Japan Kanazawa

Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, is a refined cultural gem on Japan’s Sea of Japan coast, often celebrated as a less crowded alternative to Kyoto. (We visited Kyoto a few days later.) Known for its impeccably preserved Edo-period samurai and geisha districts, stunning gardens, and gold leaf craftsmanship, Kanazawa offers an immersive blend of traditional arts and modern art, including the acclaimed 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. Kanazawa is situated between the mountains and the Sea of Japan. We explored Kenroku-en-Garden. Kenroku-en-is one of Japan's three great gardens and dates from thr 1670's. Translated to English the name means Garden of Six Qualities; referring to the six essential attributes that make up a perfect garden: spaciousness, transquality, artiface, antiquity, water, and magnificent views. One of the garden's most stunning attractions is Kasumigaike pond with its island called Horai, which is meant to symbolize long life and eternal prosperity. Japan's gold leaf (kinpaku) crafting is a mesmerizing traditional art. We enjoyed a hands-on gilding and painting workshop where we applied gold leaf onto a Bento Box in the gold-producing capital of Kanazawa, Japan. The Suit of Armor belongs to Toshiie Maeda, the founder of the Kaga clan. The armor is displayed at the Hakuichi Main Store Hakukokan in Kanazawa, Japan, where we had our gold leaf class. There is also a demonstration of the gold leaf "hammering" which is very loud. We enjoyed making our gold leaf Bento Box. Kanazawa-eki) is a major railway station in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), the private railway operator Hokuriku Railroad, and the third-sector operator IR Ishikawa Railway. Below are some of our pictures from the railway station. The music we used for this video is Daydreams by John Rudzinskas.