Kanazawa Day Tour Natadera Temple, Craft Village and Geisha Dance

Natadera dates back to the year 717 and has been known for its scenic beauty for hundreds of years. The temple practices an interesting mix of Buddhism and nature worship, so the gardens have become renowned as a place of healing. At the back of the garden lies the oldest part of the temple. The main shrine, designated as an Important Cultural Property, is carved out of a small cave. People believed that by passing through these caves, their spirits were cleansed. Around the gardens, there are plenty of spaces that make for beautiful pictures, like this area which is a Inari shrine used for mountain worship. You can really feel peace and tranquility as you walk through these garden paths and take in the nature.

We will drive a short way to our next destination: Yunokuni-no-Mori craft village. This area offers a wonderful selection of different experiences making local crafts. Inside the craft village, your guide will explain more about each of the experiences on offer. Depending on the activities that pique your interests, you will have enough time to do two or three experiences before leaving the park. Before splitting up, we'll head into the area to try our hands at Kaga Yuzen. This traditional art dates back to more than 500 years ago. Over time, the patterns painted on the kimono became more intricate and elegant. Once you've finished your Kaga Yuzen, you are free to explore the park. There are a couple of restaurants to get lunch and 23 other experiences on offer. **Please remember that costs for any additional experiences after the Kaga Yuzen that you do at the park are not included on the tour.

The bus will head to Yamanaka Onsen, a quiet town tucked away in the mountains. We have a little time before the show starts, so your guide will take you on a short walk through some of the village's sights. There are also some shops you may wish to browse. If you tried your hand at lacquerware in the craft village, compare your work to the masters' on display in the shops - you may have discovered untapped talent!

Geisha will perform a variety of traditional dances and songs local to the region. Being able to see the geisha up close is a really magical experience. You can tell they have practiced years to do each movement perfectly. We'll also see a performance of the traditional Kaga lion dance, shishimai. This dance is said to have first been done to celebrate the first lord of Kanazawa, Toshiie Maeda, arriving to the region after a century of war. For the final dance of the show, the geisha will invite audience members onto the stage to do Goshugi no Mai, the dance of celebration. This dance is popular even into today as a celebration of Kanazawa's rich history, calling back to when it was considered among the mightiest cities in Japan. As pictures are strictly forbidden during the performance, we recommend you take the chance and try dancing for yourself! The geisha will walk you through the steps (there aren't many!) before doing the dance with the group.