IN KANAZAWA HOUSE is situated in a renovated 100 year old Kanazawa Machiya, a residential heritage house formerly used by an artisan specialised in the craft of dyeing. They provide an experience which is unique to Kanazawa, aimed mainly at tourists from overseas.

‘Food’ is probably the biggest thing that draws the interest of people who visit Kanazawa for the first time. While Japanese cuisine today is very popular worldwide, the best place to get Kanazawa’s local fresh fish and foodstuffs is Omicho Market. IN KANAZAWA HOUSE offers a tour programme in which people can experience visiting the Market and buying ingredients with a cooking expert, preparing food themselves, and eating the dishes thereafter.

There are various other tour programmes too, such as: a set of performance of Geisha dance and Japanese drum, and Kaiseki Bento box in three tea house towns in Kanazawa – Higashi, Kazuemachi and Nishi; an experience of rice gruel breakfast in a Buddhist temple; a cycling tour in Hakusan mountain area; and a course giving the experience of making Temari Zushi (little ball-shaped Sushi). The best thing is that tourists from overseas are able to touch a true sense of Kanazawa, rather than only visiting popular sightseeing spots from a travel guide.

Shigehiko Yamada, the Company Director of Kohaku Inc., managing IN KANAZAWA HOUSE, is one of the people who was attracted by the beauty and importance of Kanazawa Machiya. He renovated the building drastically, including Japanese rooms, inner garden, and kitchen, directing with a great attention to detail so that the space could be used for various purposes. ‘Only one year has passed since I moved to Kanazawa. There are local charms that are only noticeable to the people from outside. I would also like local people to use the facilities for different purposes’ says Yamada. The space can be hired for activities such as a yoga class or meetings.

Their location is in a residential area distant from main sightseeing spots. We can find it by going through a narrow path in castle town Kanazawa, which has avoided the fires of war. A Machiya residence, sitting hidden and quiet for a long time, is now starting to attract a breadth of attention.