What Kanazawa Bikazari Asano is known for
Kanazawa Bikazari Asano, run by gold-leaf maker Hakuichi, sells traditional Ishikawa crafts like Kutani-yaki porcelain and Kaga Yuzen dye in Higashi Chayagai. The shop also hosts hands-on gold-leafing workshops.
Kanazawa Bikazari Asano occupies a corner of Higashi Chayagai, Kanazawa's historic geisha district, where it was relocated and reopened in July 2012 as a themed store for Ishikawa's traditional crafts. The shop is run by Hakuichi, the city's best-known gold leaf producer, but its shelves range well beyond gold leaf.
The selection draws on Ishikawa prefecture's 36 recognized traditional crafts, including Kutani-yaki porcelain, Kaga Yuzen dyed textiles, Kanazawa gold leaf itself, Kaga embroidery, and paulownia woodwork — around 300 pieces in total, chosen, the shop says, for being both distinctive and useful in daily life. Established artists sit alongside newer makers the store has picked out early, giving visitors a chance to buy from artisans before they're widely known.
On the second floor, the shop runs its own gold-leafing workshop, open to walk-ins as space allows, where staff guide groups of up to 30 people — including children and first-timers — through applying gold leaf themselves. The shop keeps standard hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except January 1, with the workshop closed Tuesdays.
Best for — Traditional Ishikawa crafts like Kutani-yaki porcelain and Kaga Yuzen dye in Higashi
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