Kazuemachi Chaya District

Kazuemachi is a small, atmospheric teahouse district strung along the Asano River in Kanazawa, its wooden buildings backing directly onto the water. One of the city's three preserved geisha quarters, it is the most intimate, reached down narrow stone lanes and stairways that descend toward the riverbank. In the evening the lantern light from restaurants and teahouses reflects on the river, and the sound of shamisen sometimes drifts from within. Less commercialized than the larger eastern quarter, it rewards a slow wander, especially at dusk.