RecommendedFull day with tea
Samurai, garden, Shima
- Higashi Chaya
- 40 min + Shima 1 hour
- Start
- 9:00, Kanazawa Station
- Price
- from $142
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Guide · Teahouse district
Higashi Chaya District, Kanazawa's old teahouse town
Wooden lattices, a teahouse museum, gold leaf in the shop windows: how to walk the Higashi Chaya District, where geiko still perform, and what a guided day adds.
Check availabilityfrom $61 · cancellation is free
Editorial team, kanazawacastle.comUpdated October 25, 2026Reading time 7 min46 sources
The essentials
- 01What it is
- The largest of Kanazawa's three historic teahouse districts, founded in 1820.1
- 02Protected
- A national preservation district since 2001, covering 1.8 ha.2
- 03Inside a teahouse
- Ochaya Shima is a former geiko house turned museum.3
- 05Our walk
- The castle walk sold here does not go there; the full-day tour on this page does.
A teahouse town across the river
Higashi Chaya is the largest of Kanazawa's three historic entertainment districts, the quarters the city calls teahouse districts, and it was established in 1820.1 Here geiko, the local name for geisha, entertained wealthy merchants with music, dance and games.4 The main street is short and straight, lined with tall wooden fronts and fine lattice screens, and it fills slowly as the day goes on.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs protects the area as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings under the name Higashiyama Higashi, selected on 14 November 2001 and covering 1.8 ha.2 That small size is part of the charm: you can walk every lane in an hour and still find a quiet side street. Look up at the upper floors, where the entertaining took place, and at the slatted windows that let people inside see out without being seen.
Most buildings now hold cafes, sweet shops, restaurants and craft stores, but some are still working geiko teahouses.6 Treat the district as a lived-in place rather than a stage set. Photograph the street, not people's doorways, keep to the lanes, and if you do meet a geiko on her way to work, let her pass without a camera in her face.
An afternoon on foot
A slow route through the east side
-
Start
Asano River bridge
Cross from the city side and enter the main street from the river end.
-
First stop
Ochaya Shima
See the upper guest rooms of a former geiko house.3
-
Next
Kaikaro by day
A working teahouse with gold-leaf tatami, open for a fee.7
-
Hands on
Gold leaf
Try a workshop or browse the shops of the craft.8
-
Dusk
Kazuemachi
Walk the river-side lanes of the smaller teahouse district.9
Where geiko culture still lives
The geisha district of Kanazawa is not a show put on for visitors. The world of geiko entertainment is exclusive, and entry to a real banquet comes by referral.5 What you can do is visit the houses that open their doors by day, and book one of the evenings created for guests from outside, where the music and games are explained.
Kaikaro is a working geiko teahouse in a building of nearly 200 years, with a room whose tatami mats are woven with gold leaf, and by day it opens to the public for a fee.7 On certain nights it hosts Geisha Evenings in Kanazawa, an interactive performance in English, with reservations online.10 Some guests are invited to join the traditional drinking games, so sit near the front if you are curious.
The sound of the district is part of the experience. In the late afternoon you may hear a shamisen being practised behind a lattice, the clatter of geta on stone and the quiet of the side lanes. Even without a booking, walking the main street at dusk, when the lamps come on and the shop shutters go down, gives you a feeling for what these streets were built for.
The full-day tour
Minutes per stop on the recommended day
minutes
Three districts
Kanazawa's teahouse quarters side by side
With a guide
Three tours that reach the teahouses
Recommended
ShorterHighlights by taxi
Garden, castle, geisha lanes
- Higashi Chaya
- 40 minutes
- Tickets
- Garden and Nomura
- Price
- from $54
Hands onGold leaf class
In a red-walled townhouse
- Length
- 1 hour
- Teacher
- English, Japanese
- Price
- from $32
Decision helper
Which side of the teahouse world suits you?
Pick what you want to come away with
Ochaya Shima
A former teahouse kept as a museum of geiko culture.3
Geisha Evenings at Kaikaro
An interactive show in English, held on certain nights and booked online.10
A gold leaf workshop
A 1-hour class in Higashi Chaya, no experience needed.
Kazuemachi
A small preservation district of 0.6 ha on the river.9
The full-day tour
Higashi Chaya and Shima after Nagamachi and Kenroku-en.
Today, many of these buildings function as cafes, restaurants, sweet shops, and craft shops, but some are still geiko teahouses.
