A peasant was digging for potatoes when he uncovered some flakes of gold. This is the orgin myth for Kanazawa, located on the Sea of Japan in Ishikawa Prefecture. The Maeda Clan ruled the area known as the Kaga Domain until the end of the Edo Period (1867). As a matter of policy, merchants and artisans were encouraged to settle in the area, a key factor in becoming one of the largest cities in Japan, with a reputation for its beautiful gold-and-lacquer work. By 1700, its population was comparable to Rome or Madrid.
Fortunately, Kanazawa was spared bombing during World War II. As a result, many old houses with traditional architecture, temples, and geisha areas abound. Walk around, and you feel you have slipped back in time to when castle towns flourished with their diverse classes and occupations.
Skyler likes to visit the city every summer to get design ideas from the many fine ceramics, lacquer, and glass works and have delicious Japanese and Western meals with just the right beverage!
In "kanazawa, snow does not deter a little nightlife," Skyler uses the contrast of a serene winter scene with a woman walking with a bright red umbrella to her place of work or to meet an acquaintance. The traditional rhythms of the city run deeper than the weather.
