Colors Of Kanazawa (Traditional Crafts And Gardens)

David was an excellent guide. We ended up with a private tour which was nice. Our timing worked out perfectly and we avoided rain with our cafe stop at the end of the garden segment. The fabric dye stenciling was relaxing and harder than it looks.

Our guide Sachiko met us at our hotel and took us to meet some traditional artisans from Kanazawa, we went to an atelier of dying fabric dated from the Edo period who worked for a family of Samouraï, we also met this wonderful lady who makes umbrellas, such an interesting experience and amazing craftsmanship. My husband is very interested in Japanese lacquer and Kintsugi, Sachiko managed to organise at the last minute a meeting with one of the top master who showed us some of his skills, we were so lucky. We had a lovely lunch in the Geisha district with our guide. We spent about 1 hour with each artisan, that was a perfect day, thank you so much Sachiko.

Thank you so much for the very warm and informative tour with you today. You gave us lots of wonderful, inspiring and insightful glimpses into the places and history of Kanazawa. It was a pleasure to have taken this tour with you today, and we can highly recommend taking tours of Kanazawa with you. Above all, meeting a master of his craft was a wonderful experience for us

What a wonderful day we had with Nozomi. Her enthusiasm and knowledge was outstanding and she made sure we had the best time. We so enjoyed seeing the tatami makers at work and the highlight was the umbrella ladies. To see the skill of these artisans and their passion for their work was a delight. They made us feel so welcome and having the opportunity to try some sewing of an umbrella was a great experience. Our time in Kanazawa was most certainly enhanced by our day with Nozomi and we feel we made a new friend. She was just the best!

I had an amazing time being guided around by a lovely, chatty woman called Saya. She was very welcoming and confident in answering any inquiries she was asked. It was very intimate which I was worried could have made it awkward but she was really friendly and nice to talk to. Around halfway in, we went into a café and tried yummy cold food (which was perfect on the sunny day!), I had a tirimisu parfait that I fell in love with! I think the stop was a great idea to cool us down and it’s very considerate for older people who may need a break from walking. We were also shown around Kenrokyen, a stunning garden and castle with gorgeous views and interesting history. To finish off, we designed a small Japanese styled bag, we were given stensils to paint over which meant we didn’t even need to be good at art to bring home a gorgeous bag! This took the pressure off and meant I could really enjoy the experience. Overall I would definitely recommend doing this tour!!

We highly recommend the "Colors of Kanazawa" tour. Our guide, Nicola, was fantastic and shared fascinating stories about the rich history of Kanazawa Castle and the breathtakingly beautiful garden. The absolute best part of the experience was the workshop at the end, where we got to try our hands at the traditional color and dyeing technique ourselves. It was incredibly fun and a wonderful souvenir to take home. Thank you, Nicola, for a memorable and educational day!

We spent a half day with Ai Kawachi starting with visit to see laquer art being done, then on to the gardens and Geisha district. Ai was alot of fun- very bright, knowledgeable and very friendly. We had a great morning and would highly recommend people reaching out to Ai

Saya is an excellent guide with a great deal of knowledge. She was able to answer all our questions. The break was excellent with a great dessert. I didn’t know about coffee jelly, but it was amazing. We got a good overview of the castle and gardens. Both were excellent to see and our visit wouldn’t have been as enjoyable had we been on our own. We were most surprised by how much we enjoyed the craft dying at the end. It was fun and I think kids as well as adults would enjoy it. Overall this was a great value and made a favorable impression of Kanazawa.

We had a great tour with Saya with lots of interesting historical background information but also information about today‘s life in Japan. I highly recommend!

Our guide Saya was super friendly, and very knowledgeable about the area. Very fluent English speaker. The Geisha district is beautiful and has such a rich history. Would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Kanazawa.

Great afternoon with Saya. Lovely guide - very informed and spoke excellent English. I got kick as I was the only one on the afternoon tour and we had the peak of sukura in the sunshine. Made for a great day wondering around the beautiful city. Lovely spot too to drink coffee and eat mochi overlooking blossom trees. Best part of the day was the kimono studio and the chance to do some painting. Learnt so much about the history of the city but also about modern day Japan.

We went with Saya-san as our guide and Emma guide in training. We really enjoyed our tour with both of them. All our historical questions have been answered with detailed answers that was veryyyyyy appreciated. A break with sweets has also been scheduled and we spent the right amont of time there. Everything was scheduled perfectly during the tour, the rythme was nice and we did not have to rush.

We joined the Colors of Kanazawa tour with Sachiko-san and had an amazing experience. She was incredibly helpful and thoughtful throughout the day, and it really felt like we were exploring the city with a friend. Her explanations were clear, engaging, and full of local insight. She also gave us excellent restaurant recommendations — we tried one of them and absolutely loved it. Overall, she made our time in Kanazawa so much more memorable. Highly recommended!

Really fun to enjoy a treat and a craft alongside beautiful scenery and history! Our guide Sachiko was very fun to spend a few hours with!

Yesterday I've had the pleasure to visit Kanazawa and it's color with Sachiko, it has been a great afternoon with a lot of information, beautiful view, pictures, the little cafe spot is a real plus in the tour allowing a small break with a great view of the Castle! (The food was so fluffy and good !). The "painting" activity is really fun and you end up with a personalized little tote bag looking great ! Everything is included in the tour which feels really good ! Also Sachiko English is perfect allowing an easy discussion! Thank you for this moment and for sharing your love of Kanazawa !

Sachiko was an excellent guide today. She speaks excellent in English and my wife and I had an exciting and truly interesting day with her. We can recommend her 100%.

I had a great afternoon being shown the sites by Saya. The gardens were beautiful. We had lots of laughs and fun. I learnt a lot about the local history and culture that I would not of known going unguided. The craft activity was a great hands on way to gain an understanding of the techniques involved in the Kanazawa silk dyeing.

Sachiko opened an awareness of the challenges of embroidery and kimono making in a modern world. Her relationship with the artisans helped them to be open about their craft. Sachiko’s preparation sent a message she cared about providing us with the best experiences. She framed the day from the historical meaning of embroidery and kimono detailing to today’s dying personal involvement in the artistic works. In each experience the encouragement to pry from the artist how and why they decided on the creation, allowed us to appreciate their work. We fully enjoyed the personal touch she provided in enjoying our time touring with her. Sachiko’s passion for providing tours will lead to a great career.

Sachiko was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide, who was versatile and spontaneous. She organised for us to meet extraordinary artisans, who demonstrated their work in private sessions. Very special.

Ian was an excellent and very knowledgeable guide. The tour was relaxed but included so much. The artisans were so skilled and it was a real privilege to learn so much about their craft. Our walks around the gardens were leisurely, beautiful and fascinating. Thanks Ian for a great day. Highly recommended.

We had a great day with Sachiko who not only shied us the beauty of Kanazawa but also lots of Artisans and she taught us a lot

The experience with our guide Saya Miyashita was exceptional; she was punctual, attentive, her explanations and comments were inclusive for the whole group, she used didactic visual material, the tour was at our pace without rushing, she took magnificent family photos of us, and she was detailed in her explanations regarding the history, architecture, and anecdotes. We took a break to have drinks and desserts, which allowed us to socialize more with her and chat among the group. We finished with an activity at the kimono museum, where she explained the process of making them and the difference in the art of their construction compared to other places in Japan (painting); in the end, we painted a canvas to take home a nice bag as a souvenir, she gave us a souvenir as a gesture, and the experience she created for us in Kanazawa we will take with us forever to Mexico, Spain, and Norway. :)