Higashi Chaya District

Historic tea house district with charming old streets and well-preserved buildings. Many tea houses here offer dessert and the popular gold leaf ice cream. The area is quite big and the streets are photogenic, perfect for a slow stroll. I visited on a Wednesday, and I am not sure if it is a bad day to visit Kanazawa, but some of the shops were not open. I should have spent more time here and explored the area across the river too. Feels like there is more to see if you take your time.

The district is full of old tradition tea houses and is well known for its gold leaf ice cream. It was lovely to spend a couple hours walking around exploring the local stores. There is a tourist information centre which provides free information, bathrooms, water and a place to rest. It gets pretty busy (went in January) but it’s still enjoyable.

Charming historical quarter. By far not as busy as Kyoto Gion. However, half of the shops were closed too and seem to open only from Thursdays ( we went on a Thursday).

Great geisha town. Pretty chilled. Went there twice. Once late and once in the afternoon. When it was late and the sun was going down, it was really nice hut shops were closed. But great for photos then if you like posing. If not, and you like matcha tea, then come during the day. I had match at the central part and it was really good. The plain matcha was strong and smooth.

This is an old Samurai district in Kanazawa! The structures are idyllic of the time period and are best when visited when no one is on the streets (best pictures!). Not much was open when we were walking around during sunset, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t places to eat. Truly a cool place to visit!

They call this he Little Kyoto. We love exploring and this is one of my favourites in Japan! I love architecture and the streets here are lined with traditional buildings. We were there in summer so it was hot but we still love it coming from cold freezing weather.

If you are back from Kyoto Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, the Higashi Chaya district is only a small portion of it. Nevertheless, the lack of crowds make it more peaceful to visit and the kinds of food is different. The seafood donburi is a must when you go along the shops. The gold leaf ice cream is priced at 900 yen which is more than double the price of normal ice cream and taste just like vanilla ice cream. Have fun!

Alles around the area and it had some very beautiful houses and establishments, but it is smaller than expected. Also quite a distance from the station. Taxi is about 1200 yen (in 2025) one way. The gold leaf on ice was a small fun treat, but don't expect to spent hours in the area, unless you book a tea arrangement