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Kanazawa's best-preserved historic geisha district with 19th-century machiya; free stroll, tea houses with visits.
Higashi Chaya is the largest and best-preserved tea-house district in Kanazawa, a group of cobbled streets with 19th-century machiya (wooden houses) where the geishas (called geiko in the local dialect) still practise their art. The tea houses, called ochaya, are establishments where clients enjoy shamisen music, dance and conversation with geishas. Most ochaya are private and do not admit tourists, but some have been converted into souvenir shops, cafés and museums where you can see the interior of these spaces and taste the famous Kanazawa sake or gold leaf (kinpaku). Strolling the district is free. The shops and cafés are generally open from 9:00 to 18:00. The district is especially beautiful at dawn and dusk, when the streetlamps light up the wooden facades. It is reached by tourist bus (Higashi-Chayamachi stop) or by taxi from Kanazawa station (15 minutes).
