Japan’s next big thing is already popular, but many miss its highlights

In Kanazawa it’s clear the city is no stranger to visitors. Several hours north of Kyoto and touted as Japan’s “next big thing”, it’s been nicknamed “little Kyoto” for its Edo-period architecture and rich tradition of arts and crafts.

It’s here that my guide has come to meet me at my hotel and take me on a tour of Kanazawa’s greatest hits.

Cherry blossom season in Kanazawa.Credit: iStock

Despite heavy rain, the city’s beautiful gardens are full of visitors. The Higashi Chaya teahouse district is bustling, but the Geisha Museum is surprisingly empty when we visit. We slip out into the surrounding streets of this old town and encounter peaceful cafes and narrow lanes where the only sets of eyes belong to curious cats that peer out of windows, following you.

It’s the start of a tour with a difference. Swept into a carefully curated adventure that uncovers the secret side of this country, with Inside Japan on their Hidden Zen itinerary, I’m seeing what many tourists miss. What’s more, I’m travelling solo for a full immersion.

Still in Kanazawa, Omicho Market is another highlight and a much more relaxed experience than Kyoto’s Nishiki Market. Here, I take my time exploring without being rushed by crowds.

Omicho Market, Kanazawa, the fresh food market.Credit: iStock

Oden Miyuki is a cozy eatery serving Kanazawa’s best oden – a hotpot of umami-rich dashi broth, simmering vegetables, kurumafu (a wheat ball that soaks up the flavour) and tofu. It’s possibly one of the most deliciously ugly meals I’ve had in Japan, accompanied by creamy potato salad, savoury miso and a refreshing yuzu-flavoured beer. On this wintry day, locals line outside the restaurant at 4pm, signalling just how beloved this place is.

Visitors to Japan rarely diverge from the beaten track to cities such as Kanazawa.Credit: iStock

A 15-minute train ride south of Kanazawa is Kaga Onsen, the 1300-year-old town famous for its healing springs, and I’m staying at KAI Kaga, a ryokan housed in a 400-year-old former tofu shop. The converted building with its red facade is filled with Japanese art and has a particular focus on Kutani porcelain.

I try my hand at Kintsugi, the 2000-year-old craft of mending broken ceramics. Tableware is revered here, and repairs can take a month for a single chip. Guests can gain an understanding of the delicate nature of the art in an hour-long experience.

At KAI, the carefully chosen tableware complements the exquisite meals served during the omakase-style breakfasts and dinners. Look closely, and you may be able to spot a piece that has been painstakingly repaired.

Guests choose their own ceramics for a sake and cheese experience in the Bengara Lounge, which overlooks the original public bath just outside KAI. I watch as bathers in robes and slippers dart across the quiet streets, hopping between onsens. Steam rises from vents in the paved roads where the only constant is the sound of water trickling underground. The peaceful silence is a welcome change after the bustle of Tokyo.

The next day, I’m chauffeured northward to Bed & Craft, a collection of six Japanese-style homes in tiny Inami, a charming artists’ village known for woodcarving that sits on the slopes of a misty mountain.

My traditional house is filled with ceramics from local artist Maekawa Wato. It has a beautiful Japanese garden, an outdoor tub and a kitchen. I spend a few hours exploring Inami’s main street, known for its hidden wooden cats – the town provides visitors with maps on where to find them. Then I wander down to Nomi, Bed & Craft’s small Italian restaurant specialising in locally sourced smoked seafood and vegetables.

I have a woodblock carving session with Kaoru Kamo, a master lacquer carver. Her family has been practising this art since the Meiji era. Kaoru invites me into her home for a three-hour lesson, and I decide to continue the cat theme and carve a maneki-neko, the iconic beckoning cat.

The finished product is far from perfect – missing a nose, as I later discover – but it’s definitely coming home with me as a souvenir, representing my new-found appreciation for the skill and craftsmanship behind traditional Japanese arts.

It’s been a journey of discovering the art of slow travel, where true beauty lies in the moments of quiet reflection and the art of simply being present.

THE DETAILS

TOUR
Inside Japan’s 15-day Hidden Zen self-guided tour, from $14,154 a person, twin share and includes accommodation, meals and experiences. See insidejapantours.com/au

FLY
Qantas flies direct from Melbourne and Sydney to Tokyo daily, and from Brisbane three times a week. See qantas.com

STAY
KAI Kaga is in Kaga Onsen. Rooms from ¥18,700 ($200) a night.
See hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kaikaga
Bed & Craft, Inami, Toyama: Mitu from ¥19,000 a person. See bedandcraft.com

The writer travelled as a guest of Inside Japan.