Ochaya Shima and the rooms upstairs
Ochaya Shima is a former geiko teahouse that now works as a museum of the district's geiko culture.3 It is the easiest way to see inside: steep stairs lead to the guest rooms on the upper floor, where low tables, red walls and a small courtyard garden show how an evening here was staged. Take your shoes off at the entrance and go slowly on the stairs, which are much steeper than modern ones.
The rooms display hair ornaments, instruments and tableware that geiko used, and the arrangement tells you a lot about the evenings: the guests sat facing an open space where the performers danced, with the garden as a backdrop. Compare it with Kaikaro if you have time, a house that still works today, and you see the same plan carried into the present.7
The full-day tour this page recommends spends 1 hour at Geisha House Shima after 40 minutes in the Higashi Chaya District, so the visit is built in. If you come alone, go early in the day, when the upper rooms are calmer, and keep the main street for later, when the light turns golden on the wood.
Map
Castle, garden, the teahouse quarters and the road to Shirakawa-go
The walk from Korinbo through Nagamachi to the castle and Kenroku-en first, then the teahouse districts and the station, then the mountain road to the thatched villages.
1Starbucks Korinbo (meeting point)2Nomura house, Nagamachi3Oyama Shrine4Nezumita-mon Gate5Gyokusen-inmaru Garden6Hishi-yagura Turret7Kahoku-mon Gate8Ishikawa-mon Gate9Kenroku-en10Seisonkaku Villa1121st Century Museum12D.T. Suzuki Museum
13Kanazawa Station14Higashi Chaya District15Kazuemachi16Nishi Chaya District17Myoryuji (Ninja Temple)18Kanazawa Castle (Ishikawa-mon)19Nagamachi
20Kanazawa21Shirakawa-go (Ogimachi)22Gokayama (Ainokura)23Takayama24Toyama25Komatsu Airport
- 1Starbucks Korinbo (meeting point)
The walking tour sold on this site meets in front of this cafe; Nagamachi is the first stop, a short walk away.
In Google Maps ↗ - 2Nomura house, Nagamachi
A samurai residence with a full suit of armor on display and a garden of streams, rated two stars by the Michelin Green Guide.1314
In Google Maps ↗ - 3Oyama Shrine
A shrine across the moat from the western gate of the castle, reached over the restored wooden bridge.
In Google Maps ↗ - 4Nezumita-mon Gate
The one castle gate with black plaster between its wall tiles; gate and bridge were finished again in 2020.1516
In Google Maps ↗ - 5Gyokusen-inmaru Garden
The private garden of the lords, with a 22-meter drop from its highest wall to the pond bottom, recreated in March 2015.171819
In Google Maps ↗ - 6Hishi-yagura Turret
A diamond-shaped turret built on angles of 80 and 100 degrees, open daily from 9:00 to 16:30.2021
In Google Maps ↗ - 7Kahoku-mon Gate
The working main gate of the castle, rebuilt in 2010 and free to walk through.2223
In Google Maps ↗ - 8Ishikawa-mon Gate
Rebuilt in 1788, the oldest structure on the grounds, an Important Cultural Property since 1950.2425
In Google Maps ↗ - 9Kenroku-en
One of the three great gardens of Japan; adults pay 320 yen, in cash only.262728
In Google Maps ↗ - 10Seisonkaku Villa
A villa built in 1863 by the 13th lord for his mother, on the edge of Kenroku-en.29
In Google Maps ↗ - 1121st Century Museum
The free public zone and outdoor works sit beside paid exhibitions; closed on Mondays.3031
In Google Maps ↗ - 12D.T. Suzuki Museum
A quiet museum with a water garden for the Zen philosopher D.T. Suzuki, entry 310 yen.3233
In Google Maps ↗ - 13Kanazawa Station
The fastest Hokuriku Shinkansen, Kagayaki, reaches it from Tokyo in about 2.5 hours.34
In Google Maps ↗ - 14Higashi Chaya District
The largest of the three historic teahouse districts, established in 1820.1
In Google Maps ↗ - 15Kazuemachi
A small teahouse quarter on the river, protected as a preservation district since 2008.9
In Google Maps ↗ - 16Nishi Chaya District
Founded in 1820 as well; its little museum in a former teahouse is free.1112
In Google Maps ↗ - 17Myoryuji (Ninja Temple)
Two storeys from the street and four inside; visits only on a guided tour booked ahead.3536
In Google Maps ↗ - 18Kanazawa Castle (Ishikawa-mon)
The castle park costs nothing to enter and opens at 7:00 from March to mid-October.37
In Google Maps ↗ - 19Nagamachi
Cobblestone lanes and tiled earthen walls of the old samurai quarter.38
In Google Maps ↗ - 20Kanazawa
Starting point for the tours and buses to the thatched villages.
