Kinpakuya Sakuda Main Store (Gold Leaf Crafting Workshop)

Founded in 1919 and located a three-minute walk from the Higashi Chaya district, Sakuda is one of Kanazawa's long-standing gold leaf houses—fitting for a city that produces nearly all of Japan's gold leaf. The main draw is the hands-on gold leaf workshop: choose an item such as chopsticks, a round plate, or a small lacquered-style box, lay out your design with masking tape, brush on adhesive, and gently set the gold leaf—just one ten-thousandth of a millimeter thin—before sweeping away the excess. Stencils and pre-cut pattern stickers are on hand for anyone unsure of their design skills, so children and adults can all take part. Sessions run about 60 minutes, and your finished piece goes home with you the same day. Between sessions, you can watch artisans handling sheets of leaf in the workshop—work rarely seen up close—and even the restroom, finished entirely in gold and platinum leaf, has become a small attraction of its own. The shop floor carries gold leaf cosmetics, foods, and craftwork, making this an easy stop to pair with a stroll through the chaya district.