Out of all the things we saw in Kanazawa, I think Higashi Chaya was one of the highlights of the trip.

Higashi Chaya – literally translated as Eastern Tea House – traditionally was and still is Kanazawa’s ‘pleasure quarter’ where geisha and courtesans dances, played music, and entertained in quaint wooden tea houses (where tea was probably the last thing that was being served).

The architecture in this area is very well preserved and a popular spot with tourists, who wander the stone streets, picking up strains of a shamisen being played somewhere behind a screen door, and taking pictures.

At the end of one of the streets, we stumbled upon a beautiful little shrine which was also covered in cherry blossoms. We had to stop here to take some pictures of the kid’s Pikachu in a scenic spot.

Absolutely gorgeous! Couldn’t get enough of these cherry blossoms!