In Google Maps ↗ - 21Shirakawa-go (Ogimachi)
About 1.5 hours by highway bus from Kanazawa, on the UNESCO list since 1995.3940
In Google Maps ↗ - 22Gokayama (Ainokura)
Registered together with Shirakawa-go as one World Heritage Site.40
In Google Maps ↗ - 23Takayama
Buses link Takayama and Shirakawa-go with Kanazawa every day.41
In Google Maps ↗ - 24Toyama
Shirakawa-go is also about 1.5 hours away by highway bus from here.39
In Google Maps ↗ - 25Komatsu Airport
The nearest airport, about 40 minutes by bus from Kanazawa.42
In Google Maps ↗
Checklist
Walking the teahouse lanes
01
Respect
- Let geiko pass without photographing them
- Keep out of private doorways
- Shoes off inside the museum houses
02
Plan
- Morning for photos, afternoon for museums
- Book Geisha Evenings online in advance
- Cash for small entry fees
Price calculator
What a guided visit costs for your group
Choose a tour and the number of people
People
Total from$284
pp from $142
Check availabilityfree cancellationEach total multiplies the lowest current GetYourGuide price of that Kanazawa listing by the number of people, converted at today’s ECB rate; the checkout page has the final amount.
Video
The old teahouse town of Kanazawa, on foot
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Gold leaf in the lanes
Kanazawa produces 99 percent of Japan's gold leaf, and the craft is everywhere in this district.43 Many shops sell gold-leaf products, from lacquered boxes to cosmetics, and some let you lay the leaf on an object yourself.8 It is fine work: the leaf is so thin that a breath lifts it, which is why the workshops show you how to handle it with bamboo tweezers.
A gold leaf workshop in Kanazawa takes about an hour. One listing holds its 1-hour class in Higashi Chaya on the second floor of a townhouse with bengara-red walls, taught in English and Japanese, with no experience needed, from $32, rated 4.7 from 128 reviews. You leave with a plate, chopsticks or a small box decorated by your own hand.
For the history, the Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum stands at 1-3-10 Higashiyama, a few minutes from the main street; it opens 9:30 to 17:00, closes on Tuesdays and costs 310 yen.44 Gold leaf was one of many crafts the Maeda family encouraged, alongside Kaga-yuzen silk dyeing and Ohi ware tea bowls.45 Seeing the museum first makes the shop windows far more interesting.
Kazuemachi and the Nishi Chaya side
Across the Asano River from Higashi Chaya, Kazuemachi is a narrow strip of teahouses along the water, protected as a preservation district since 9 June 2008 and covering just 0.6 ha.9 It is quieter than its big neighbour, and its alleys climbing away from the river are some of the most atmospheric corners of the city, especially in rain or at dusk.
The Nishi Chaya district in Kanazawa lies on the other side of the city, south of the Sai River, and was established in 1820 together with Higashi Chaya.11 Its main street is lined with wooden teahouses, some still exclusive geiko parlours, and a former teahouse at one end holds the free Nishi-Chaya Museum, where you can see the rooms where geiko entertained.12
Nishi Chaya pairs well with Myoryuji, the so-called Ninja Temple, which stands in the same Nomachi area and needs a booking.4636 Higashi Chaya pairs with Kazuemachi, which is a short walk over the bridge. If you only have one afternoon, pick the east side; if you have two, give each side its own visit.
Morning, afternoon or evening
Early morning is the time for photographs. The shops are still closed, the stone is often damp from the night, and the street lines up cleanly toward the hill behind it. You will share it with joggers and delivery vans rather than tour groups. Bring a lens that can handle the narrow lanes, and do not block doorways while you frame your shot.
The afternoon is for the museums and workshops. Ochaya Shima, Kaikaro's day opening and the gold leaf shops all work in daylight, and the cafes in old teahouse buildings are good places to sit out a shower.376 A kimono rental fits the setting well, but walk carefully on the stone in borrowed sandals.
Evening is the most atmospheric and the quietest for shopping, since many stores close, but it is when Kaikaro's Geisha Evenings take place on certain nights.10 Lamps along the eaves light the wooden fronts, and the lanes toward Kazuemachi glow over the river. If you are staying near the station, the walk back is easy, and taxis wait near the main road.
