Shima

Kanazawa


An Important Cultural Asset, this well-known, traditional-style former geisha house dates from 1820 and has an impressive collection of elaborate combs, and picks for shamisen (three-stringed instruments resembling a lute or banjo).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kanazawa attractions

1. Kaikarō

0.03 MILES

In Higashi-chaya-gai, Kaikarō is an early-19th-century geisha house refinished with contemporary fittings and art, including a red-lacquered staircase…

2. Kanazawa Phonograph Museum

0.3 MILES

Audio buffs will dig this museum of old-time phonographs and SP records, with daily demonstrations at 11am, 2pm and 4pm.

3. Ōmi-chō Market

0.66 MILES

Between Kanazawa Station and Katamachi you'll find this market, reminiscent of Tokyo's old Tsukiji market. A bustling warren of fishmongers, buyers and…

4. Gyokusen-an Rest House

0.67 MILES

In the grounds of Gyokusen Inmaru Garden, this handsome teahouse is the perfect setting in which to experience cha-dō (a tea ceremony), one of Japan's…

5. Kanazawa Castle Park

0.68 MILES

Originally built in 1580, this massive structure was called the 'castle of 1000 tatami' and housed the Maeda clan for 14 generations until it was…

6. Gyokusen Inmaru Garden

0.69 MILES

Adjacent to the Kanazawa Castle Park, this feudal pleasure garden was first constructed in 1634 but abandoned in the Meiji era. Its five-year…

7. Kenroku-en

0.77 MILES

This Edo-period garden draws its name (kenroku means 'combined six') from a renowned Sung-dynasty garden in China that dictated six attributes for…