If you visit some of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage temples and shrines, chances are, you will see one of the major applications of gold leaf. Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture, a cultural center during the Edo Period, currently produces 99% of Japan's gold leaf, thanks to high humidity essential to the production process. Hakuza Nihonbashi shop is as beautiful as a gallery. You wiill be introduced to various gold leaf products for daily life from the predictable to the unexpected. Yes, there are gold accessories and interior decor but you will be delighted to find gold leaf syrup, gold flakes to float on tea or top your bowl of steamed rice, rice crackers embedded with gold, cosmetics and skin care products. If you want to soak in the gold ambiance a bit longer, the shop has a serene tea room where you can enjoy traditional green tea and sweets set for ¥1,080. The shop centerpiece is the "Ougon no Tenku," an all-gold dome you can enter and feel the special energy gold radiates.
Getting there
Easy access from Exit A7 of Mitsukoshimae Station of the Ginza Line or Hanzomon Line. Head towards COREDO.
