Gold Leaf & Wagashi-Making
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Port
Kanazawa, Japan
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
Information Not Currently Available
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$149
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Kanazawa -- a timeless city of gardens and castles, samurai and geisha -- escaped the air raids of World War II and, thus, retains much of its ancient charm. This combination of panoramic driving and hands-on experiences introduces you to its landmarks and cultural treasures.
At your first stop, you'll learn all about Japanese sweets -- an essential part of Japan's renowned tea ceremony culture. Called wagashi and made from a variety of tasty ingredients, the sweets are beautiful, delicate, and often designed to reflect the current season. With the help of a Japanese artisan, you will mix and decorate your own soft dough made from rice and bean paste, gaining an insight into how much thought and care goes into each different type of wagashi. The Kyoto Tea Ceremony culture, conceived during the Edo Period (1603-1868), influenced the evolution of the sweets, which came to be a symbol of the host's prestige and generous hospitality. These tasty morsels and their appeal to all five senses -- even the ear becomes engaged by the lyrical Japanese names that are bestowed on each wagashi. When spoken aloud, these evoke pleasurable images. Enjoy your handmade creation and savor it with all your senses.
Creating and decorating with gold leaf is another of Japan's traditional crafts and more than 98% of Japan's gold leaf is produced right here in Kanazawa. The fine water and humid weather in this city plays an important role in its production. Visit a gold-leaf artisan for an excellent introduction to a craft that began during the Hakuho and Tenpyo periods (AD 645-794). Gold leaf adds a beautiful sparkle to architecture, lacquerware, textiles and ceramics. This hands-on gold leaf experience offers a glimpse of the various steps used in this age-old process. Consisting of pure gold and small amounts of silver and copper, the gold is pounded to a thousandth of a millimetre thickness. To give you an idea of just how thin the gold leaf becomes, picture gold leaf craftsmen pounding a piece of gold the size of a 10-yen coin into the size of a tatami mat.
You'll return to the pier with lifelong memories of a truly fascinating and unique cultural encounter.
Notes:
Unfamiliar accents can be challenging; feel free to ask your guide to repeat or elaborate on information, and to speak more slowly so you can fully comprehend and converse.