Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art

A showcase of Kaga craft, the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art sits in the cultural quarter of Kanazawa, close to the celebrated Kenrokuen garden, and gathers the finest arts of a region long famous for its refined crafts. Under the patronage of the wealthy Maeda lords, the old domain of Kaga became a hothouse of ceramics, lacquer, dyeing and metalwork, and the museum tells that story through a superb permanent collection.

Its star piece is a masterpiece of porcelain. The collection's most treasured object is a small incense burner in the shape of a pheasant, made by the seventeenth-century potter Nonomura Ninsei and designated a National Treasure, its glazed plumage a marvel of the ceramic art. Around it are displayed vivid Kutani ware, gold-decorated Kaga lacquer and the yuzen dyed silks for which Kanazawa remains renowned.

The museum ranges widely. Beyond the historic crafts it shows paintings, sculpture and contemporary work by artists connected to Ishikawa, and its changing special exhibitions bring in loans from across Japan and abroad. A pleasant café and shop, and the wooded setting alongside other museums, make it an agreeable place to linger.

For a visit, the museum lies within easy walking distance of Kenrokuen, the castle and the neighbouring 21st Century Museum, so it fits naturally into a day exploring Kanazawa's rich cluster of cultural sites. Admission to the permanent galleries is modest, with additional fees for special shows, and the building is fully accessible. Allow an hour or two, and the spring and autumn seasons, when the surrounding gardens are at their finest, are especially rewarding times to combine indoor and outdoor sightseeing. The Ninsei pheasant censer alone justifies the visit, a jewel of Japanese ceramic art in a city of fine crafts.