Kanazawa 13 - Geisha District and Gold Museum

 There's a lot to do in Kanazawa, and it isn't really crowded.  So the first stop is the Geisha district, which is close to other attractions.

Geisha District

It's amazing to me the variation of the buildings which are all essentially made of wood.

I like this idea for the patio... the rocks, not the ice cream.

It's quite early still but I've already walked about 1/2 hour to get here, so of course I treated myself to a vanilla ice cream cone with edible gold.  The ice cream is excellent (I can't taste the gold but isn't it fun?).

Fun Fact Kanazawa  is comprised of two kanji, which together mean "marsh of gold", and derives from a story many centuries ago, of a potato farmer who discovered gold dust in his field. One can see Kanazawa gold in the Kinkakuji temple in Kyoto.  That temple visit was one of my first days in Kyoto.

Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum

It was an interesting museum showing how gold leaf is produced. I had it to myself until some school children on a day trip flooded the museum.  They were so cute, no pics though.

Once the sheets are pounded, the excess is trimmed away.

Tools of the trade.

Contemporary Museum of Art next...