excitement it brings, is simply unbeatable.
And if you’d like to find out more about Kanazawa’s gold leaf, I’d recommend the Kanazawa City Yasue Gold Leaf Craft Museum, located near the Higashi Chaya District.
List of gold leaf experience packages in Kanazawa
Looking for unique experiences? Check out the information at the link below!