Visiting with a guide
The castle walk sold on this site covers Nagamachi, Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en and does not enter the teahouse districts, so it pairs naturally with an afternoon here. Do the walk in the morning for the history of the Maeda lords, then cross the river on your own to see the world of the merchants and their entertainers.
The full-day tour recommended on this page starts at 9:00 from Kanazawa Station and covers Nagamachi, Oyama Shrine, a tea ceremony at Gyokusen-an, Kenroku-en, 40 minutes in the Higashi Chaya District and 1 hour at Geisha House Shima. It is priced from $142, rated 4.92 from 158 reviews, with an English-speaking guide and no cancellation fee until 24 hours ahead.
A shorter alternative visits Kenroku-en, the castle and Nagamachi before a taxi takes you the 2.6 km to the Higashi Chaya District for 40 minutes, with the garden and Nomura house tickets included. An e-bike tour passes Kazuemachi and Higashi Chaya at the start of its route. Check each itinerary: one walking tour sold as samurai and geisha lists Kazuemachi, not Higashi Chaya.
Your castle walk
Samurai lanes, castle gates and the garden in one walk.
Pick a date, meet at Korinbo, and keep the option to cancel at no cost for up to 24 hours before.
You ask,we answer.
When was the district founded?
In 1820. It is the largest of Kanazawa's three historic teahouse districts.1
Can I see a real geiko performance?
Yes, on set evenings. Kaikaro hosts Geisha Evenings in Kanazawa, an interactive show in English, booked online.10
Is there a teahouse I can enter?
Ochaya Shima, now a museum. It is a former geiko teahouse showing the rooms, instruments and ornaments of the district.3
Does the castle walk visit the teahouses?
No. Its stops are Nagamachi, Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en, so plan the teahouses for another part of the day.
What share of the country's gold leaf is made here?
99 percent. Many shops in the district sell gold-leaf products and some let you apply it yourself.438
Is the Nishi-Chaya Museum free?
Yes. It sits in a former teahouse and shows the rooms where geiko entertained their guests.12
How big is the protected area?
1.8 ha. The national preservation district, listed as Higashiyama Higashi, was selected on 14 November 2001.2
Sources
Evidence for this guide
- 1Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 2Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of JapanImportant Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings: list (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区一覧)↩
- 3Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 4Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 5Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 6Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 7Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 8Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 9Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of JapanImportant Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings: list (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区一覧)↩
- 10Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Higashi-Chaya District↩
- 11Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Nishi-Chaya District↩
- 12Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Nishi-Chaya District↩
- 13Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Nagamachi Samurai District↩
- 14Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Nagamachi Samurai District↩
- 15Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeNezumita-mon Gate & Nezumita-mon-bashi Bridge↩
- 16Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeNezumita-mon Gate & Nezumita-mon-bashi Bridge↩
- 17Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeGyokusen'inmaru Garden, Gyokusen-an Rest Area↩
- 18Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeGyokusen'inmaru Garden, Gyokusen-an Rest Area↩
- 19Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeGyokusen'inmaru Garden, Gyokusen-an Rest Area↩
- 20Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeCharacteristics of Kanazawa Castle↩
- 21Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeKanazawa Castle Park: Opening Hours and Ticket Prices↩
- 22Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeKahoku-mon Gate↩
- 23Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeKanazawa Castle Park: Opening Hours and Ticket Prices↩
- 24Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeThe Charm of Kanazawa Castle Park↩
- 25Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeIshikawa-mon Gate↩
- 26Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeWhat is Kenroku-en?↩
- 27Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeKenroku-en: Guidance↩
- 28Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeKenroku-en: Guidance↩
- 29Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Seisonkaku Villa↩
- 30Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa↩
- 31Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa↩
- 32Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)D.T. Suzuki Museum↩
- 33Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)D.T. Suzuki Museum↩
- 34Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Getting to Ishikawa↩
- 35Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Myoryuji Temple (Ninja Temple)↩
- 36Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Myoryuji Temple (Ninja Temple)↩
- 37Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden Management OfficeKanazawa Castle Park: Information for Visitors↩
- 38Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Nagamachi Samurai District↩
- 39Shirakawa-go Tourist AssociationAccess↩
- 40Shirakawa-go Tourist AssociationBriefly about Shirakawa-go↩
- 41Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Getting to Ishikawa↩
- 42Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Getting to Ishikawa↩
- 43Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Kanazawa↩
- 44Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum↩
- 45Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Kanazawa↩
- 46Ishikawa Prefecture (Ishikawa Travel)Myoryuji Temple (Ninja Temple)↩
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