---
title: Higashi Chaya District
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/higashi-chaya-district/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/kanazawa/
---

# Higashi Chaya District

A little of each town’s story　/　Kanazawa, Ishikawa

A teahouse district opened in 1820 on the east side of the Asano River with the approval of the Kaga domain. Teahouse buildings from the late Edo to early Meiji period, with latticed fronts on the ground floor and tatami rooms upstairs, line its stone-paved streets. On November 14, 2001, it became the first area in Kanazawa designated a nationally Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. The teahouse Shima is an Important Cultural Property, and some others, such as Kaikaro and the Ochaya Museum, are open to visitors.

## This moment in the journey: By a window in the Chaya District

My trip began on a clear winter day in Kanazawa's Higashi Chaya District. I took a window seat upstairs, and three wagashi sweets arrived on a black plate. I cut them gently with a kuromoji pick and took a sip of tea.

Through the lattice I could look down on the stone-paved street lined with red-ochre teahouses. Snow still lay on the roofs, and green hills rose at the far end of the street. Then I went out and walked slowly along the stones. In Kanazawa, I wanted to travel like a local.

![The street of the Higashi Chaya District, seen through a lattice window](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/kanazawa/s17-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://tabi-mag.jp/is0294/

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/kanazawa/